Ramal de Reguengos, originally called Linha do Guadiana, was a railway branch line which connected the stations of Évora and Reguengos de Monsaraz, in Portugal. It was opened on 6 April 1927.[1]

Ramal de Reguengos
Overview
Statusclosed
Termini
History
Opened1927
Closed1988
Technical
Line length40.6 km (25.2 mi)
Track gauge1,668 mm (5 ft 5+2132 in) Iberian gauge
Route map

000.000
L. Évora Casa Branca
116,570
Évora
× Est. Almeirim
× IP2
000.000
R. Mora
Mora
× R. da Somefe
L. Évora
× R. Timor
126,145
Paço Saraiva
× Degebe (eastern branch)
129,585
Machede
135,736
Santa Susana
140,785
Balancho
146,329
Montoito
150,711
Falcoeiras
(dem.)
153,752
Caridade
(dem.)
157,181
R. de Monsaraz
(cancelled proj.)
Mourão
R. Moura
Moura, Beja
 Portugal Spain
(cancelled proj.)
Jerez de los Caballeros
Huelva
Zafra
Location on the network
Railway map Portugal

+ Évora × Reguengos (🔎)

In the 1920s and 1930s, the Portuguese and Spanish governments debated about extending the line across the border to Zafra. However, by the mid-1930s, the project had fizzled away.

On 29 August 1988, the then-commercial director of Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses announced plans in Diário de Lisboa to close the passenger services on the line, limiting traffic to freight trains, and to replace it with a bus service due to reduced demand. Simultaneously, the passenger traffic on the Moura and Portalegre lines was also announced to be terminated. This move was harshly criticized by railway unions and the local authorities. This began the decline of the line.

On July 30, 2023, the company Infraestruturas de Portugal reported that work had already begun to transform the line into an eco-trail. This project was coordinated by the Intermunicipal Community of Alentejo Central, after signing a subconcession contract with the Heritage Division of Infraestruturas de Portugal.  After its completion, the trail was integrated into the Grande Rota do Montado, an extensive network of pedestrian and cycling routes, around 182 km of which take advantage of old railway routes, such as the Ramal de Mora, akin to greenway projects.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Torres, Carlos Manitto (1 February 1958). "A evolução das linhas portuguesas e o seu significado ferroviário" (PDF). Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Início das obras da Ecopista do Ramal de Reguengos | Infraestruturas de Portugal". www.infraestruturasdeportugal.pt. Retrieved 2024-05-19.

Sources

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