“Rail services have resumed on the Beira Baixa Line section between Vale de Prazeres and Castelo Novo following an incident yesterday evening near the Alpedrinha halt,” an official source from IP announced in a statement sent to Lusa.
The line was closed from Wednesday night due to a collision between an Intercity train and a truck at the Alpedrinha level crossing, in the municipality of Fundão, Castelo Branco district.
At least four people sustained minor injuries, and six others received assistance after the collision. The accident occurred at 8:00 PM on Wednesday.
The incident took place at a level crossing near Alpedrinha village station. The cause of the collision remains unknown, but Fundão Mayor Paulo Fernandes speculated at the time that it might have been a result of “some negligence by the truck driver.”
“The train at this location travels at about 100 kilometers per hour. The impact immediately caused a fire in the truck, which was dragged, and the middle carriages of the train caught fire due to the spreading flames from the truck. We are conducting a triage with the Civil Protection, GNR, firefighters, IP, and CP, and we are waiting for CP to send buses for transfer service,” he stated.
The accident came during a “very strong period” for regional tourism.
The truck collision with a train in Fundão resulted in four injuries. A passenger described the “distress” experienced after the crash, while the mayor acknowledged it “could have been a tragedy.”
The Intercity train, which departed from Guarda heading to Lisbon, was carrying 118 passengers, stated CP — Comboios de Portugal in a communiqué.
According to CP, the train collided with a heavy vehicle at the Alpedrinha level crossing. After the impact, the vehicle caught fire, and the blaze spread to one of the train carriages.
A source from the Beiras and Serra da Estrela Sub-regional Command noted by 10:00 PM that the fire was already under control.
