Gare do Oriente

The Estação do Oriente train station, Gare do Oriente also to German East Railway Station is a mainline and regional train station in the far north-east of Lisbon on the site of the former Expo 1998, today Parque das Naçoes. It lies on the Linha do Norte and is frequented annually by 75 million travelers.

The location allows for maintenance of all trains running to or from the station Santa Apolonia from the north, such as Porto, Coimbra and Madrid. Furthermore, the long-distance trains stop to the south of the Linha do Sul in the Algarve, which run on the 25th of April Bridge, in the station. Formerly a translator by ferry from Comercio Square in the heart of the old town to the southern train station Barreiro was necessary. There are also plans to build a third Tagus bridge. About this then the trains would settled to the south in the future.

Below the station is also a metro station of the same name. About the Linha Vermelha circulating there is a connection to the Lisbon city center is guaranteed. In addition, a large bus station in the station is integrated.

Architecture

In a competition in 1994 by the architect Santiago Calatrava won against drafts, among others, Nicholas Grimshaw and Ricardo Bofill; a year later, construction began. As a through station designed, the tracks are 14 meters above street level, crossed from an underlying cross- hall, in west-east direction of the bus station to the input of today's shopping mall, a former Expo 98 exhibition hall connects. The tracks are spanned by a very light-looking roof structure made of glass, which rests on tree columns. From the platforms of stairs lead to the cross- hall with ticket offices and kiosks. In the East this level performs a business gallery to curved space over which the shopping center is reached.

The station was built as the entrance of the Expo 98, in accordance with generous it is designed. Particularly interesting are the reinforced concrete structures of the tracks that convey a futuristic impression despite its massiveness by rounded shapes. The arc shape characterizes the input level and is the rounded wing-shaped canopy in many details, such as continuing.

Traffic

The station is served by all trains of Linha do Norte and is the starting point of the trains of the Linha do Sul. In long-distance transport services, in the approximate hourly Alfa pendular trains on the CP Series 4000 Lisbon Santa Apolonia to Porto - Campanhã, which will be extended three times a day to Braga. Twice a day, at Alfa trains from Porto over Lisbon Oriente and Pinhal Novo to Faro. The offer long-distance transport is supplemented by various Intercidades connections to Porto, Guimarães, Portugal and Covilhã, all of which have their starting point in Santa Apolonia. In addition Oriente is the starting point of Intercidades connections to Faro and Évora. In international traffic runs once per day, the night train to the tensile member to Hendaye / Irun ( Sud Express ) and the tensile member to Madrid Chamartin ( Lusitânia ).

In regional and suburban services Oriente is served by regional and inter- regional trains to Entroncamento and Tomar. (Only during rush hours) Lisbon Alcântara - Terra Azambuja, Lisboa Santa Apolonia - Castanheira do Ribatejo, Sintra- Alverca and Mira Sintra: In addition, the line families Linha de Sintra and Linha de Azambuja the CP Urbano de Lisboa serve the Oriente train station with various Zugsläufen - Meleças - Lisbon Oriente.

Plant

The station has eight platform tracks, all through tracks. They are located at four central platforms. The tracks 1 to 4 generally serve the traffic from / to Santa Apolonia, the tracks 5-8 traffic direction Entrecampos / Linha de Cintura, with scheduled routes deviations can occur. The tracks are 510-720 meters long, the platforms all include a length of 309 meters and the edge lies at an altitude of 60 to 70 centimeters.

In the project the high-speed route Lisbon -Madrid, and the high-speed route Lisbon - Porto, which in the Oriente railway station had to be linked, an extension had been planned on 16 platform tracks, the new eight- all standard gauge ( 1435 mm ) should be built and the existing in Iberian broad gauge (1668 mm) should be left.