Alfa Pendular
Alfa pendular [ alfɐ pẽdulaɾ ] is currently the highest type of train the Portuguese railway company Comboios de Portugal ( CP ), which is operated entirely with the equipped with tilting high-speed trains from the 4000 series since 2006. The train type existed since 1987 under the name " Alfa " and designated special express trains between the two main cities of Portugal, Lisbon and Porto.
History
The first " Alfa " trains were in operational use in 1987, alongside the new Intercidades - line network of the former Caminhos -de- ferro portugueses. Specially procured vehicles as the CP built in the French style Corail cars and locomotives, the 2600 series / 2620th
In the nineties, the CP was planning to replace the Alfa trains with new high- speed trains, as had already happened in France and Germany. The CP ordered for 1996 ten units at GEC Alsthom, which were modeled on the Italian ETR 480. In July 1999, the scheduled time of operation of the trains was on the 329 km stretch between Lisbon and Porto, was added. The new high-speed train, the series number received at CP 4000, was the first ( and so far only ) Fernverkehrstriebwagenzug the Portuguese state railway.
In operation, recording the maximum speed of the trains was first limited to 160 km / hr. Until that time, four of the ten six-car trains were delivered, so to 2006 times more Corail carriages replace the Alfa trains. In this context, the CP also called the train type of Alfa in Alfa pendular, by Pendolino, the Italian tilt technique.
It runs today on the following routes:
- Lisbon Santa Apolonia - Entroncamento -Coimbra -B - Aveiro -Vila Nova de Gaia - Porto- Campanhã ( Braga )
- Porto- Campanhã -Lisbon Oriente Pinhal Novo- Tunes Albufeira Faro - Loulé -
On the route between Lisbon and Faro, the Alfa pendular reaches its top speed of 225 km / hr while between Porto and Lisbon, currently only on a short section between Coimbra and Porto 225 km / h can be achieved. The largest part of the route Porto- Lisbon is currently designed for a maximum 160 km / h. The travel time on the 329 km long route will shorten in the future so far 3:30 hours to 2:15 hours when continuously 225 km / h can also be run on this route.
The six -car trains consist of two first-class carriage ( conforto ) and four to second class ( turístico ). In the second class two seats each on both sides of the aisle mounted; in the first class, the ratio of two to one. The cars are equipped with a theater-style, with only half the seats facing forward. Individual seating areas are also provided with a vis -à-vis seating. Compartment car, there is not.