The Algarve line

140 km connecting the Algarve from east to west.

The Algarve line is 140 kilometres long and currently serves 30 stations, linking the eastern (Sotavento) and western (Barlavento) parts of the Algarve. This line serves the district of Faro, connecting the municipalities of Castro Marim, Tavira, Olhão, Faro, Loulé, Albufeira, Silves, Tunes, Lagoa, Portimão and Lagos.

As in other regions of Portugal, construction aimed to improve accessibility for people and goods, not only to the rest of the country but also on a regional scale, given that, at the time, the Algarve relied primarily on road and sea transport. The region was poised to introduce additional transport infrastructure to offer greater comfort and reduce journey times.

In 1858, discussions began on extending the Southern Line to the Algarve. Six years later, the Portuguese State and the Southern Railway Company formalised a contract to extend the railway to Faro.

Later, in 1875, the aim of extending the railway to the Algarve region gained further momentum with the publication of a decree ordering the state to build the first railway line in the Algarve, which opened as far as Faro on 1 July 1889.

Amidst the financial crisis, the Order of 10 November 1897 mandated the necessary studies for the construction of the Algarve coastal lines between Tunes and Lagos, and Faro and Vila Real de Santo António.

The organisation of the State Railways (comprising the Minho and Douro and the South and South-East Directorates, and established by Minister Elvino de Brito on 14 July 1899, including the Special Railway Fund to finance the construction) was completed in 1902 with the Southern and South-Eastern Lines Railway Plan, which guided the construction process of the Algarve coastal lines.

Progress on the line to Lagos proceeded more slowly due to terrain, challenges with building the bridge over the River Arade, and the need to secure funding. Consequently, the connection from Tunes to Algoz was completed in early July 1899 and the line to Portimão on 15 February the following year, while the Lagos Branch Line opened on 30 July 1922.

With the primary aim of improving communications with the outside world, the Sotavento line, connecting Faro to Vila Real de Santo António, opened to the public on 14 April 1906.

Over time, like the other lines in the network, the Algarve line has undergone various changes in management, both in terms of services and organisation. Since 1927, when the State Railways were leased out, the Portuguese State Railways (CP) have managed the line.

Currently, the Algarve Line operates Intercidades and Alfa Pendular services to Faro, and Regional services between Lagos and Faro, and between Faro and Vila Real de Santo António, establishing itself as a key transport corridor for regional mobility and serving one of Portugal’s most important tourist regions.

With the section between Tunes and Faro having been electrified since 2004, the modernisation and electrification of the entire length of the Algarve Line, already in place in Vila Real de Santo António since June 2025, will allow the use of electric trains from Lagos to Vila Real de Santo António, promoting transport sustainability and consolidating the role of rail in the decarbonisation of transport in Portugal.