Barreiro is a railway station on the Alentejo Line that serves as a connection between rail services on the South Bank of the Tagus and Soflusa's river transport to Lisbon, Portugal. The first Barreiro station began operating on June 15, 1857, although it was not inaugurated until February 1, 1861. Since it was too far from the river pier, a new station was built and inaugurated in 1884. This station included an important workshop hub, which underwent extension work during the 1900s, but the facilities were becoming insufficient for the demand by the following decade. However, political and social instability, which was reflected in the administration of the railroads, dragged out the process. It was not until the 1930s that the new workshops were completed. Meanwhile, in 1923 the Ramal do Seixal branch line went into service, and in 1935 the railway between Barreiro and Lavradio was duplicated. The Barreiro station was remodeled and expanded in 1943, and in the 1950s the workshops began to house diesel locomotives from other lines that had been electrified. On December 14, 2008, a new Barreiro station was inaugurated, and the old one was closed.
Operations
Services The station is used by services of the Sado Line, provided by the operator Comboios de Portugal.
Tracks and platforms In January 2011, the railway station had three tracks, all 102m long and 90 cm high.
Location and access The facility is located in the city of Barreiro, next to de Sapadores Avenue. 24 lines pass through the station; 7 lines of the Carris Metropolitana and 17 of the Transportes Coletivos do Barreiro (TCB), connecting this station to other destinations in the Setúbal Peninsula.
First station
The first station (1861-1884) was housed in a large building, with a frontage of approximately 65m wide, 16 spans for windows and doors, and three gates. The station was relocated in 1884 to the future South and Southeast terminal after complaints from several passengers who needed to cross two kilometers of sandy beach to gain access to the river terminal. The building was maintained and later integrated into the Empresa de Manutenção de Equipamento Ferroviário, S.A. (EMEF) Barreiro workshop complex.Posição da Associação Barreiro Património Memória e Futuro face à prevista intervenção na antiga Estação Ferro-Fluvial (2020.02.17)
Second station
Designed by the engineer Miguel Pais, the second station (1884-2008) combines the Romantic aesthetic, evident in the maritime and faunal decoration of the west façade, with the Neo-Manueline and industrial styles, evident in the materials and in the functional way in which the south façade is structured.
In 2004, it had a public support service for the National Railway Network, and four manoeuver tracks. The station was equipped with a distribution center, to sort mail transported by rail, having its own stamp. This Barreiro station served as a connection between trains from the region south of the Tagus River, and as a fluvial port for passengers and goods, with connections to Lisbon. It was taken out of service with the construction of the new structure in 2008, and the building was left in disrepair. It was declared in 2018 as having a "under classification" status (Diário da República 2nd Series, No. 30 of February 12) in the listing process of the Barreiro Railway Complex.
Third station
Inaugurated in 2008, it is adjacent to the previous Barreiro station, about 100m away, and consists only of platforms and their shelters, without any support buildings. The station services are housed in the adjoining river terminal.
History
Background and planning In the 1850s, planning began for a railway on the south bank of the Tagus River, which would be connected by waterway to the city of Lisbon. On July 24, 1854, the government signed a contract with the Marquis of Ficalho and José Maria Eugénio de Almeida, who set up a partnership for the construction of a railway from the south bank to Vendas Novas, starting in Montijo (a locality at the time still known as Aldeia Galega do Ribatejo). Later, the starting point was changed to Barreiro, since this location had a natural harbor for the ships at Vale do Zebro, and as an artificial harbor would have to be built at Montijo, a costly project. On August 26 of that year, an additional contract was signed between the government and the partners for the construction of a second line from the south bank of the Tagus, in Barreiro, to Setúbal.
Inauguration of the first station and change of gauge
The section between the stations of Barreiro and Bombel, of the Caminho de Ferro do Sul (later called the Southern Line and then the Alentejo Line), was opened for operation on 15 June 1857, by the Companhia Nacional de Caminhos de Ferro ao Sul do Tejo. However, this line was only officially inaugurated on 1 February 1861, the year in which the connection to Vendas Novas and Setúbal was completed. Originally, the Caminho de Ferro do Sul used a 1.44m gauge. On 7 August of that year, the Companhia Nacional was nationalized, and the Caminho de Ferro do Sul and the branch to Setúbal were handed over to Companhia dos Caminhos de Ferro do Sueste on 21 April 1864. Later that year, the tracks were modified to have an Iberian-gauge.
Inauguration of the second station
Although the station was considered to have ideal conditions for train service, it was built about 2 km away from the river pier at Mexilhoeiro, hindering mobility of passengers and goods between the two points. Later that year, the company was nationalized, and the operation of its lines was handed over to the Sueste Railway Company in 1864. In turn, the Sueste Company was nationalized in 1869.
To solve such problem, on October 4, 1884, a new railway station was built, named the South and Southeast Railway Station ("Estação do Caminho de Ferro Sul e Sueste"), which had wharves for boats, facilitating the transshipment process. The line between both stations was inaugurated on December 20 of the same year. The former structure came into use as a traction workshop, and the Grupo Oficinal do Barreiro was later based there, which was integrated into the Empresa de Manutenção de Equipamento Ferroviário (EMEF) in 1994.
On March 1, 1889, the Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro reported that the first train had arrived in the Faro station from Barreiro. The inauguration of the railroad to Faro took place on July 1 of that year.
In October 1897, the monarchs Carlos I and Amélie visited Algarve, having traveled by train between Barreiro and Faro.
Transition to the 20th century
At the end of the 19th century, the station and its warehouses underwent expansion works, due to fears that the Cacilhas branch line, which was being planned at the time, would lead to a reduction in rail traffic. Still, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Barreiro station had several structural problems, such as the river docks having no protection and suffering frequent flooding on rainy days. This meant goods had to be loaded and unloaded on a small pier, with only two steam cranes, and stored in a warehouse that was very small. In addition, this infrastructure also served for the unloading of coal, rails, and other materials, to the general warehouses. To make the most of the available space on the ships, refills and small-speed goods were transshipped in the same place, generating several misplacements and other irregularities in the service. The river wharves and railway lines lacked proper identification, which further complicated operations. These deficiencies made the management of the terminal more expensive, which was reflected in the prices charged to customers. Due to the limited space available on the site, only small expansions, such as the installation of new cranes, could be made, which failed to solve the station's problems. On the other hand, navigation near the station was difficult, as the water being shallow in certain places.
20th century
1900s and 1910s
An ordinance of 1 July 1901 authorized the board of directors of the Caminhos de Ferro do Estado to build the first section of a line between Barreiro and Cacilhas, especifically from Barreiro to the right bank of the Ribeira de Coina. This project, dated 31 December 1902, was approved on 11 July 1903. In 1901, Companhia União Fabril built a chemical complex in Barreiro, which was connected to the station by a branch line called "Ramal Particular das Lezírias".
On July 1, 1902, the Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro reported that the Southern and Southeastern railroad had already acquired six Kitson oil-powered lighting fixtures, which were to be first tried out at the Barreiro station, and then installed at the Beja station. At that time, the introduction of a power supply system was being studied, which was to be used at the Barreiro station, and to power the machinery and apparatus in the workshops. On December 1 of that year, the Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro reported that the Siemens & Halske company was to be contracted to install the electricity supply.
A Ministry of Public Works, Commerce and Industry decree of 19 September 1903 ordered the expropriation of a plot of land for the construction of a path between Miguel Pais and Carlos Albers streets, as part of the work to expand the Barreiro station. On 1 April 1903, the Gazeta dos Caminhos de Ferro reported that the materials and mechanisms for installing small portable compressed-air machine tools had arrived and assembly was about to begin. It was predicted that with the introduction of this new equipment, repair work on the rolling stock would become faster and less expensive, especially on locomotives. At the same time, it was believed that work would soon begin on electric power, and that electric machine tools would arrive and be assembled in a new carpentry and joinery workshop.
On January 1, 1905, the same publication reported that a firewood house had been installed at the station for use by staff (traction and workshop staff in particular), and on November 1 it reported that washrooms for staff had been built.
On February 1, 1908, the royal family passed through the Barreiro station during their trip from the Alentejo to Lisbon and suffered an attack shortly after leaving the Terreiro do Paço Fluvial Terminal. On June 16, 1909, an order had been placed to complete an embankment that was destined for workshops and to pave the slopes for créosotage.Applying creosote to wood to protect it from parasites and ensure its preservation.
On April 1, 1910, forty wagons were to be built in Barreiro's workshops, destined for the Sul and Sueste network. In January 1912, there was a strike of railroad porters at the station.
In December 1918, engineers Ernesto de Oliveira Rocha, head of the Material and Traction Service, and Artur de Campos Ventura, sub-chief of the same department, drew up a project for the remodeling and expansion of the general workshops at Barreiro since these facilities were already becoming insufficient for the repair and renovation of the rolling stock in the southern region. It was estimated that the budget for the works would be less than 500,000$00. However, the Caminhos de Ferro do Estado did not approve this project, nor did it order the preparation of a new one that could improve the operation of the workshops. This meant that the complex had a large number of rolling stock that could not be moved and was therefore scattered around the place.
1920s
1920 to 1925