My wife and I visited Portugal in May 2022. I recounted in this post how we spent time in Porto and then Lisbon, and traveled between the two cities by train. Now let’s talk about trams in Portugal. First, Porto.
Trams, streetcars, light rail vehicles… to me they all refer to one or more connected self-propelled passenger vehicles on rails, usually powered by electricity and with each vehicle capable of self propulsion (i.e. no locomotive).
Porto has some interesting trams, both very old and very new.
Modern Trams in Porto
There are two tram systems in Porto, Portugal. The first is a commuter network operated by Metro do Porto using modern, low-floor light rail vehicles (LRV). There are six lines, covering 70 km (43 miles) with double tracks. Most of the network is above ground but the central part is underground.
The LRVs used are Bombardier Flexity vehicles, either “Eurotram / Outlook” (older) or “Swift” versions.
The photos above and below show trams on line “D” (the yellow line) between Vila d’Este and Hospital São João. The crossing of the River Duoro on the Dom Luis I bridge is iconic and well photographed. You can see that there are pedestrian walkways on both sides of the bridge, and very close to the trams, and tourists get honked at frequently when the trams cross the bridge.
We only rode the trams once. We wandered over to Matosinhos, near the port area of Porto, and visited an indoor market and the beautiful Parish Church. It was a long walk, so we took the tram back to central Porto. That’s my lovely wife in the photo, ignoring my railfanning ways.
The church was closed, but the exterior and grounds were interesting in their own way. The patterns on the ground were striking.
The photo below shows a tram on the “B” (red) line between Póvoa de Varzim and Estádio do Dragão.
Historic Trams in Porto
Porto has a heritage tram system, three lines, operated by the Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos do Porto. I don’t know why the light rail system and the tram system are operated by separate organizations. These trams are not tourist lines, although tourists ride them, especially line 1.
They have a variety of vehicles, many built by the J. G. Brill company or using Brill parts.
I photographed a few at the start of line 1 by the Igreja de São Francisco (Igreja = church). Vehicle 203 was “reservado” – a private charter – but vehicle 220 arrived and departed as I watched.
Fortunately there are stairs by the track, so I was able to get a view from above and watch the driver swing the pole around. These heritage trams have poles instead of pantographs to make the electrical connection to the overhead wire, and when the trams change direction, they have to reverse the poles so it trails the vehicle.
There’s a cable leading down from the pole that is secured to the end of the vehicle. The operator unclips this cable, and uses it to disengage the pole from the overhead wire, swing it around, and position it under the overhead wire.
It was an interesting operation.
There is a tram museum in Porto, reachable by line 1, but it was closed when we were in Porto – much to my wife’s relief. I think I spent all my brownie points watching the trams.
If you liked the trams in Porto, wait until you see the trams in Lisbon…
For now, maybe read Riding Portugese Rails, my account of riding trains in the beautiful country of Portugal.