TRAIN SERVICE IN THE ALGARVE and ALGARVE - LISBON

This page is unofficial. The information has been obtained from printed timetables and other local sources (like taking the train) and is given in good faith.

Everything is up to date to the best of my knowledge as of 19th April 2013

TRAINS IN THE ALGARVE REGION OF PORTUGAL ARE OPERATED BY THE NATIONAL RAILWAY COMPANY Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses.

Algarve train timetables here  Diagram showing the rail lines of the Algarve is here
Official rail map of Portugal here Rail map of Spain and Portugal (external link) here.
Some more pictures etc for railfans here.

	Local trains in the Algarve are  operated by fairly modern trains, with air-con.  Thanks to Steve Widdowson for the picture of unit 0454 running along the sea wall at Faro. Right-hand picture is unit 0462 at Tavira - click for full size One of the older trains has been kept as a spare and can be seen from time to time.
	The 0700 and 1505 from Faro; also the 0840 and 1824 back from Lisbon are the Intercity Alfa Pendular (AP) tilting trains. These are through trains to and from Porto, offering a one-seat ride in about 5hrs 30mins hours  between Faro and Porto via Lisbon, Coimbra and Aveiro. Click the picture for a larger size. These trains have power sockets at some First Class (Conforto) seats but no wi-fi. Seat reservation is COMPULSORY!
The other Inter City (IC) trains are locomotive hauled with an assortment of (air-conditioned) coaches. These stop at various stations between the Algarve and Lisbon. Click the picture for a larger size. Seat reservation is COMPULSORY!

Timetables

Timetable summary here, complete printable timetable here at official site. Regional (local) trains stop at all stations, except for a couple of very early and very late trains which miss the smaller 'halts'. Services are for the most part designed to connect with the trains to and from Lisbon. This results in some very large gaps during the day when there are no trains at all, especially at weekends. Trains do however run later into the evening than most bus routes.

The local line (diagram here) is usually operated as two separate sections, either side of Faro. Although it's not advertised, some trains run do through. The conductor will confirm whether or not a change is needed at Faro. Local trains connect with most trains to and from Lisbon, but at Faro some local trains do not connect with each other.

There are five daily trains (with weekend extras in summer) between Faro and Lisbon, two of which continue to or start from Porto. For the full intercity timetable in printable PDF format visit www.cp.pt. External link which will open a new window.

Note that the railway line does NOT cross the border into Spain. The nearest station in Spain is at Huelva, about 33 miles/55 km from the border at Vila Real de Santo António.

Fares

Fares are about the same, for short journeys in some cases cheaper, as the equivalent bus journey.However, Faro to Lagos by train one-way is €7.20 = about £5.90 for a journey of around 1 hour 40 minutes. The bus costs €5.85 but takes 20 - 30 minutes longer. There is a simple fare structure for local journeys - single (one-way), return (round-trip) and that's it! I have a copy of the regional train fares chart here. Using this, you can calculate the fare between any pair of stations on the Algarve line using REGIONAL trains.

Sample single (one-way) fares on regional (local) trains as from 1.1.13 - Albufeira/Ferreiras to Faro €3.30, Lagos to Tavira €9.20; Faro to Tavira €3.15; Faro to Vila Real de S.António €5.15 and Albufeira/Ferriras to Tavira €5.75. A one way inter-city trip from Albufeira to Lisbon will cost either €20,20 or €21,20 in Turista (Second) class, depending on which train you take. First class is €27,80 or €25,80. Promotional fares are sometimes offered - I recently travelled 1st class Lisbon - Albufeira for €21. On long distance journeys, a return (round-trip) ticket is slightly cheaper than two one-way tickets.

Half fare for over 65s -  I am reliably informed that if you take your passport or national ID card when buying a ticket you will get half fare. Children aged 5 -12 travel half fare; children under 5 travel free.

Higher fares for AP and IC trains - you can use the intercity trains for local journeys (if there are seats available) but you will pay much more than on the regional trains.

Example: Albufeira to Faro - Regional €3.30; Intercity €9,10; Alfa-Pendular €11,10!

Faro has a credit card ticket machine that issues local and long-distance tickets. Larger stations have ticket offices but most smaller stations are unstaffed. You can buy your ticket on the train without penalty but in cash only.

Penalty fares: if you are caught without a ticket the fine is 100 times the single fare for the trip!

SEAT RESERVATIONS

These are essential on all AP and IC trains. You cannot reserve more than 30 days in advance. You can take a chance and try for a ticket at the last minute but, especially in summer or on Fridays and Sundays all year, you might be disappointed if the train is already full. Some trains are only three carriages.

Book on line at www.cp.pt (the reservation system is available in English if you click on the little flag icon at the top of the page next to where it says 'Acesso Rápido) or you can use a Multibanco ATM to buy tickets a maximum of 21 days in advance.  Seat reservations are free when you buy your ticket(s), a fee is payable if you change a ticket or use some kind of International railpass. In the latter case, you cannot obtain seat only reservations on line.

Tickets and reservations can also be obtained at these Algarve based travel agents (information taken from CP website. There is no mention of the hours they keep.)

Albufeira area - GEOSTAR at Algarve Shopping near Guia and at Albfueira Continente / Modelo shopping

In Faro at ABREU, Avenida da República, 124; EL CORTE INGLÈS Av. 5 de Outubro;  TAGUS Av. 5 de Outubro;  TOP ATLÂNTICO Rua Conselheiro Bívar and TUI, Monte da Ria

In Loulé at GALERIA COM. MODELO LOULÉ - Olivais de Stº António-S. Sebastião (It doesn't say which shop. This is the big mall out of town.)

In Portimão at ABREU Rua Pé da Serra; GEOSTAR Centro Comercial Modelo; TOP ATLÂNTICO Rua Judice Biker, 26 and TUI, Rua Judice Biker 9.

There is no advance purchase discount, except for the occasional special promotion. There are no reservations or advance purchase on Regional trains.

FARO RAILWAY STATION

Faro Railway Station is about 150 metres from the Bus Station and close to the town centre and marina. It is 4.0miles/6.3km by road from the airport. There is a map here - opens in a new window. Buses to and from the airport stop outside the station. There is a taxi rank at the station. A taxi to or from the airport will cost you around €10 depending on numbers, luggage etc. The run by taxi is about ten minutes. There is decent café/bar opposite the station and there is a small bar on the station itself. There is a limited left luggage facility, privately operated, on the main platform in a little kiosk.

Bikes on trains

You CAN take bikes on Alfa Pendular (AP) and Intercity (IC) trains. However, the wheels must be removed and the bike taken aboard as 'hand' luggage. There is no baggage car or compartment on Intercity and ALFA trains. Bikes must be stored either on overhead luggage racks or in the luggage spaces between seats. This will present problems if the train is crowded. All luggage spaces are often full before you get on!

Bikes are carried FREE on all local (regional) trains in the Algarve. The low platforms and high steps do mean a bit of lifting up and down into the baggage compartment, which is at one end of the train. It does help if there are two of you! Chain it to something inside the baggage compartment; there are ill-minded individuals who will make off with your property given half a chance. I was warned about this by a train guard. The last thing you want is to leave the train only to find your road bike missing and nowhere to be found. Proper bike locks are a must for travel.

The timetables below are a summary - all trains but not all stations are shown.
To view and print the complete Algarve timetable, click here external link opens in new window.

For the detailed timetable for trains to and from Lisbon, Coimbra, Aveiro and Porto, click here; external link opens in new window.

TRAIN TIMES BELOW ARE VALID UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

REMINDER - SEAT RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED ON ALL AP AND IC TRAINS IN PORTUGAL
IF YOU USE AP OR IC TRAINS FOR THESE LOCAL JOURNEYS A MUCH HIGHER FARE IS PAYABLE - SEE NOTE

TIMETABLE - FARO > ALBUFEIRA > TUNES > PORTIMÃO > LAGOS

MFO - train runs Mondays to Fridays (weekdays) only except holidays SSH - train runs on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays only
SHX - train does not run on Sundays and Holidays
ZZZ -   SUNDAYS only, from 28th July to 1st September only, to be confirmed for 2013

To LIS -Train runs to Lisbon (Oriente) please also read the other notes in and below the timetable

# arrives five minutes earlier. Waits for another train to pass on the single track ## arrives ten minutes earlier. Waits for another train to pass on the single track
| - train does not stop at this station

AP - Alfa Pendular high speed tilting train. Arrival time is Lisbon Oriente station. Also stops at Lisbon Entrecampos 7 minutes earlier. Non-stop between Tunes and Pinhal Novo. AP trains continue beyond Lisbon via Coimbra and Aveiro to PORTO CAMPANHA arriving at 1244 and 2044 respectively. Full details at www.cp.pt
IC - Intercity train to Lisbon Oriente station, but also stops at Lisbon Sete Rios 12 minutes earlier, Lisbon Entrecampos 8 minutes earlier than arrival time shown above.
Entrecampos Station is closer to the city centre with a direct connection by metro/subway.

FOR NOTE ABOUT STATIONS (A to G) - CLICK HERE

X - arrival time at Tunes for connections towards Lagos. Trains are usually held at Tunes in the event of late running down from Lisbon. These trains from Lisbon continue to Faro.

TIMETABLE - LAGOS > PORTIMÃO > TUNES > ALBUFEIRA > FARO

SHX - train does not run on Sundays and Holidays
ZZZ - FRIDAYS only, from 26th July to 30th August only to be confirmed for 2013

LIS - Train runs from Lisbon (Oriente) please also read the other notes in and below the timetable

# arrives five minutes earlier. Waits for another train to pass on the single track

| - train does not stop at this station

AP -Alfa Pendular high speed tilting train. Departure from Lisbon Oriente station but also stops at Lisbon Entrecampos 7 minutes later. Non stop between Pinhal Novo and Tunes. Both AP trains start in PORTO CAMPANHA at  0547 and 1547 respectively running via Aveiro and Coimbra. Full details at www.cp.pt
IC - intercity train from Lisbon. Starts from Lisbon Oriente station but also stops at Lisbon Entrecampos 9 minutes later, Lisbon Sete Rios 14 minutes later.
XXX - train to Lisbon at 1953 on Sundays only DURING SUMMER.

A - this is the nearest station to the Algarve Stadium, about 12 minutes walk away. This station has no ticket office; buy your ticket on the train
B - Loulé Station is over 3 miles/5km from the town. There is a bus stop about 250 yards/metres from the station; use the crossing at the end of the platform and follow the path by the green fence and turn right. The bus stop is just beyond the stop sign; buses to Loulé on the left hand side as you look.
C - Albufeira station is in FERREIRAS about 4 miles/6km from town. There are buses to/from the town.
D - Silves station is just over a mile/1.7km from the town. Uphill on the way back! There are very few buses to/from town; click here for times.
E -  Estombar/Lagoa station is in ESTOMBAR 2 miles/3.5km from Lagoa. This station has no ticket office; buy your ticket on the train.
F - Alcantarilha Station is 4 miles/6km from the village of that name. It has no ticket office. It is bleak. There are occasional buses on weekdays but most of these do not connect with the trains
G - this station has no ticket office; buy your ticket on the train.
X - departure time at Tunes for trains towards Lisbon originating in Faro

FARO <> OLHÃO <> TAVIRA <> VILA REAL de SANTO ANTÓNIO

Trains marked MFO run Mondays to Fridays only. They do NOT run on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays.

All trains are Regional services, second class only.