Lisbon, July 3, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal's passenger train operator, CP, has cancelled six Intercidades services due to deteriorating weather conditions on Friday and exceptionally high temperatures recorded in various regions of the country, under the red alert currently in force.
In a statement, the rail operator explained that the decision was taken as a “preventative and responsible” measure, with the aim of reducing the risk of incidents during the heatwave and “safeguarding the comfort and well-being of passengers and staff”.
The services cancelled today are the Intercidades 517, between Lisbon-Santa Apolónia, scheduled to depart at 12:30, and Guarda, arriving at 16:44; the IC 512, between Guarda, departing at 12:48, and Lisbon-Santa Apolónia, arriving at 17:00; and the IC 523, between Lisbon-Santa Apolónia, at 15:30, and Porto-Campanhã, at 18:43.
The remaining services are the IC 524, between Porto-Campanhã at 12.45 and Lisbon-Santa Apolónia at 16.00, the IC 572, travelling from Lisbon-Oriente at 14:02 to Faro at 17:35; and, finally, the IC 672, travelling from Faro at 14:15 to Lisbon-Oriente at 17:56.
The company states that affected customers are being contacted via the usual channels and may request a ticket exchange or refund at no extra cost.
According to CP, the measure affects “a limited number of services” considered most vulnerable to the current weather conditions, with the aim of “reducing the risk of a deterioration in air-conditioning during the journey”.
“CP has taken a difficult but necessary decision to reduce the risk of incidents during this heatwave. To this end, it has been decided to temporarily adjust some Intercidades services on Friday, as well as to step up technical supervision of the services deemed most critical and the monitoring of air-conditioning equipment,” the company explains.
In addition to the cancellations of these services, CP says it has implemented other measures to minimise the impact of the heat on rail operations, including managing passenger numbers on some long-distance trains, suspending ticket sales for journeys at times deemed critical, and increasing the availability of water at various stations and strategic points across the network.
The operator also notes that stationary trains are being kept with their curtains and doors closed and, wherever operationally possible, with their air conditioning running, to ensure better thermal conditions on board.
CP assures that it will continue to monitor developments in weather conditions in coordination with rail sector bodies and Civil Protection, in order to respond to any disruptions to rail services caused by extreme temperatures, whilst reassessing the need to maintain these measures as the situation evolves.
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