Braganca, Portugal, April 17, 2025 (Lusa) - The mayor of Braganca, in the north east of Portugal, has welcomed his city's inclusion in the National Rail Plan for studies into the possible return of trains to the north eastern Trás-os-Montes region. The information is contained in the Cabinet Resolution, published on Wednesday, which approves the National Railway Plan and orders Infraestruturas de Portugal, S. A., the country's state-owned road and rail infrastructure managing company, to assess priority railway investments. Included was the study of a possible Trás-os-Montes Railway Line, with a Bragança-Porto connection, and the Bragança-Zamora Cross-Border Link (Spain). "It is with great satisfaction that we see the demands of the municipality and the region's various entities and active forces recognised. Bragança is finally officially included in the national railway plans for the future, with indications for the effective start of studies ordered by the government to the entities responsible," said Paulo Xavier, quoted in a statement sent to Lusa on Wednesday evening. "(...) This technical assessment will support the final decision and will, I hope, be able to sustain and make viable the solution we advocate and this is an important step in recognising the legitimate aspirations of the interior in the design of the country's public policies," said the Bragança mayor. The mayor also stressed that he considered the railway to be a priority solution for "overcoming the isolation of the Trás-os-Montes region". The document, consulted by Lusa, notes that the reopening of the region's old lines in the districts of Bragança and Vila Real - Tua and Corgo - which provided a connection to Porto via the Douro Line is not feasible, not least because of the associated journey times. "Therefore, only with the construction of a new railway line can an effective accessibility solution be created. The hypothesis considered for this Plan involves the construction of a new line with a design speed of 160 kilometres per hour, with the possibility of some sections travelling at 200 kilometres per hour, where this does not entail a significant extra cost." The plan, if realised, would connect Bragança to Campanhã station, in Porto, in two hours and with eight stops, also passing through Vila Real. "Access to Porto could be via the Douro Line, with a connection near the Oliveira station. However, it would be necessary to ensure that this line has enough capacity to accommodate the additional traffic. Alternatively, the new Trás-os-Montes Line could continue along an entirely new route linking to the Minho Line and the LAV Porto - Vigo in the vicinity of Sá Carneiro Airport. The connection with this new line should therefore inform the decisions to be made about future investments in the Douro Line or the construction of the Sousa Valley Line, studying the best configuration for the railway network to access Porto from the east." Trains stopped running to Bragança in 1992. TYR/AYLS // AYLS Lusa