Portuguese operator CP will incorporate its Arco carriages on the North Intercidades line from 31 August. According to Portugal Ferroviario, the first trains with this rolling stock will be the 523, departing Lisbon at 15:30, and the 528, leaving Porto at 19:45.
The trainset will combine the three types of Arco carriages (1st class, 2nd class and 2nd class with space for bicycles) with a 1st class Corail car with bar, to offer on-board cafeteria service. Towed by a 5600 series locomotive, they will reach 200 km/h.
It will be the first time that these carriages, purchased from Renfe and until now used on InterRegional trains, will be used on a long-distance service. Moreover, it will also be the first time that an Intercity train will incorporate state-of-the-art passenger information systems (PIS) and sliding doors.
According to CP, this addition will alleviate the lack of material at the Intercidades park and prepare for the imminent reopening of the Beira Alta line.
Currently, the Intercidades de la Beira Alta (Lisbon-Guarda) runs between Lisbon and Coimbra-B, using 2240 series electric units due to a lack of material.