Late-Night Cascais Line Trains Will Start and End at São Pedro do Estoril Instead of Oeiras From 8 November as the Station Is Rebuilt

Late-night trains on the Linha de Cascais that now begin or end their journey at Oeiras will start and finish at São Pedro do Estoril instead from Sunday 8 November, because of building work at Oeiras station. Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), which owns the track, and the operator CP announced the change in a joint statement on Friday 16 October, according to Lusa.

The change covers the stopping services, the trains that call at every station between Oeiras and Cais do Sodré in Lisbon. If you ride those trains at night to or from Oeiras, Santo Amaro, Paço de Arcos or Caxias, expect them to run on to, or start from, São Pedro do Estoril. Boarding and alighting points inside Oeiras station may also move while the work goes on, the companies said. They said the new timetables would be published the following week; by Sunday 18 October they had not yet appeared on CP's notices page.

Why Oeiras is being rebuilt

The work is part of IP's modernisation of the line, which is now concentrated on the stretch between Cascais and Caxias, with the line closed at night. The companies said the aim is a safer, more reliable line and easier boarding, with a smaller gap between train and platform. IP's project page lists a new track layout at Oeiras among the works, alongside switching the line from 1,500-volt direct current to the 25 kV alternating current used on the rest of the national network, new ETCS signalling, and the removal of level crossings between platforms. When IP put the track and overhead line contract out to tender in December 2021, it put that contract alone at about 36 million euros. The line is also the first one being lined up for a private operator to take over from CP.

The night buses stay

IP and CP said the night replacement bus would carry on. Under CP's current notice, buses replace trains between Cascais and Caxias whenever the line is fully closed: from 21:50 on weekdays, from 20:50 on Saturdays, and on Sundays from 05:30 to 08:50 and again from 19:50. They stop at Cascais, Monte Estoril, Estoril, São João do Estoril, São Pedro do Estoril, Parede, Carcavelos, Oeiras, Santo Amaro, Paço de Arcos and Caxias. At Oeiras the bus uses the station bus terminal on Largo Henrique de Paiva Couceiro, according to CP's list of stops.

The buses do not wait for trains. CP says a bus connection is guaranteed only for the last train of the night towards Cais do Sodré, and journey times depend on traffic. You need a valid ticket or pass, and you must tap it on the reader at the bus door. The buses have ramps for passengers with reduced mobility. Bicycles and scooters are not carried, group tickets are not accepted, and a small pet can travel only in a carrier you hold as hand luggage (see our guides to travelling with reduced mobility and taking a pet on public transport).

What to do

• If you travel late in the evening, check the new timetable on cp.pt or in the CP app before 8 November. The companies also ask passengers to follow the signs and staff directions at Oeiras station.
• CP's customer line is 210 900 032 or 808 109 110. Ticket offices and customer help desks also have the bus stop locations.
• If you also use the Metro, note that two morning strikes are called for 28 and 30 October.

IP and CP have not said how long the work at Oeiras will take.