Régua railway station

Coordinates: 41°9′30.57″N 7°47′0.82″W / 41.1584917°N 7.7835611°W / 41.1584917; -7.7835611
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41°9′30.57″N 7°47′0.82″W / 41.1584917°N 7.7835611°W / 41.1584917; -7.7835611

Régua Station

Estação Ferroviária da Régua
Main building of the Régua station, in 2009
General information
LocationPeso da Régua
Portugal
Coordinates41°9′30.57″N 7°47′0.82″W / 41.1584917°N 7.7835611°W / 41.1584917; -7.7835611
Elevation75
Line(s)Douro line (1879-present), Corgo line (1906-2009)
Tracks2
ConnectionsGodim railway station, Covelinhas railway station
History
Opened15 July 1879 (1879-07-15)
Services
Preceding station Comboios de Portugal Following station
Rede
towards Porto-São Bento
 InterRegional Terminus
Rede
towards Porto-Campanhã
Godim
towards Marco de Canaveses
 Regional
Covelinhas
towards Pinhão
Rede
towards Porto-São Bento
 InterRegional
Covelinhas
towards Pocinho
Rede
towards Porto-Campanhã
Terminus Regional
Location
Régua Station is located in Portugal
Régua Station
Régua Station
Location within Portugal

The Régua railway station previously known as Regoa railway station,[1][2] is a station on the Douro Line, which serves the town of Peso da Régua, in the District of Vila Real, in Portugal. It opened in 1879,[3] and served as a junction point with the Corgo Line, which operated between 1906[4] and 2009.[5][6]

Overall information[edit]

Station at its surroundings in 2010

Location and access[edit]

The station is located in the town of Peso da Régua, with access by the Largo da estação (Square of the station).[7][8]

Design[edit]

By January 2011, the station had a total of four lanes, measuring 379, 438, 350 and 319 m long, the platforms are 255 and 216 m wide, and 35 cm high.[9] Since October 2004, diesel fueling maneuvers can be carried out, and the station also has a public information system.[10] The passenger building is located on the south side of the road (right side going up towards Barca d'Alva).

Services[edit]

In 1994, it was served by regional trains, for the transport of private cars, by the operator Comboios de Portugal.[11]

History[edit]

Main article: Linha do Douro
Régua station, in the 1880s.

Background[edit]

Before the construction of the Douro line, the regions surrounding the Douro river far from the Atlantic Ocean had a huge lack of communication with the rest of Portugal, with the river being the only way to receive or send any message, however, the voyage by boat was very complicated and took a lot of time, taking between 6 and 8 days to reach from Peso da Régua to Porto and vice-versa.[12] By the late 1880s, the famous ethnographer, José Leite de Vasconcelos, took a trip from Peso da Régua to Miranda do Douro that took 5 days.[13]

Inauguration[edit]

The station was inaugurated on 15 July 1879, as a provisory station of the Douro line. Connection to Ferrão railway station, opened on 4 Abril 1880.[3]

20th century[edit]

Connection to the Corgo line[edit]

Still in the 19th century, the German businessman Maximilian Schreck was authorized to build Horsecar railway lines between Vila Real, Régua, Lamego and Viseu.[14]

A decree of February 18, 1903 states that attempts to build a railway between Régua and the border with Spain were being made.[15] In September 1905, a plan for expanding this station had already been prepared and presented to the Superior Council of Public Works, in order to accommodate both the Corgo Line, then under construction, and the planned Linha de Lamego.[1] The first section of the Corgo Line, between Régua and Vila Real, was opened to exploration on May 12, 1906.[4][16]

In 1913, stagecoach service from Régua station to Lamego and Moimenta da Beira started.[17] In 1919, circulation on the section between Vila Real and Régua was temporarily suspended, due to the monarchic incursions happening in northern Portugal.[18]

Enlargement[edit]

Portuguese royal train in the Régua railway station, 1907.

Due to being the junction point of two separate railway lines [19] and an important road junction, the town of Régua has become a major communications center between the regions of Beira and Trás-os-Montes.[20] The station itself became an important Port wine transporter,[21][22] still, the station did not have the conditions to meet the traffic requirements, but it could not be enlarged due to the reduced space available, so it was decided to expand the then Godim halt (modern Godim railway station) instead, located near Régua.[23] On that same year, Régua station was partially repaired by the Portuguese Railway Company.[24] In April 1935, those expansions were almost done, that included sleeping quarters for the construction workers.[25][26]

A decree from November 18, 1911 modified the rules for transporting Port wine on the Douro line. The wine that was transported by train to Barqueiros, Rede and Moledo was to be verified at a post in Barqueiros, but the rest was to be verified at Régua.[27]

Est. Régua
mapa de 1900
Plan for the Complementary railway network North of the Mondego River, enacted in 1900. In addition to the Corgo Line, a line from Régua to Vila Franca das Naves was also planned.

Planned connections to other lines[edit]

In 1885, a railway link between Viseu and Chaves was planned, but it was never completed due to the considerable difficulties that would be encountered in its construction; therefore, two alternatives were proposed, with the military authorities supporting the line from Régua to Viseu via Lamego.[28] However, Régua was unable to support the junction of the broad gauge railway, and the problem of building on very difficult terrain remained, so a commission formed in 1927 to study and sketch a plan for the railway network north of the Douro river proposed the installation of two narrow gauge lines, one from Régua to Lamego, and the other from this town to São Pedro do Sul railway station, passing through Castro Daire.[28]

These two lines were included in the General Railway Network Plan, a document made official by Decree number 18190 of March 28, 1930, and the Lamego line was planned to reach Pinhel, passing through Vila Franca das Naves.[28][29] A rail link between Régua and Vila Franca das Naved had already been presented, on a narrow gauge, by the Plan for the Complementary Network to the North of the Mondego, approved by a decree of 15 February 1900.[28]

CP Class 9500 being transferred to a wide-track wagon following the closure of the Corgo line.

Modernization[edit]

In 1996, it was expected that the installation of electronic signaling would be extended to Régua, within the scope of the Porto Junction Railway Cabinet project.[30]

21st Century[edit]

The section of the Corgo line between Régua and Vila Real was closed by the National Railway Network on 25 March 2009.[5][6] In 2016, the entire railway infrastructure on dual gauge was dismantled between the Régua railway station and Corgo, which provided the connection between the trunk of the Corgo line and the maintenance, manoeuvring and commercial (passenger and freight) facilities in Régua, thus making it impossible to reopen the operation in the future on Iberian-gauge railways.[31]

Literary references[edit]

The writer Horacel Lopes described the station and the people of Régua, when going on a trip through the Douro line in the 1950s:

Régua, at the confluence of the lines of Alto-Douro, represents the winery center of this entire region, notable for its famous wines. All roads are linked and joined there, serving to transport the formidable production of nectar from the Alto-Douro, from this privileged land of wines, fruits and cereals. It is a village in full development and extremely picturesque, built on the side of the great river, which gives so much exuberance and beauty to this point favored by nature.

— Horacel Lopes, O que vi em Portugal (English: What I saw in Portugal) (1956): p. 260

Gallery[edit]

Station of Régua
  • Train arrives at the Régua Railway Station in 1993
    Train arrives at the Régua Railway Station in 1993
  • Train station during the night
    Train station during the night
  • Train station during the night from inside a train
    Train station during the night from inside a train
  • Steam locomotive used between 1922 and 1948
    Steam locomotive used between 1922 and 1948
  • Historical steam locomotive passing by the Régua Railway Station, 2012
    Historical steam locomotive passing by the Régua Railway Station, 2012
  • Old train carriages in Régua Station
    Old train carriages in Régua Station
  • Modern train carriages in Régua Station
    Modern train carriages in Régua Station
  • Train arriving at the station, 2010
    Train arriving at the station, 2010
  • Train arriving at the station, 2015
    Train arriving at the station, 2015
  • Train arriving at the station during the night, 2023
    Train arriving at the station during the night, 2023
  • Dual gauge of the Corgo line inside the Douro line near Régua railway station, seen from the commander’s cabin, 2008.
    Dual gauge of the Corgo line inside the Douro line near Régua railway station, seen from the commander’s cabin, 2008.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Sousa, José Fernando de (16 September 1905). "A linha da Regoa a Chaves" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 18, no. 426. p. 273. Retrieved 1 March 2013 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
  2. ^ Horário de 1905
  3. ^ a b "Troços de linhas férreas portuguesas abertas à exploração desde 1856, e a sua extensão" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 69, no. 1652. 16 October 1956. pp. 528–530. Retrieved 6 May 2013 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
  4. ^ a b TORRES, Carlos Manitto (16 February 1958). "A evolução das linhas portuguesas e o seu significado ferroviário" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 70, no. 1684. pp. 91–95. Retrieved 1 March 2013 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
  5. ^ a b Cardoso, Almeida (3 April 2011). "Exigem regresso dos comboios". Correio da Manhã. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  6. ^ a b Luzio, Margarida (25 March 2009). "Falta de segurança fecha Linha do Corgo". Jornal de Notícias. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  7. ^ "Régua". Comboios de Portugal. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  8. ^ "Régua - Linha do Douro". Infraestruturas de Portugal. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  9. ^ "Linhas de Circulação e Plataformas de Embarque". Directório da Rede 2012. Rede Ferroviária Nacional. 6 January 2011. pp. 71–85.
  10. ^ "Directório da Rede Ferroviária Portuguesa 2005". Rede Ferroviária Nacional. 13 October 2004. pp. 65, 81.
  11. ^ "Beira alta, Beira baja y los Ramales de Cáceres y Badajoz". Maquetren (in Spanish). Vol. Ano 3, no. 30. 1994. pp. 4–9.
  12. ^ ORTIGÃO, 1986:115
  13. ^ JACOB e ALVES, 2010:112
  14. ^ SERRÃO, 1986:238
  15. ^ MARTINS et al, 1996:251
  16. ^ REIS et al, 2006:12
  17. ^ "Serviço de Diligencias". Guia official dos caminhos de ferro de Portugal. Vol. Ano 39, no. 168. October 1913. pp. 152–155. Retrieved 25 March 2018 – via Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal.
  18. ^ AIRES, 2010:37
  19. ^ "Los Ferrocarriles Portugueses". Via Libre (in Spanish). Vol. Ano 5, no. 58. Madrid: Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles Españoles. 1 October 1968. p. 23.
  20. ^ ALCOBAÇA, Visconde de (1 December 1932). "Estradas Afluentes à Linha do Douro: Troço da Régua a Barca D'Alva" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 45, no. 1079. pp. 559–561. Retrieved 1 February 2013 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
  21. ^ REIS et al, 2006:31
  22. ^ VIEGAS, 1988:27
  23. ^ "Conselho Superior de Caminhos de Ferro" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 46, no. 1113. 1 May 1934. p. 248. Retrieved 1 March 2013 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
  24. ^ "O que se fez nos Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses, durante o ano de 1934" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 47, no. 1130. 16 January 1935. pp. 50–51. Retrieved 1 March 2013 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
  25. ^ "Os nossos Caminhos de Ferro em 1935" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 48, no. 1154. 16 January 1936. pp. 52–55. Retrieved 6 July 2016 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
  26. ^ "Caminhos de Ferro Nacionais" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 47, no. 1136. 16 April 1935. p. 172. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  27. ^ MARTINS e BARRETO, 1990:368
  28. ^ a b c d SOUSA, José Fernando de (1 March 1935). ""O Problema da Defesa Nacional" pelo Coronel Raúl Esteves" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 47, no. 1133. pp. 101–103. Retrieved 1 March 2013 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
  29. ^ PORTUGAL. Decreto n.º 18190, de 28 de Março de 1930. Ministério do Comércio e Comunicações - Direcção Geral de Caminhos de Ferro - Divisão Central e de Estudos - Secção de Expediente, Publicado no Diário do Governo n.º 83, Série I, de 10 de Abril de 1930.
  30. ^ MARTINS et al, 1996:167
  31. ^ António João Pinto Pires: “Desmantelamento da via estreita na estação da Régua” Entroncamento Online (2016.06.15)

Bibliography[edit]

  • Aires, Joaquim (2010). Vila Real: Roteiros Republicanos. Roteiros republicanos. Matosinhos: Quidnovi, Edição e Conteúdos, S. A. e Comissão Nacional para as Comemorações do Centenário da República. p. 128. ISBN 978-989-554-737-1.
  • Jacob, João; Alves, Vítor (2010). Bragança: Roteiros Republicanos. Roteiros republicanos. Matosinhos: Quidnovi, Edição e Conteúdos, S. A. p. 127. ISBN 978-989-554-722-7.
  • Lopes, Horacel (1956). O que vi em Portugal. Rio de Janeiro: Emp. Gráf. Ouvidor S. A. p. 341.
  • Martins, Conceição; Barreto, António (1990). Memória do Vinho do Porto. Lisboa: Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa. p. 508.
  • Martins, João; Brion, Madalena; Sousa, Miguel; et al. (1996). O Caminho de Ferro Revisitado: O Caminho de Ferro em Portugal de 1856 a 1996. Lisboa: Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses. p. 446.
  • Ortigão, Ramalho (1986). As Farpas: O País e a Sociedade Portuguesa. Vol. 1. Lisboa: Clássica Editora. p. 276.
  • Reis, Francisco; Gomes, Rosa; Gomes, Gilberto; et al. (2006). Os Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses 1856-2006. Lisboa: CP-Comboios de Portugal e Público-Comunicação Social S. A. p. 238. ISBN 989-619-078-X.
  • Joaquim, Serrão (1986). História de Portugal: O Terceiro Liberalismo (1851-1890). Verbo. p. 423.
  • Viegas, Francisco (1988). Comboios Portugueses: Um Guia Sentimental. Lisboa: Círculo de Editores. p. 185.
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