Trains in Lisbon CP

Very much a non-train holiday to Lisbon but of course, as often happens, they do usually manage to sneak into the picture just a little bit. As it happens, and purely by chance, my accommodation was just a 5 minute walk from the long distance terminus Lisbon Santa Apolonia and within the view from the hotel window. With a bit of help from the Interrail App it wasn't too difficult to make a couple of visits during my stay to catch a bit of the action with traditional long distance services in the hands of the CP 5600.


My first sight of one of the Siemens / Soreframe 5600 locos was on the blocks at Santa Apolonia after emerging from the Metro from the airport. In the same location 5618 is seen the following morning (13/11/2019) The locos were built from 1993 and currently manage all long distance services that are not in the hands of more recent 'pendolino' EMU's.


5603 is seen backing onto it's next service at Lisbon Santa Apolonia. 15/11/2019


As far as I was concerned the highlight of station operations, and the locos I really wanted to see where the CP 1400's employed on shunting duties. I had met with these locos earlier in the year in the Porto region and had a thoroughly good time chasing them on the Douro valley. Generally after a mainline arrival either a 5600 would drop onto the front of the train to form the next departure of a 1400 would arrive to shunt the stock to the carriage sidings.  On 13th November 2019, 1429 is seen performing one such move. Electric locomotives wait between turns on the middle road.


The 1400 class is well known to British enthusiasts as the 'Portugese class 20' and indeed the first examples were built in the UK by English Electric at their Newton-le-Willows factory. Subsequent locos were built under license in Portugal. Their reliability and popularity has ensured the class a long life with many examples still working today. 1427 is pictured entering the station on 15/11/2019.


1427 waits with another set of empties to the carriage sidings on 15th November 2019. In the roads to the right can be seen one of the more modern 'Pendolino' EMU's while a local DMU occupies the nearest line. The coaches used are based on the sucessful French 'Corail' design constructed in Portugal by Soreframe who specialised in using stainless steel technology licenced by the US Budd company. Internally the coaches are very much like their counterparts operating for SNCF.


After departing from Lisbon Santa Apolonia the first station is the 1998 built modern masterpiece at Oriente. This is a major interchange for rail, metro and bus services built in a modernist gothic style. The building is certainly impressive, though perhaps pleasing more to the photographer than the passenger as the lack of walls make the space somewhat draughty! 5614 is seen having run round a short train of Corails on 14th November 2019.


My final train of the trip was 5608 which was taken the short distance from Santa Apolonia to Oriente to then transfer to the metro to reach the airport on 15th November 2019.

Of course any trip to Lisbon would not be complete without mention of the cities wonderful trams (especially so for those with an interest in transport!). The tram system here is almost unique with incredible geometry and gradients as it snakes its way through the cobbled winding streets of the old districts of Lisbon. When it came to upgrade the system there were simply no vehicles available which could meet the needs of the city, particularly with the narrow wheelbase of the vehicles which was required to fit through the tiny gaps between buildings (often passing within a whisker of them)- therefore the old trams were re-engineered and retained. The vehicles with their wooden interiors certainly have a lot of charm and it is no surprise that tourists flock to ride them around the old town. Unfortunately this has made the trams a victim of their own success with queues to board and virtually no chance of hopping on one at an intermediate stop during busy times. The route 28 which coveres the largest circle of the old town being particularly poular. Fortunately travelling in November made the trams a little more bearable - and plus by riding routes other than the 28 it is usually possible to have a much less crowded ride!