Vila Real residents renew calls to reopen railway line closed for 17 years

Residents of Vila Real gathered on Monday morning to call for the reopening of the Corgo railway line, where trains have not run for 17 years. The protest renewed local demands to restore the connection between Peso da Régua and Chaves.

The Corgo line was one of the former rail corridors linking the Trás-os-Montes region with the Douro valley. The end of services through Vila Real removed a direct rail connection between the northern and southern sections of the route. At Monday’s gathering, residents urged authorities to bring the line back into service.

The protest came amid a wider debate over the railway’s future. Portugal’s parliament had voted days earlier to recommend reopening the line, but a parliamentary recommendation does not itself restart trains or secure funding. Any reopening would depend on the condition of the infrastructure, costs, an operating plan and formal decisions by the relevant authorities.

The report on Monday’s protest did not give an attendance figure, a response from officials or a timetable for reopening. No firm decision or date was announced as a result of the demonstration. The confirmed development is that residents publicly renewed their demand after 17 years without rail service.