Linha do Porto à Póvoa e Famalicão

Linha do Porto à Póvoa e Famalicão
Porto-Trindade railway station
Overview
Other name(s)	Porto to Póvoa and Famalicão railway line
Status	Closed
Termini	Porto-Trindade Famalicão
Technical
Line length	57.1 km (35.5 mi)
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Old gauge	900 mm (2 ft 11+7⁄16 in)
Route map L. Minho → Porto S.B. 57,175 Famalicão × Rua José Carvalho L. Minho → Monção × Rua Daniel Rodrigues × Rua dos Serrões × EN204 / Av. 9 de Julho 54,300 Barradas 52,099 Outiz × Rua Primeiro de Maio 50,327 Cavalões (dem.) × Av. de São Félix / EN206 48,094 Gondifelos × Rua Fonte do Chão 44,899 Balazar 43,508 Fontainhas 41,500 Rates × Rua Águas Férreas 36,500 Laundos (dem.) 35,133 S. Félix 31,634 Amorim (dem.) 30,700 Pisão (dem.) × A28 / IC1 × Av. 25 de Abril × Via General Humberto Delgado × Rua da Sacra Família Viana do Castelo (cancelled proj.) 27,933 Póvoa de Varzim 24,601 Vila do Conde 22,715 Azurara-Árvore (formerly Azurara) 19,623 Mindelo 17,015 Vila Chã 15,676 Modivas 13,92 Vilar do Pinheiro 10,815 Pedras Rubras 09,194 Crestins 06,800 Santa Cruz 05,648 R. de Guifões → G. O. Guifões 8 Custóias L. Guimarães R. Matosinhos → Matosinhos L. Pedreiras → Pedreiras de S. Gens 3,852 Senhora da Hora (formerly Vila de Bouças) 02,600 Circunvalação 01,900 Ramalde 00,990 Francos 0,400 Porto-Boavista 02,100 Avenida de França Cedofeita (cancelled proj.) Lapa tunnel (488 m) 0,000 Porto-Trindade Location on the network + Porto-Trindade × Famalicão (🔎)

The Linha do Porto à Póvoa e Famalicão, or Porto to Póvoa and Famalicão railway line, was a railway line in Portugal, which connected the city of Porto to Senhora da Hora, Póvoa de Varzim and Famalicão to the city's north. The line was built to a gauge of 900 mm (2 ft 11+7⁄16 in), making it the first public narrow gauge railway in Portugal.

The line was constructed by the Companhia dos Caminhos de Ferro de Porto à Póvoa de Varzim e Familicão. The first section, from Porto to Senhora da Hora, opened on 1 October 1875, and the line reached Famalicão on 12 June 1881. As built, the line's Porto terminus was at Porto-Boavista station, which was rather inconveniently located on the edge of what was then the built-up area of Porto.

On 14 January 1927, the company of the Porto to Póvoa and Famalicão line was merged with that of the Guimarães line, a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge line to the north-east of Porto, thus forming the Norte de Portugal company. This resulted in the conversion of the line to Póvoa and Famalicão to 1000mm gauge, and the construction of a link line from Senhora da Hora to Trofa, which connected with the Guimarães line. Opened in 1932, this allowed through trains to run from Guimarães to Porto for the first time.

Despite Boavista's inconvenient location, it remained the company's city terminus until 1938, when the line was extended to the newly built and more centrally located Porto-Trindade station.

In 1995, the section between Póvoa de Varzim and Famalicão was closed. Between 2001 and 2002, railway services came to an end in the remainder of the line, as it was converted into Line B of the Porto Metro, a light rail system.

See also

• List of railway lines in Portugal
• History of rail transport in Portugal