The train ride was part of a key test included in the final certification phase of the electrification project
History was made in the Algarve last week with the very first electric train journey between Faro and Vila Real de Santo António.
The inaugural train ride took place on Tuesday, June 24 and was more than just symbolic, acting as a key test included in the final certification phase before the electrification of this 56-kilometre stretch of the Algarve line is officially completed. The train, an electric multiple unit from the CP 2240 series, was loaned by national rail operator Comboios de Portugal (CP).
“The ride was successful, marking another significant step towards completing the modernisation and electrification plan of the Algarve Line,” Portugal’s infrastructure authority, Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), said in a statement.
The electrified section passes through six municipalities – Loulé, Faro, Olhão, Tavira, Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António – and is expected to significantly improve public transport across the region. With the shift to electric traction, passengers can expect faster and more frequent trains and a cut in greenhouse gas emissions.
According to IP, the project is the result of a large-scale collaboration between several key partners: engineering consultants NRV, Setec Internacional, and Setec Ferroviaire; oversight by COBA; construction by a Sacyr-led consortium; and certification by Bureau Veritas.
PS questions government over Lagos-Tunes electrification
Following the successful test run, Socialist Party (PS) MPs Luís Graça and Jorge Botelho, elected by the district of Faro, are now calling on the government to clarify when the remaining electrification works will be completed – specifically, the stretch between Tunes and Lagos.
In a formal question addressed to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, the MPs welcomed the milestone reached by IP, calling it a long-awaited development and a key commitment made by PS in both regional and national programs.
They recalled that the Algarve Line’s electrification began in Vila Real de Santo António on November 2, 2021, under the Socialist government led by António Costa. The project, divided into two main construction phases – Faro to Vila Real de Santo António and Tunes to Lagos – represents a €80 million investment aimed at replacing diesel trains with electric ones, cutting emissions, reducing travel times, and improving overall efficiency.
Once fully completed, the new regional railway could shave up to 25 minutes off travel times between Lagos and Vila Real de Santo António.
However, the Socialist MPs want the government to disclose expected completion dates for the remaining works and plans for new electric rolling stock in the region.
