CP 2600 and 2620 series electric locomotives

Built in the 1970s and 80s

The Alsthom series CP 2601-2612 and 2621-2629 electric locomotives entered service with Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses in the 1970s and 1980s.

These were the first high-speed multi-purpose locomotives to run in Portugal, responding to CP's urgent need to increase the commercial speed of its passenger trains. These vehicles were capable of reaching up to 160 km/h, becoming a major reference for the national railway.

The first 12 units were built between 1974 and 1975 by the French manufacturer Alsthom at its Belfort facilities. The remaining nine locomotives were produced by the former Sorefame at its Amadora facilities under licence from Alsthom. They were delivered to CP between 1987 and 1989.
The career of these locomotives began in the 1970s and lasted until the late 2000s. They ran practically from north to south of the country, with their service on the North line being particularly noteworthy. For many years, they were the main image of the Porto-Lisbon line. The introduction of the CP 5600 series electric locomotives in the early 1990s, as well as the arrival of the Alfa Pendular in the late 1990s, diminished their prominence.

In 2010, the locomotives were handed over to the former CP Carga, which operated some freight trains. This marked the official end of more than 35 years of passenger transport service. A year later, the Alsthom CP 2600 locomotive fleet was withdrawn from service.

Throughout their long career, they provided various types of traction, from passenger and freight trains to international trains and special services. In 1987, they inaugurated the modern Alfa service between Lisbon and Porto, pulling the recently acquired Corail carriages, which today make up the Intercidades service.

The CP 2600 series returned in 2020. Their reintegration into commercial service is part of the ambitious plan to recover immobilised rolling stock, which CP began in 2019. Currently, part of this fleet is already in circulation and providing regional and interregional services.