Barca d'Alva railway station

The Barca d'Alva railway station was the terminal interface of the Douro Line, until the station's closure in 1988,^[1] which used to serve Barca d'Alva and acted as a border station between Portugal and Spain, via the Barca d'Alva–La Fuente de San Esteban railway. It is located in the municipality of Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, in Portugal.

Barca d'Alva railway station Estação Ferroviária de Barca d'Alva
Barca d'Alva station in 2009
General information
Other names	Barca de Alva railway station
Location	Barca d'Alva, Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo Portugal
Coordinates	41°01′37.98″N 6°56′10.83″W / 41.0272167°N 6.9363417°W / 41.0272167; -6.9363417
Line(s)	Douro line (1887-1988) Barca d'Alva–La Fuente de San Esteban railway (1887-1985)
Connections	Coa La Fuente de San Esteban-Boadilla
Other information
Status	Abandoned
History
Opened	9 December 1887; 135 years ago (1887-12-09)
Closed	2 October 1988
Location
Barca d'Alva railway station Location within Portugal

History

19th century

Planning

The first plans to build a border line with Spain in the north of the country began in the mid-19th century, when people started thinking about building a large commercial port in Leixões, which would not only serve the city of Porto, but also the entire north-western region of the Iberian Peninsula, in competition with the Port of Vigo, which had the same objective.^[2] The idea of building a railway line to Galicia was thus begun, although this venture was initially put on hold due to financial difficulties and a greater priority on the part of the link government between Lisbon and Badajoz.^[2] A new effort was then made to connect Porto to Spain, but this time to Salamanca, in an attempt to place that city in Porto's area of influence.^[2] In 1864, a Luso-Spanish technical commission approved five international connections between Spain and Portugal, including one via Barca d'Alva, La Fregeneda, Vitigudino and Ledesma.^[3] It was later decided to build another international line from Salamanca, but this time from Formoso, where it would join the Beira Alta line.^[4] Originally, the section to Ciudad Rodrigo was to be common to both lines, but the fork point was changed to Boadilla by a Real orden of 18 August 1880, at the request of the Portuguese government.^[4] On 20 May 1881, a Real orden approved the project for the section from Vilar Formoso to Salamanca, but left the choice of the junction point open, a decision that provoked protests from Lisbon, so a new Real orden of 3 November 1881 annulled the previous one and ordered the opening of the tender for the two lines.^[4] Although the Portuguese state had set a three-year deadline for completion of the works, the "Société Financière de Paris", the concessionaire for the Beira Alta line, claimed that construction could only be carried out in five years.^[4] This was also the opinion of the Association of Civil Engineers, which advocated, instead of continuing the Douro Line, the construction of a new line from Vila Franca das Naves to Régua, which would not only serve the important region to the south of the Douro River, but would also create a new crossing over the river, which would be an alternative to the Maria Pia Bridge.^[4]

However, Porto's political and financial interests strongly opposed the idea of the Vilar Formoso line being completed before Barca d'Alva, fearing that traffic from Spain would be displaced to the Port of Figueira da Foz, damaging trade in the city.^[4] In fact, at the time, an influential engineer and politician stated that "if the Port is not connected with Salamanca at the Barca de Alva, the economic conditions of the Port will change in such a way that in its deserted streets you will see grass growing like in those of any poor decadent town".^[4] The government suggested that a syndicate of banks be formed to finance the construction, so that the tender would not be deserted, since the work would then be handed over to the "Société Financière de Paris", which had a greater interest in completing the line to Vilar Formoso first.^[4]

 

Map of the railways in 1895, including the international link at Barca d'Alva

Thus, at a meeting on 28 May 1881, called by the Civil Governor, it was decided to form the Sindicato Portuense, supported by several businessmen and bankers from Porto's commerce,^[4] and led by Henrique Burnay.^[2] Several complicated negotiations with the Société Financière de Paris followed,^[4] and a Real orden of 15 June that year announced the opening of the tender and its conditions.^[5] The first article stated that "the concessionary company undertakes to carry out at its own expense all the work necessary for the establishment of a railway which, starting from Salamanca and forking at Boadilla, head for the Portuguese border via Ciudad Rodrigo to tie in with the Portuguese Beira Alta line and to another point on the same border at Barca d'Alva, tying in there with the Portuguese Douro line ”.^[5] The tender was opened on 12 September and the company represented by Henrique Burnay was the only competitor, which was awarded the concession by a Real orden on the 23rd of that month.^[5]

On 4 October of that year, the syndicate asked for the interest guarantee to be applied to the stretch between Boadilla and Vilar Formoso, a request that provoked heated discussions in parliament.^[4] Those in favour, led by deputy Correia de Barros, claimed that both lines would be busy and that traffic on the Douro Line would increase, so that by 1902 the burden on the public treasury would end. ^[4] For their part, the opponents, especially the deputy António Augusto de Aguiar, criticised the very high costs of the work up to Barca d'Alva, pointed out that it was impossible to complete the work within the deadlines presented, and once again put forward the idea of instead building the link between the Douro and Beira Alta lines, previously presented by the Association of Civil Engineers.^[4] Nevertheless, the law was promulgated on 22 July 1882, and the contract with the syndicate was signed on 12 October of that year.^[4]

On 21 February 1883, the company presented a new study for the stretch from Boadilla to Barca d'Alva, which was approved by a Real orden of 16 August of the same year.^[5] After some difficult negotiations over the construction of the Agueda Bridge, the project for the last two kilometres from Boadilla to Barca de Alva was authorised by a Real orden of 28 April 1885^[5] Meanwhile, in January 1885, the union created a company in Spain, the Compañía del Ferrocarril de Salamanca a la Frontera Portuguesa, which would have the support of the Portuguese and Spanish governments and would be responsible for building and operating the lines in Spain.^[4]

Inauguration

 

Timetables of all trains in Portugal in December 1914. Barca d'Alva was served by only two trains, one in each direction

The section to Vilar Formoso went into service on 5 June 1886, while the branch to Barca d'Alva reached Lumbrales on 25 July 1887 and was completed on 6 December of that year.^[4] On the Portuguese side, the section from Tua to Pocinho opened for operation on 10 January 1887, and the line reached Côa on 5 May.^[4] On 2 December, work was completed on the section from Pocinho to Barca d'Alva,^[6] and this section was opened on 9 December, along with the international link to Salamanca.^[7][8]

In this way, it took around six years to get both sections to Barca d'Alva, longer than the three years that had been planned by the state and the five years that had been considered indispensable by the Société Financière de Paris.^[4] These delays led to successive recourse to credit in Paris, which was obtained in increasingly poor conditions and mostly through the influence of the Portuguese government.^[4] On the other hand, in the very first years it was realized that the poor income from the lines was insufficient to cover even the expenses, which led to the bankruptcy of the Porto's syndicate, which was replaced by the Companhia das Docas do Porto e dos Caminhos de Ferro Peninsulares, formed in 1889.^[9] However, this process was resisted by the Spanish government, which succeeded in making the Compañía del Ferrocarril de Salamanca a la Frontera Portuguesa independent.^[4]

20th century

In the first half of the 20th century, the restaurant in the Barca d'Alva station became famous for the quality of its service, under the direction of Germano Mielgo.^[10]

1900s and 1910s

 

Barca d'Alva station in its early years

In 1901, there was still no road bridge over the Douro River near the station, and Estrada Real no. 53 (later called EN221), which connected the station to various towns on the south bank of the Douro, was still under construction.^[11] At the end of 1901, the director of the Minho and Douro Division of the Portuguese State Railways foresaw the introduction of first-class carriages on services between this station and Porto.^[12] Later in 1905, the bridge over the Douro had already been built, and repairs to the road between this bridge and the town of Freixo de Espada à Cinta were approved.^[13]

In 1904, the Portuguese State Railways administration organised a fast train, passing through Barca d'Alva, where it left some of its rolling stock, however, this train usually ran almost empty from the Régua, due to the lack of road connections to the stations from that point.^[14] This service, which ran three times a week in each direction, was suspended in 1914 due to the outbreak of the First World War,^[15] and resumed in 1919, but shortly afterwards was definitively cancelled due to a lack of fuel^[14] and the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.^[15] In 1937, trains 751 and 752 were created from Porto to Salamanca, which also ran three times a week in each direction, connecting Porto to Barca d'Alva in just over 4 hours. These services were interrupted due to the outbreak of World War II.^[15] In January 1905, an agreement had already been approved between the Salamanca Company and the Portuguese State Railways to run trains in Barca d'Alva.^[16]

In 1913, the Barca d'Alva station was part of several stagecoach routes that went to Almeida, Castelo Rodrigo, Escalhão, Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, Pinhel, Reigada and Vilar Torpim.^[17] Later, the service between Barca d'Alva and Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo was operated by bus.^[18]

1920s and 1930s

 

Old ticket booth inside the Barca d'Alva station, 2009

On 12 July 1924, a Real orden established a new regime for the organisation of the Spanish railways, which called for the concentration of lines into groups, including the Compañía del Ferrocarril de Salamanca a la Frontera Portuguesa.^[4] This company was integrated into the Compañía Nacional de los Ferrocarriles del Oeste, which was later incorporated into the Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles.^[19]

In 1933, the Portuguese Railway Company carried out various repairs and improvements to the station's passenger building,^[20] and had repairs carried out again the following year.^[21] In 1939, the railway link through Barca d'Alva was re-established and it was also reopened.^[22]

1950s and 1960s

The Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro of 16 February 1950 reported that international trains would be re-established on the line on 14 May of that year, and that the Portuguese Railway Company and the Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles Españoles were planning to create direct carriages from Porto to La Fuente de San Esteban, in order to avoid the need for transhipment at Barca d'Alva.^[23]

 

Former roundabout and station carriage house, in 2014

In the mid-1950s, the road bridge next to Barca d'Alva was inaugurated, improving access to the station.^[24] Before the bridge was built, the Douro was crossed by boat. One of the regular users of this system was the writer Guerra Junqueiro, who would take the train to Barca d'Alva and then cross the river to his estate on the other bank, the Quinta da Batoca.^[24] Until then, the only road access to the station and the town of Barca d'Alva was a road to Escalhão.^[25] With the bridge, Barca d'Alva became connected to Torre de Moncorvo and Freixo de Espada à Cinta.^[25]

In 1956, changes were made to the Spanish train timetables which greatly affected traffic in Barca d'Alva, as there was no longer any correspondence between national and international trains, forcing passengers to spend the night at the station or travel by road to Vilar Formoso, where they could catch the Sud Express.^[26] This modification came about at the same time as the Spanish government was investing heavily in the line through Vilar Formoso, including adapting it for higher-speed trains, and expanding the border town of Fuentes de Oñoro, which is on the other side of Vilar Formoso.^[26]

 

Barca d'Alva station, seen from the street, in 1995

In the 1960s, direct services from Porto to Salamanca were resumed, using CP Class 0400 automotives.^[15]

Decline and closure

The Douro Line and its international connection never reached the level of demand that was expected, both nationally and internationally, and also failed to attract goods from the Salamanca plateau to the Port of Leixões.^[27] On the other hand, the border line had a large number of metal bridges, which would be very expensive to replace.^[27] Together, these factors predicted the closure of the international section as early as the middle of the 20th century.^[27] At the time, there was already support for keeping the line in Portugal, due to the potential of the Douro Line as a tourist destination, together with the promotion of Port wine.^[27]

In 1979, the company Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles operated a railcar Ferrobus between Barca d'Alva and La Fuente de San Esteban.^[28]

 

Former water tower, in 2014

In 1984, the Spanish state decided to close the section between La Fuente de San Esteban and La Fregeneda, also leaving the international section between the latter town and Barca d'Alva without any services.^[29] As planned, it came to fruition on 1 January 1985.^[29][30]

In 1988, the section between Pocinho and Barca d'Alva was closed.^[31] The station closed on 2 October 1988.

21st Century

In 2006, the Asociación Cultural Camino de Hierro, based in Salamanca, was planning the rehabilitation of the line from Fuente de San Esteban to Barca d'Alva, for tourism purposes.^[32] The estimated value of the work would be around 24 million euros, which would be spent on safety measures and the renovation of the railway track and stations.^[32] That institution also considered reopening the section to Pocinho, so that tourist trains could connect to cruises coming from Porto.^[32]

In September 2008, Via Libre magazine reported that the Coordination Commission for the Northern Region of Portugal was looking for investors for steam traction tourist trains on the route between Pocinho and Barca d'Alva, a project that would cost around 600,000 euros.^[33] On the other hand, the Rede Ferroviária Nacional, which at the time managed the railway infrastructure in Portugal, was planning to turn that section into a greenway.^[33]

On 9 January 2020, a delegation led by Luís Pedro Martins, president of Tourism in Porto and the North of Portugal, delivered a petition to the Portuguese Parliament calling for the entire Douro Line to be refurbished and for the section to the Spanish border to be reopened.^[34] Luís Pedro Martins argued that this measure would bring great benefits to tourism, as it would allow visitors to better explore the region.^[34] On the other hand, it would be a major investment in an inland area of the country, thus defying the tendency to develop mainly the coastal strip, and would be part of a major strategy to promote the Douro Wine Region as a World Heritage Site.^[34] The delegation also included representatives from the municipalities of Peso da Régua, Torre de Moncorvo and Sabrosa and the Douro Intermunicipal Community, as well as representatives from the Liga dos Amigos do Douro Património Mundial, of the Douro Museum Foundation and other organisations from the north of the country.^[34] That month, the Minister for Infrastructure and Housing, Pedro Nuno Santos, gave an interview to the newspaper Público, in which he discussed the implementation of a national railway plan, which should include the reopening and modernisation of several sections of closed railway track, including the one from Pocinho to Barca d'Alva, which would be electrified.^[35]

 

The station's former goods yard, in 2014

Literary references

The station appears in the book The City and the Mountains, by Eça de Queirós:

It was a very cosy station, very clean, with white roses climbing up the walls and other rose bushes in a garden, where a tank muffled with slimes slept under two flowering mimosas that were blooming. A pale young man in a honey-coloured paletot, leaning his walking stick against the ground, gazed thoughtfully at the train.

See also

• Barca d'Alva
• Douro Line
• Barca d'Alva–La Fuente de San Esteban railway
• Comboios de Portugal
• Infraestruturas de Portugal
• Rail transport in Portugal
• History of rail transport in Portugal

References

1. SAPO. "A estação de comboios de Barca d'Alva continua "socegada" porque está abandonada". SAPO Viagens (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2023-11-09.
2. MARTINS, 1996:41-42
3. SOUSA, José Fernando de (16 March 1936). "Ligações ferroviárias com a Espanha: A Linha de Zafra a Villa Nueva" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 48, no. 1158. p. 165-167. Retrieved 9 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
4. SOUSA, José Fernando de (16 September 1927). "As nossas linhas ferroviárias internacionais e as linhas de Salamanca à fronteira portuguesa" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 40, no. 954. p. 266-270. Retrieved 9 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
5. DOMINGUEZ, Carlos (June 1984). "Trece puentes metálicos en 17 kilómetros". Via Libre (in Spanish). Vol. Ano XXI, no. 245. Madrid: Gabinete de Información y Relaciones Externas de RENFE. p. 23-26.
6. NONO, Carlos (1 December 1949). "Efemérides ferroviárias" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 62, no. 1487. p. 695-696. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
7. "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. p. 528-530. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
8. REIS et al, 2006:36
9. MARTINS et al, 1996:37-38
10. MAIO, Guerra (16 October 1949). "Restaurantes e bilhas d'água" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 62, no. 1484. p. 638-639. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
11. MIRANDA, António (16 April 1903). "Parte Official" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 16, no. 368. p. 119-130. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
12. "Linhas Portuguezas" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 15, no. 337. 1 January 1902. p. 11. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
13. "Linhas Portuguezas" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 18, no. 425. 1 September 1905. p. 266-267. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
14. MAIO, Guerra (1 May 1951). "O «Porto-Medina»" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 64, no. 1521. p. 87-88. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
15. "A Linha do Douro e as ligações com a Espanha" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 81, no. 1928. 16 August 1968. p. 95. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
16. "Efemérides" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 51, no. 1228. 16 February 1939. p. 135-138. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
17. "Serviço de Diligencias". Guia official dos caminhos de ferro de Portugal. Vol. Ano 39, no. 168. October 1913. p. 152-155. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal.
18. MAIO, Guerra (1 October 1952). "O caso da carreira de Almendra" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 65, no. 1555. p. 286-287. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
19. AGUILAR, Busquets de (1 June 1949). "A Evolução História dos Transportes Terrestres em Portugal" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 62, no. 1475. p. 383-393. Retrieved 9 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
20. "O que se fez nos Caminhos de Ferro em Portugal no Ano de 1933" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 47, no. 1106. 16 January 1934. p. 49-52. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
21. "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. p. 50-51. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
22. "Relações ferroviária luso-espanholas" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 51, no. 1244. 16 October 1939. p. 461. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
23. "Lisboa - Paris" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 62, no. 1492. 16 February 1950. p. 844. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
24. MAIO, Guerra (16 January 1955). "Pontes sobre o Tejo" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 67, no. 1610. p. 423-424. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
25. MAIO, Guerra (1 June 1956). "Estradas em Riba-Côa e Além" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 69, no. 1643. p. 243-244. Retrieved 11 November 2017 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
26. MAIO, Guerra (1 March 1956). "Anomalias Ferroviárias" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 68, no. 1637. p. 122-123. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
27. MAIO, Guerra (16 March 1950). "A infeliz linha do Douro" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Vol. Ano 63, no. 1494. p. 17-20. Retrieved 11 November 2023 – via Hemeroteca Digital de Lisboa.
28. REDER, Gustavo; SANZ, Fernando (February 1979). "Las Comunicaciones Ferroviarias con Portugal". Via Libre (in Spanish). Vol. Ano XVI, no. 181. Madrid: Gabinete de Información y Relaciones Externas de RENFE. p. 19-24.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
29. "Noticias". Carril (in Spanish). No. 10. Barcelona: Associació d'Amics del Ferrocarril-Barcelona. p. 55.
30. RUBIO, Jorge; RUBIO, P.; Almagro, Manuel. "Aventura y ferrocarril". Maquetren (in Spanish). Vol. Ano 3, no. 30. p. 16-21.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
31. REIS et al, 2006:150
32. "Fuente de San Esteban - Barca d'Alva". Via Libre (in Spanish). Vol. Ano 43, no. 497. Madrid: Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles. May 2006. p. 96. ISSN 1134-1416.
33. "Breves". Via Libre (in Spanish). Vol. Ano 45, no. 522. September 2008. p. 36-38.
34. "TPNP assina petição pela "requalificação e reabertura" da linha do Douro". Publituris. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
35. "Governo pretende mobilizar o país em torno de um Plano Ferroviário Nacional". Revista Cargo. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2023.

Bibliography

• 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.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• QUEIROZ, José Maria Eça de (1901). A Cidade e as Serras. Lisboa: Livros do Brasil. p. 253.
• REIS, Francisco; GOMES, Rosa; GOMES, Gilberto; et al. (2006). Os Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses 1856-2006. CP-Comboios de Portugal e Público-Comunicação Social S. A. p. 238. ISBN 989-619-078-X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Recommended reading

• ANTUNES, J. A. Aranha; et al. (2010). 1910-2010: o caminho de ferro em Portugal. Lisboa: CP-Comboios de Portugal e REFER - Rede Ferroviária Nacional. p. 233. ISBN 978-989-97035-0-6.
• CASTRO, Francisco Almeida; CERVEIRA, Augusto (2006). Material e tracção: os caminhos de ferro portugueses nos anos 1940-70. Para a História do Caminho de Ferro em Portugal. Vol. 5. Lisboa: CP-Comboios de Portugal. p. 270. ISBN 989-95182-0-4.
• VILLAS-BOAS, Alfredo Vieira Peixoto de (2010) [1905]. Caminhos de Ferro Portuguezes. Lisboa e Valladollid: Livraria Clássica Editora e Editorial Maxtor. p. 583. ISBN 8497618556.
• VASCONCELOS, António; SANTO, Jorge Zúniga; et al. (2008). Pontes dos Rios Douro e Tejo. Lisboa: Ingenium. p. 129. ISBN 978-989-8149-02-2.

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Barca d'Alva railway station.

External links

• Page with photos of Barca d'Alva Station, on the Railfaneurope website
• Page about Barca d'Alva Station, on the Wikimapia website