The Western Railway Line. A Cinderella Service? Also a long forgotten era in travelling.

Cacem (Lisbon) to Caldas da Reinha

Has anyone had the occasion to use it? I did once. Never again.

It's slow. The stations are largely unmodernised. The line is single track. The trains only go in and out of the centre of Lisbon twice a day. There are 10 trains on weekdays but all the rest stop at a far out of town stop. Unlike Cinderella's coaches (midnight express) the last train on this line is very early in the evening.

Compared with other suburban lines from Lisbon to Sintra or Cascais this is a line in need of major upgrade.

They intend to close it down ,which even though its everthing you say it's so useful for the locals

So what are the "locals" doing to preserve, nay, to have this service properly modernised and upgraded? Not everyone in Portugal can afford to run a car so they are, more or less, dependent on public transport. The motorways in Portugal are far, far too expensive for those on average incomes in PT, so they are dependent on railways and buses.

Huge sums were invested in the motorways, why not in the railways? Who is the Dr. Beeching behind this proposal to close the line? Investing in this line is just the kind of infrastructural investment PT needs at this present moment to kickstart its economy.

It would be so useful to all those who have homes along ths Silver Coast if this line were brought back to some kind of life.

But alas, we have no democratic power in this country to effect proper change, and some people on this forum suggest we should be grateful for small mercies.

Have you not heard of the Crisis, where is the money going to come from.
Are you happy to pay even more tax so that this obviously underused line is upgraded ??

Actually the present economic austerity programme is rapidly proving to be self-defeating. What is needed at a time like this is for governments to invest in infrastructural projects. This is Keynesian economics, and not that of the monetarists.

Investing in the Linha do Oeste might actually employ a few people, who will spend their earnings in the PT economy and via the multiplier effect generate some economic stimulus which PT badly needs.

The present austerity programme is driving the country into the ground.

Ask yourself where is the extra higher VAT tax going? To some investor overseas? How is it actually benefitting the population of PT at large? If it was spent on upgrading the Linha do Oeste and other badly needed investments, then things might actually improve.