Passengers pay for Intercités but ride in regional trains



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The CP interchanges Intercity trains for regional trains on several lines from north to south. But travel costs the same price, even though cars that regularly do regional service are less comfortable and slow and have fewer services. The company justifies the decision with the damages and excess fixed assets of the rolling stock and admits to make the difference in the price of the ticket. The CP workers' commission accuses the government's captives, who are preventing the company from investing. The consumer association ACOP considers that passengers are deceived and demand a price reduction whenever there is a train exchange

It is in the Intercidades service between Lisbon and Évora that a & rsquo; There were major problems . Between May 22nd and July 1st, no less than 31 voyages were made in which Corail cars, powered by an electric locomotive and used for intercity routes, were exchanged for UTE 2240s, which makes the connections regional. in all the countries. Thousands of passengers are affected

The situation is not better in the north . There were ten trips in which the passengers who made the trip from Alfa Pendular between Lisbon-Santa Apolónia and Braga had to switch to Intercity cars at the Campanhã station. They paid the same price and took longer to reach their destination . There were also two trips from Alfa Pendular between Lisbon-Santa Apolonia and Porto-Campanhã that were made with intercity cars – and not with the fastest trains.

"The CP experienced some problems in its day-to-day operation, due to the damage and the excess of fixed assets in its fleet of rolling stock, in this context it resorted to the replacement of the equipment, different from what was initially programmed ". official source of the company in statements to DN / Vivo. In the event of a claim, the company "refunds to its customers the difference between the value of the service paid and the value of the service actually used" .

AMT – Mobility Authority and Transport reports that it has received a complaint regarding the "alleged lack of quality of service provided by CP". The public transport authority says that "if the user of the complaint is not properly informed of any inconvenience that could jeopardize the service, he may be entitled to a refund from the operator . "

ACOP – Consumers' Association Portugal requires CP to lower the price of tickets whenever there is a train exchange. "The CP misleads people, offers a lower quality service and is not informed, at least it should reduce the price of the trip in part or in the whole segment," says Mário Frota.

The Workers' Committee complains of the captives imposed by the Ministry of Finance : "The government does not release any money at all to buy equipment for the maintenance of trains", regrets José Reizinho

The situation, however, should not be resolved anytime soon. EMEF, the company that maintains and repairs trains, lacks staff and parts to meet the height. And the new rolling stock of the company should arrive, in the best scenarios, only from 2021.

Intercidades

These long-distance trains are made with Corail cars, pulled by an electric locomotive . They have a maximum speed of 200 km / h. It usually has bar service and wi-fi network and electrical outlets in some places.

Regional

These trips are made with UTE 2240 units, with a top speed of 120 km / h. This service links the main national stations to the urban services of Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra. There is no bar service, no network wi-fi .

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