Oeste Line Trains Run Again Between Caldas da Rainha and Torres Vedras From 15 November, but Lisbon Passengers Still Change to a Bus
The Oeste line stretch closed by storm Kristin in January reopens on Sunday 15 November with eight trains a day each way. South of Torres Vedras, the replacement bus to Mira Sintra-Meleças carries on, with no reopening date.
Trains return to the 41-kilometre stretch of the Linha do Oeste (the West Line) between Caldas da Rainha and Torres Vedras on Sunday 15 November, after almost ten months off the rails. The section has been closed since 28 January, when storm Kristin damaged the line, and passengers have been carried by replacement bus ever since. The line further south, between Torres Vedras and Mira Sintra-Meleças on the edge of Lisbon, stays closed, so anyone travelling to or from the capital still changes to a bus at Torres Vedras.
The reopening was announced on 2 November by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing and by the rail infrastructure manager, Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP). IP says its crews stabilised embankment slopes, rebuilt the track bed where it had been damaged and relaid the track, followed by technical and safety checks. Neither body gave a date for reopening the southern section.
The new timetable
CP's timetable valid from 15 November runs eight trains a day in each direction between Caldas da Rainha and Torres Vedras, every day of the week:
- From Caldas da Rainha: 05:25, 06:21, 07:25, 11:16, 13:14, 16:16, 17:32 and 19:22.
- From Torres Vedras: 07:36, 08:59, 10:27, 13:27, 15:11, 18:21, 19:35 and 20:31.
Regional trains take 45 to 50 minutes and call at Óbidos, Dagorda-Peniche, São Mamede, Paúl, Bombarral, Outeiro and Ramalhal. The 06:21 from Caldas and the 18:21 from Torres Vedras are faster InterRegional services that take 39 minutes and skip Dagorda-Peniche, São Mamede and Paúl. The replacement bus had served only four intermediate stops on this stretch, so the three smaller halts get a service back.
What it means for you
For journeys within the Oeste, the train is quicker than the bus it replaces: under the timetable in force since 19 July, the 07:25 bus from Caldas reached Torres Vedras at 08:22, while the 07:25 train arrives at 08:11.
For Lisbon journeys, little changes except that you now switch from train to bus at Torres Vedras. Arrival times at Mira Sintra-Meleças are the same as under the July timetable: the 07:25 train from Caldas meets an 08:22 bus that arrives at Meleças at 09:48, just as the old through bus did. From there, Sintra line suburban trains run into Lisbon. In the other direction, the 11:03 InterRegional from Lisboa Santa Apolónia reaches Meleças at 11:39, a bus leaves at 11:56 for Torres Vedras, and the 13:27 train reaches Caldas at 14:17.
CP's service notice sets out the rules on the replacement bus between Torres Vedras and Meleças. It cannot carry bicycles, scooters or wheelchairs, small pets may travel only in a carrier you can hold as hand luggage, group tickets are not accepted, and journey times can vary with weather and traffic. CP has published the bus stop locations for Runa, Dois Portos, Malveira, Mafra and the other halts. Trains wait for late buses and buses wait for late trains, but CP only guarantees connections under normal running conditions.
The northern part of the line has been back for months: Louriçal to Figueira da Foz reopened on 23 February and Caldas da Rainha to Louriçal, through Leiria, on 16 March. Rail works are also disrupting the Douro line this winter, and train fares can rise in January.
