CP - Comboios de Portugal nearing Rolling Stock colapse

Giugiaro said:

Source: http://www.ptg.co.uk/rail-holiday-portugal-railtour-2

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More Schindler's and 1400s on the Douro valley line would be an enthusiasts dream mind you! I've still got very fond memories from my trip last year.

Portugal is looking to reinforce the number of DMU's by renting additional units from Spain, but...
Renfe's spokesperson said that the company doesn't have any more units to rent and is currently going through a shortage as well.

I guess it's Game Over for CP...

Well, I don't know how, but the two companies have come to an agreement to lease 4 (yes, just 4) DMU's, and the company will also study the technical feasibility of the Spanish EMU's (presumably to replace the Cascais Line stock).

Also, they are discussing about forming a partnership between the two companies after the rail liberalization of 2019, with negotiations starting in October.
Rumors say the plan is to fuse the two companies and finally rid the Portuguese Government of having to deal with rail operation...

From Wikipedia about CP; not very positive i must say.
Revenue € -266.017 million (2013)
Operating income
€ -54.3 million (2016)
Net income
€ -144.6 million (2016)

It has been announced that CP are launching a procurement programme for 22 trainsets, 12 electro-diesel and 10 EMU's for regional services.
https://www.railwaygazette.com/news...launch-EUR168m-rolling-stock-procurement.html

The government’s Council of Ministers on September 6 gave the go-ahead for national passenger operator CP to start a rolling stock procurement process.


Intended to cover the acquisition of 22 trainsets, an international tender worth €168·2m is to be called in 2019 in accordance with EU procurement rules. The tender will cover 12 electro-diesel trainsets and 10 EMUs; all are intended for use on regional services. The trains are expected to be in service by 2026. The EU’s 2021-27 structural programme and the domestic national environmental fund will be used to finance the fleet expansion.

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Knowing this bleeding country, there's no telling if new rolling stock will indeed arrive. The 2009 international tender was cancelled on the last leg, and construction of HS Lisbon-Madrid was cancelled right after construction had started. Somehow the government was able to get around this without having to pay compensation to both bidders, builders, and the EU!

The Cascais Line, despite having (an almost 100 year old) aging rolling stock, was left in the shadows. There's no telling how the company will deal with Summer 2019 with just 4 extra DMU's of the same rusty type it currently rented from Spain. Electrification plans won't be finished at that point in time, and the projected increase in passenger numbers tells that things are just going to get even worse next year.

There's also the fact that CP has been operating without a public service contract since 2015, meaning that the company has to run unprofitable services, plus conceding social and professional discounts without payment from the respective government branches (this Tuesday CP's president complained in parliament that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is still owning them money for the 3/4 discount for the Military, Police, and free travel for Judges). At least €90 million yearly is the value of the current social service provided by CP.

Oh, and this was before the government announced the introduction of free monthly passes for children aged up to 12 years, and a 30/40€ cap in monthly passes for the regions of Lisbon and Porto. If this isn't a d*** move, I don't know what it is...

Having just returned from two weeks based in Porto we found that the majority of the rolling stock was well presented, internally clean and the conductors friendly and helpful. It was obvious that great efforts had been made to deal with the scourge of graffiti. The only exception was the northern section of the Vouga line which reflects very badly on CP and the communities served by what could be a charming railway. It seemed well used but the staff seemed disinterested in the appalling condition of their trains. Surely Portugal could take on board station adoption schemes involving the local community, use community service volunteers to keep on top of the trains and stations. Espinho should be ashamed of its contribution as an aspiring seaside resort and it shouldn't be down to CP alone.

Rolling stock a little better!

Broad gauge:-

Well presented trains:-

A bit off topic but worth putting on record:-

A surprise in the sidings:-

Four wheel coaches ride quite well!

The delightful Sao Bento station:-

Regua:-

A sadness, I'm afraid:-

The president of CP - Comboios de Portugal has revealed in parliament that the company needs 90M€ annually in order to maintain public service outside of the profitable part of the network and time interval.

This week the proposed State Budget for 2019 has only 40M€ set for the state railway company and all of its subsidiaries.
Given that, by the end of the year, the government is supposed to strike a deal with CP for a "public service contract", officially stating the services that the company is obliged to run and how much the state has to pay, it's easy to understand that CP will remain underfunded, or will likely cut more than half its services to meet the expected budget.

This budget is, also, stated before captivations are applied by the Ministry of Finance, which means that, realistically, the budget will be even shorter than what is anticipated.

Either that, or the Government is planning to open up part of the network for TOCs, removing CP from those areas.

*sigh*

We're back at it again...

Trains retained in the workshop cause more than twenty cancelled services in the Sintra Line

Trains "awaiting for maintenance or in maintenance" at the workshops have caused chaos at the Sintra Line this Tuesday, mainly during peak hours, leaving passengers hanging through the line. Around 20 services were suspended.

CP - Comboios de Portugal counted, by 18:00 of this Tuesday, 24 cancellations related to an "excessive immobilization of rolling stock", a problem that already caused cancellations for two consecutive days, as per official source from the company.

"CP and EMEF [The company's maintenance unit] are working hard to reestablish, as soon as possible, the necessary fleet, something that should happen in the coming days", said the company's president.

(...)

Not only were these cancellations that motivated passenger complaints, but also the extreme heat inside packed trains with faulty air conditioning, adding to the discomfort of an already stressed commute. Concerning "the problems reported for the air conditioning, CP will proceed with an inspection of the trains in question", according to the same source.

The "Sintra Line Passenger's Committee" launched in March a petition for a better service in the railway line, requiring more human resources and new trains.

(...)

In the document, there's also a call for "the immediate employment of the necessary personnel" to equip EMEF "with the appropriate maintenance responsiveness for CP's rolling stock" and "reopen the ticket and information offices" of the Sintra Line's stations.

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Openly translated from the source: https://www.publico.pt/2019/05/14/l...-duas-dezenas-supressoes-linha-sintra-1872677

The fact that they were cancelling services before this fiasco and now they are having to chop even the busiest services shows quite how poor things are getting.
I couldn't help but notice this last bit "reopen the ticket and information offices" of the Sintra Line's stations." that sounds like something from RMT!
Sam

Despite all the above, I had an excellent ride from Albufeira to Lisbon and back last month.
The stock (IC one way and Alfa Pendular the other) was in good condition and the service on board was fine.
It struck me that there had been heavy investment around Lisbon to route this service round to Oriente station and connect into all the metro lines.

I also had a very good ride from Lisbon to Sintra and then from Caiscais to Lisbon last week. I’m fact, it was the day after the above article was published.

Lots of graffiti though, the whole Sintra line just reeks of underinvestment.

Graffiti is everwhere in Portugal. It isn’t just a railway problem.

Highlandspring said:

Graffiti is everwhere in Portugal. It isn’t just a railway problem.

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I noticed this week that the new Ordsall Chord structures in Manchester/Salford have all been tagged.
Not excessively so yet, but the decline has set in.
In my view Italy, France and eastern Europe are the worst for graffiti, but you even get it in squeaky-clean Switzerland.

507 001 said:

Lots of graffiti though, the whole Sintra line just reeks of underinvestment.

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€750,000 to erase graffiti from trains
The proceeding for CP to do the spending was published this Thursday in Diário da República.

The Government has given CP permission to launch a service contract for graffiti cleaning on its trains for a three year period, an expenditure that should reach a total of seven hundred and fifty thousand euros.

(...)

Openly translated from source: http://visao.sapo.pt/actualidade/portugal/2019-05-23-750-mil-para-apagar-graffitis-dos-comboios

The last two weeks of May saw 175 cancelled trains due to lack of rolling stock in the Sintra line.
Starting from June 23rd, the service between Lisboa-Rossio and Mira Sintra-Meleças will be reduced to half.
https://www.dn.pt/pais/interior/cp-...linha-de-sintra-durante-o-verao-10974023.html

Together with a lack of rollings stock, there's also a lack of staff, both from the maintenance unit EMEF, but also in most careers at CP.
Starting from June 16th both Sintra, Azambuja and Cascais lines will have ticket offices and info bureaus with shorter opening hours or even face closure. This will obviously affect all main railway stations in Lisbon.
https://eco.sapo.pt/2019/06/03/cp-r...-linha-de-sintra-azambuja-a-partir-de-dia-16/

North of Aveiro things seems to be going as per usual. The Class 1400 hauled touristic train Miradouro has now been used to replace missing Renfe 592's and only a few ticket offices have been closed.

It's sad to see the state that the last remnants of the Portugese narrow gauge have fallen into. As a tribute to its former glory I append a list of the ng locomotive stock at the time of my first visit to Portugal in 1968.
NO. TYPE. MAKER. WORKS NO. DATE. LOCATION
x E1. 0-4-0. Henschel. 19339 1922. Regua
x E21. 0-6-0. Corpet. 1907. Viseu
x E22. 0-6-0. Corpet. 1907
x E31. 0-6-0. Fives. 2110. 1876
x E32. 0-6-0. Fives. 2111. 1876
x E33. 0-6-0. Fives. 2847. 1890
E41. 0-6-0. Hohenzollern 1801. 1904. Pocinho
E51. 0-6-0. Kessler. 2345. 1889. Tua
E52. 0-6-0. Kessler. 2346 1889. Pocinho
x E53. 0-6-0. Kessler. 2347. 1889. Porto
E54. 0-6-0. Kessler. 2348. 1889. Regua
E55. 0-6-0. Kessler. 2349. 1889. Tua
E56. 0-6-0. Kessler. 2350. 1889.
x E61. 0-6-2. Krauss. 3576. 1897
x E62. 0-6-2. Krauss. 3577. 1897
x E71. 2-6-0. Soc.Suisse. 367. 1874. Tua
x E72. 2-6-0. Soc.Suisse. 368. 1874
E81. 2-6-0. Kessler. 2189. 1886. Tua
E82. 2-6-0. Kessler. 2190. 1886. Tua
E83. 2-6-0. Kessler. 2191. 1886. Porto
E84. 2-6-0. Kessler. 2192. 1886. Porto
E85. 2-6-0. Kessler. 2193. 1886. Porto
E86. 2-6-0. Kessler. 2194. 1886. Porto
E91. 2-6-0. O&Koppel. 1910. Viseu
E92. 2-6-0. O&Koppel. 1910. Viseu
E93. 2-6-0. Decauville. 589. 1910. Porto
E94. 2-6-0. Decauville. 590. 1910. Porto
E95. 2-6-0. Decauville. 591. 1910. Viseu
E96. 2-6-0. O&Koppel. 1910. Viseu
E97. 2-6-0. O&Koppel. 1910. Viseu
E101 2-6-0. Kessler. 3420. 1907. Viseu
E102 2-6-0. Kessler. 3421. 1907. Viseu
E103 2-6-0. Kessler. 3422. 1907. Viseu
E111 2-6-0. Kessler. 3288. 1904. Tua
E112 2-6-0. Kessler. 3289. 1904. Tua
E113 2-6-0. Kessler. 3504. 1907. Tua
E114 2-6-0. Kessler. 3505. 1907. Porto
E121.4-6-0. Borsig. 6449. 1908. Viseu
E122 4-6-0. Borsig. 6451. 1908. Viseu
E123 4-6-0. Borsig. 6452. 1908. Viseu
E131 2-8-2. Henschell. 19833. 1924. Viseu
E132 2-8-2. Henschell. 19834. 1924. Viseu
E133 2-8-2. Henschell. 19835. 1924. Viseu
E141 2-8-2. Henschell. 21875. 1931. Porto
E142 2-8-2. Henschell. 21876. 1931. Porto
E143 2-8-2. Henschell. 21877. 1931. Porto
E144 2-8-2. Henschell. 21878. 1931. Porto
E151 0-4-4-0. Henschell. 7221. 1905. Livracao
x E152 0-4-4-0. Henschell. 7222. 1905. Porto
E161 0-4-4-0. Henschell. 7019. 1905. Porto
E162 0-4-4-0. Henschell. 7020. 1905. Porto
E163 0-4-4-0. Henschell. 7021. 1905. Porto
E164 0-4-4-0. Henschell. 7023. 1905. Porto
E165 0-4-4-0. Henschell. 8912. 1908. Porto
E166 0-4-4-0. Henschell. 8913. 1908. Porto
E167 0-4-4-0. Henschell. 8914. 1908. Porto
E168 0-4-4-0. Henschell. 8915. 1908. Porto
E169 0-4-4-0. Henschell. 8916. 1908. Porto
E170 0-4-4-0. Henschell. 8917. 1908. Porto
E181 2-4-6-0. Henschell. 19826 1923. Viseu
E182 2-4-6-0. Henschell. 19827. 1923. Viseu
E201 2-4-6-0. Henschell 10341. 1911 Pocinho
E202 2-4-6-0. Henschell 10342. 1911. Regua
E203 2-4-6-0. Henschell. 10343. 1911. Pocinho
E204 2-4-6-0. Henschell. 10344. 1911. Regua
E205 2-4-6-0. Henschell. 12280. 1913. Regua
E206 2-4-6-0. Henschell. 12281. 1913. Regua
E207 2-4-6-0. Henschell. 19870. 1923. Regua
E208 2-4-6-0. Henschell. 19871. 1923. Regua
E209 2-4-6-0. Henschell. 19872. 1923. Pocinho
E210 2-4-6-0. Henschell. 19873. 1923. Viseu
E211 2-4-6-0. Henschell. 19874. 1923. Viseu
E212 2-4-6-0. Henschell. 19875. 1923. Viseu
E213 2-4-6-0. Henschell. 19876. 1923. Viseu
E214 2-4-6-0. Henschell. 19877. 1923. Regua
E215 2-4-6-0. Henschell 19878. 1923. Viseu
E216 2-4-6-0. Henschell. 19879. 1923. Pocinho


Notes;
E1 was rusting away at Regua in 1978 but had been restored to steam a couple of years later.
E52 was named "Vizeu".
E151 was the only steam loco on the normally all railcar Tamega line. However if you wanted a steam run on the line the first weekend in June was the festival of St Gonçalo in Amarante. For this colourful mixture of Catholicism and alcoholism one of Regua's 2-4-6-0's and a number of carriages were brought down on transporter wagons to help with the crowds.
x indicates loco withdrawn but might be rusting away somewhere.

My note about loco E1 should of course refer to 1968 not 1978.

LNW-GW Joint said:

I noticed this week that the new Ordsall Chord structures in Manchester/Salford have all been tagged.
Not excessively so yet, but the decline has set in.
In my view Italy, France and eastern Europe are the worst for graffiti, but you even get it in squeaky-clean Switzerland.

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To me the UK and Ireland are a non grafitti haven. Rather the exception than the rule.

It took a change in ministry leadership for the government to finally give up on "make believing".

CP and EMEF to merge ahead of market opening​

03 Jul 2019

PORTUGAL: The government has approved a €45m capital investment programme for both national operator CP and rolling stock maintenance business EMEF.

To be funded from the state budget, the 2019-22 plan approved on June 27 has two parts. The first covers investment of €9m in 2019, primarily to enable EMEF to reopen a workshop in Guifões near Matosinhos, north of Porto, which closed in 2011. This will be used to refurbish around 70 stored passenger vehicles, including multiple-units, hauled stock and locomotives, some of which are up to 50 years old. The funding will cover the recruitment of 120 employees at CP and 67 by EMEF.

The second part of the capital plan would be implemented from the end of 2020 and covers refurbishment of most of the rest of the CP fleet.

CP and EMEF are also to merge by the end of this year to facilitate ‘a closer working relationship and more optimal use of resources’. This is to be completed before the Portuguese market is opened to competition under the Fourth Railway Package.

The main objective of the spending programme is to mitigate the severe lack of rolling stock CP faces, while also bolstering EMEF to enable it to take on more refurbishment and overhaul work in the future. This should also strengthen the domestic rail supply sector, the government believes.

To alleviate its lack of trains, CP currently leases 24 DMUs from Spanish national operator RENFE under a contract worth around €8m/year. However, this agreement will end in 2022, and it is unlikely that the delivery and commissioning of 22 regional trains, tendering for which was initially signed off by the government in September 2018, will have been completed by then.

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Source: https://www.railwaygazette.com/news...nd-emef-to-merge-ahead-of-market-opening.html