Linha do Tua

See also: Narrow gauge railways in Portugal

The Tua line was a metre gauge railway line in northern Portugal, which connected Tua to Bragança. The line was opened in 1887 and closed in 2018. The section from Mirandela to Brunheda is planned to be reopened in 2019.

Tua line
Tua line between Foz Tua and Mirandela, along Tua River
Overview
Native name	Linha do Tua
Locale	Portugal
Termini	Tua Bragança
History
Opened	1887
Closed	2008
Technical
Line length	133.8 km (83.1 mi)
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge

Linha do Tua
km 000.000 proposed extension to Spain 133.768 Bragança 133.768 Bragança   Bragança railway bridge Coxa viaduct R. Bragança-Junta route before 1960 Coxa River IP 4 125.529 Mosca Rebordãos River 122.198 Rebordãos Remisquedo River 119.960 Remisquedo Remisquedo tunnel 136 m Sortes tunnel 30 m 117.032 Sortes Arufe tunnel 155 m 110.254 Rossas Highest point on the Portuguese railways 850 M IP 4 104.553 Salsas 102.343 Fermentãos 100.873 Chãos 99.301 Vila Franca 096.834 Sendas ( formerly Quintella ) 94.630 Valdrez 91.394 Salselas Azibo River 89.240 Azibo 85.280 Castelãos Transversal de Chacim to Mogadouro (proposed) 082.774 Macedo de Cavaleiros 78.791 Grijó Grijó River Carrasqueiros River 74.097 Cortiços 67.108 Romeu Assureira River 65.307 Avantos 61.142 Vilar de Ledra Carvalhais River 058.138 Carvalhais 56.446 R. Mirandela-SAPEC 56.390 Jean Monnet Mirandela River 55.450 São Sebastião-A 55.125 Jacques Delors-A Mirandela viaduct Mirandela tunnel 128 m 54.681 Tarana to Mogadouro (proposed) 054.200 Mirandela ( formerly Mirandela-Piaget ) 54.092 Mirandela (original) Transversal de Valpaços to Pedras Salgadas/ Vila Pouca de Aguiar (proposed)   48.411 Latadas Frechas tunnel 72 m 44.967 Frechas 041.866 Cachão Carvalha River 37.778 Vilarinho 33.895 Ribeirinha 29.252 Abreiro Vieiro River Cabreira River 25.024 Codeçais 21.189 Brunheda 17.768 Tralhão 15.515 São Lourenço 13.375 Santa Luzia ( formerly Amieiro ) Paradela River Falcoeira tunnel 137 m 7.590 Castanheiro Fragas Más tunnel II 38 m Fragas Más viaduct Fragas Más tunnel I 99 m Tralhariz tunnel 45 m 4.261 Tralhariz Presas tunnel 137 m Presas viaduct 000.000 Tua 000.000 Linha do Douro to Ermesinde 0.000 Tua Linha do Douro to Pocinho Linha de Foz Tua a Viseu to Viseu (proposed)

Tunnel on the Tua line

History

This highly scenic line ran north from a junction with the main Douro line at Tua Station, closely following the banks of the Tua River to the towns of Mirandela and Bragança. The railway opened in 1887. It was the first and longest (at 133.8 km) of all the narrow gauge railways built to serve the area north of the River Douro. It was originally operated by Companhia Nacional de Caminhos de Ferro (CN). From 1947 onwards, until closure, the line was operated by CP.

Trains on the line were hauled by steam locomotives for much of the line's existence. From the 1970s onwards trains on the line were hauled by CP Class 9020 diesel locomotives, which were withdrawn when the line closed. Diesel railbuses, such as the Série 9300 and finally the Série 9500, were also used on some passenger trains.

Part of the route of the Tua line was submerged in 2016 after the conclusion of Foz Tua Dam.

Other narrow gauge railways in northern Portugal included the Corgo line and the Tâmega line (both closed in 2009) and the Sabor line (closed in 1988).

Closure

The northern section of the line between Mirandela and Bragança was suddenly closed in December 1991, with the closure being formalised in 1992. The southern section between Tua and Mirandela remained in use.

Most of the remaining 54 km section south of Mirandela was closed abruptly in August 2008 on grounds that emergency track repairs were necessary. This followed the derailment of a railcar near Brunheda, resulting in the death of a passenger and 25 injuries.

A twice-daily taxi service replaced the train service, but was withdrawn on 1 July 2012 thus appearing to mark the final and formal closure of the line. However, the taxi service was restarted on 9 July 2012 for a further initial three-month period, later extended indefinitely. Though actual train services had been withdrawn, it was possible to travel as a passenger with a CP ticket using the replacement road service. In May 2016 the Mirandela local authority decided to withdraw funding for the replacement road service due to financial constraints.

Budget cuts by the Portuguese Government led to a decision to permanently close the line, as announced in the Government's Strategic Transport Plan 2011–2015, published in October 2011. Actual train services were effectively withdrawn in 2008, apart from a short section around Mirandela which was operated as the Metro de Mirandela until December 2018.

Future developments

As of 2018, the possibility of reopening the railway between Brunheda and Mirandela as a tourist attraction is being explored. The trackbed south of Brunheda will be submerged by the Foz Tua Dam scheme.

A visitor centre for the Tua Valley (including features on the railway line) has been developed on the former Tua line platform at Tua station.

See also

• List of railway lines in Portugal
• List of Portuguese locomotives and railcars
• History of rail transport in Portugal