Vouga historical train dresses up for Christmas and promises to spread the season's magic

Thousands of twinkling lights adorn this year's Vouga Historical Train. The Christmas edition promises to provide an even more unforgettable journey for kids and adults on what is the only narrow gauge railway in operation in Portugal.

Passengers will be able to visit the Railway Museum - Macinhata do Vouga Centre and the city of Águeda, with its famous decorations and street entertainment, including the World's Biggest and Smallest Father Christmas.

The experience will combine the symbolism of Christmas with a nostalgic journey aboard unique carriages. This is the first year that the train has been decorated with exterior lights alluding to the festive season.

There will be a presentation journey the day the Christmas lights were switched on in the city of Águeda with Father Christmas and his reindeer, and the eyes of the children who boarded this real Christmas train will sparkle with joy.

‘I believe we have all the ingredients for a unique, unforgettable tourism experience,’ the Chairman of CP - Comboios de Portugal. Pedro Moreira said, adding that the reformulation of the company's tourist programmes combines rail tourism with local community events and initiatives, working in close proximity and partnership. ‘It's a way for CP to value railway tourism and the region, making a contribution to territorial cohesion. In this case, a unique experience is created, with a train decorated in the Christmas spirit and with entertainment on board, which joins Águeda's Christmas, one of the most charismatic in Portugal,’ he said.

The Vouga Historical Train, made up of a locomotive and historic carriages decorated with Christmas lights. It leaves Aveiro and stops in Macinhata do Vouga to visit the local Railway Museum, with a Christmas market and seasonal entertainment. It then heads to Águeda, where passengers will have around three hours to visit the many Christmas initiatives throughout the city, from the World's Largest and Smallest Father Christmas to the installations and illuminations that evoke the magic of Christmas.

Seven Saturday runs are planned between November 2024 and January 2025, with the first trip taking place on 23 November. Tickets are now on sale.

The Vouga Historical Train is organised by CP in close collaboration with Águeda Town Council and the Macinhata do Vouga Parish Council.

Vouga Historic Train - Christmas 2024 Edition at a glance

Capacity: 206 seats;

Dates: 23 November 2024 to 4 January 2025 (Saturdays);

Train times: Outward journey - Departure from Aveiro at 13.35 (with a stop in Águeda at 14.30 for customers wishing to make the journey only from this station); stop in Macinhata do Vouga for a visit to the local Railway Museum; Arrival in Águeda at 16.22; Return journey - Departure from Águeda at 19.20 and scheduled arrival in Aveiro at 20.06.

Prices: €39 per adult and €24 per child; there are special prices for groups.

On sale from: Ticket offices or online at www.cp.pt

Composition: The Vouga Historical Train will be pulled by the CP 9004 diesel locomotive built at the end of the 1950s, which marked the end of the era of narrow gauge trains on the Guimarães Line. The train is made up of five carriages that are true gems of railway history: three balcony carriages (one of Belgian origin from 1908, one manufactured in Germany in 1925 and another built by the then Caminhos de Ferro do Estado, in the workshops of Porto, in 1913); a Portuguese carriage, built in Barreiro in 1908 and which ran on the Corgo Line, between Régua and Chaves; and an Italian-made mixed carriage.

Further information can be found at www.cp.pt

Link to photos here.