The removal of a railway crossing on Friday was part of the electrification project for the Algarve Line. The closure is coordinated with the Silves Town Council, and more crossings in the region are scheduled to be shut down.
Vehicles will be redirected to a nearby automated crossing, in contrast to the recently closed one, which only had passive signaling.
Last Wednesday, a train collided with a vehicle at this crossing, injuring two people. Another accident at the same site in July last year resulted in six injuries, two of them serious.
“In coordination with the Silves Town Council, we have established a set of improvements for both the automated collateral crossing at kilometer 311.252 of the Algarve Line, and traffic previously using the now-closed crossing will be redirected here,” a statement from the company mentioned.
The two accidents underline the necessity of closing this crossing at kilometer 312.851 of the Algarve Line, the company stated, ensuring “an adequate mobility alternative for local populations”.
