Santa Apolónia railway station

The Lisbon Santa Apolonia train station in Portuguese Estação de Caminhos de Ferro de Santa Apolonia, [ ɯʃtɐsɐu dɯ kɐmiɲuʃ dɯ fɛʁu də ' sɐtɐ ɐpolɔɲa ], a 1865 eröffneter head railway station is in the downtown area of ​​the Portuguese capital Lisbon, it is located on the banks of the Tagus in district of Santa Engrácia. End up at the station and start all trains from the north of Portugal and also from Spain and France, which are not extended to southern Portugal. So come in the station almost all the Portuguese Zugskategorien by overnight train on the Alfa pendular to suburban trains together. He therefore assumes the function of a central station of the Portuguese capital. Below the iron railway station is the gleichnnamigeU Station Santa Apolonia.

History of the station

The first trains in Portugal ever drove in 1856 the so-called Cais dos Soldados to German " soldiers platform " or " Soldatenkai " to the 36 km distant Carregado near the town of Vila Franca de Xira. This is still very temporary platform was located near the present railway station. This formed the basis for the further expansion of the Portuguese railway; 1861 drove the first trains to continue to Santarém, from 1863 to Spain via Elvas. To meet the growing rail traffic the corresponding prestige constraints in the Portuguese capital, let the royal railway company Companhia Real dos Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses May 1, 1865 one-story station building for the head station building. The name Santa Apolonia to German Holy Apollonia, comes from a convent of the same name, which was previously located at the current station site.

Since the opening of the railway station Santa Apolonia and two kilometers westerly station Cais do Sodré 1895, there were plans the Linha do Norte de Santarém ago and to connect the Linha de Cascais from the westerly suburbs Cascais and Estoril, and under the urban Praça do Comércio to create a potentially underground central station. Because of this idea no longer be financed this schedule will no longer be pursued today.

The fact that this plan was not realized, the Santa Apolonia train station Figueira developed more and more into Lisbon's main train station, in spite of the conditions for inner-city relatively large distance from the center of Lisbon and to the Praça do Comércio and the Praça da. This function possessed before the opening of the railway station and the laying of all international trains to Santa Apolonia train station at Rossio.

From 1877 also direct trains between the two largest cities of Portugal were the first time possible with the completion of the Douro Bridge Ponte Maria Pia, Porto. Given the growing importance of the railways in general and the train station Santa Apolonia State Railways decided to rebuild the reception and station building. Since 1908, the passenger presents until today largely the same station building. So two trains to directly under the hall and thus hold more or less right at the entrance. In addition there are two other external platforms with four tracks, the trains stop it just before the hall.

On 10 June 1981, the Portuguese National Day, the city council on the initiative of the Portuguese news sheet pace a memorial to the many Portuguese emigrants entitled " Ao emigrante português " ( " For the Portuguese emigrants " ) on. The Santa Apolonia train station always played a special role, and turned it represents but to date through its international train connections quasi the "Gateway to the World" dar. Thus began for many expatriates their journey to the " new life " already at this station. For example, living alone in France today about two million Portuguese in Germany about 150,000.

In connection with the extension of the Metro 2007 was the operator of the Portuguese rail network and station facilities, REFER, completely renovate the station. Generally more space was created and improved lighting, a renewal of the sky-blue paint, doors, windows, and the floor was just on. The fact that the station is an object of InterRail tourists also particularly defines the REFER on multilingualism with a special switch special attention abroad.

Traffic

The station holds the actual central station function for Lisbon, even if the Oriente train station to take it over. The station is served by various compounds of local and long distance traffic and is also the end point of trains from abroad.

Long-distance traffic

• Sud -Express: Hendaye / Irun - San Sebastian - Salamanca- Lisbon Santa Apolonia
• Lusitânia: Chamartín Madrid - Lisbon Santa Apolonia Entroncamento -
• Alfa pendular: Lisbon Santa Apolonia -Coimbra -B - Aveiro - Porto Campanhã ( Braga )
• Intercidades: Lisbon Santa Apolonia Postage Campanhã ( - Guimarães )
• Intercidades: Lisbon Santa Apolónia-Covilhã/Guarda

Regional Transport

• Regional trains between Santa Apolonia and Entroncamento or Tomar, which operate on the Linha do Norte and also about the Ramal de Tomar
• Interregional Santa Apolonia to Tomar and Coimbra-A
• Regional trains that run on the Linha de Cintura, the Linha de Sintra and the Linha do Oeste to Caldas da Rainha
• Urbano: trains from Santa Apolonia - Linha de Azambuja Azambuja the family

Future

During the construction of high-speed lines between Porto and Lisbon, and Lisbon and Madrid, which is to lead a new, third Tejobrücke, the station will become less important. Since the function of the central station is then transferred to the upgraded station Lisbon Oriente, Lisbon City Council plans to close the station and to sell the railway land in favor of the indebted state railway network operator REFER; the station building is to be redeveloped into a cruise ship terminal. The local economy as well as the railway company CP contradict the plans.

Metro Station Santa Apolonia

Construction of an extension of the subway line Linha Azul (blue line) started in 1997, retired but points because of the very complicated subsurface and a heavy water leak. Finally, could the operator of the Lisbon Metro, the Metropolitano de Lisboa, EP take on 19 December 2007, the section between the stations Baixa -Chiado Santa Apolonia train station to operate.