The Campanhã Railway Station () is a 19th-century railway station in the civil parish of Campanhã, in the municipality of Porto, district of Porto. Opened in 1877, it is connected to the Metro do Porto, and provides access to local commuter trains to Aveiro, Braga, Guimarães and Marco de Canaveses, Intercity and Alfa Pendular trains to Lisbon, inter-regional trains to Valença (which then provide access to Vigo), and the historical train to Pocinho.
History
The first plan for a station was presented in 1860, to be built in Esteiro de Campanhã and that connected the Douro line to Minho, through an extension that follows the Campanhã valley to the branches along the Rio Tinto. Initially designated, the Estação de caminho de ferro do Pinheiro (Pinheiro Railway Station), the station at Campanhã was designated for lands occupied by the estates of Quinta do Pinheiro and Quintas do Valado.
In 1872, the current layout was definitively set by Manuel Afonso Espregueira, Pedro Inácio Lopes and Alexandre Eiffel. Manuel Afonso de Espregueira, from Viana do Castelo, had a licentiate degree in mathematics from the University of Coimbra, and completed courses in infantry and general staff at the Escola do Exército (Military School). Later he attended the École Imperiale des Ponts et Chaussées, in Paris, where he was one of the better students and colleague of other important people, such as Sadi Carnot (later President of the French Republic. In 1880, he abandoned the army and entered the public service (specifically the Ministry of Public Works) where he held various positions and was part of several projects (such as artificial port of Leixões, improvements to the Barra do Porto and Figueira da Foz, among others). He was a director of the first Divisão Hidráulica do Reino (Hydraulic Division of the Kingdom) that was responsible for ports and inlets along the area north of the Mondego, except Aveiro.
Between 1872 and 1885, Manuel Afonso de Espregueira, was director general for the Companhia Real dos Caminhos-de-ferro (Royal Railway Company), but in 1874, he was responsible for the elaboration of the general plan, that included all the lines that crossed the Douro and Norte region.
By 1875, the first trains began to run along the northern Douro, between Pinheiro-Campanhã and Braga. On 28 April, they began work on the "Eiffel Bridge", projected by Seyrig from the Eiffel School of Paris.
An accord was established between the government and the Royal on 15 September 1875, to begin the construction of the railway station. On 4 November 1877, following diverse vicissitudes during the construction, the inauguration, along with that of the Bridge D. Maria Pia was celebrated, with the presence of King D. Luís and Queen D. Maria Pia. The first train arrived the railway station from São Bento in 1896.
In 1923, Cottinelli Telmo in partnership with Luís da Cunha, authored the first project plan to construct a dormitory for railway personnel, but was never executed. A second version, which was submitted in 1925, was approved. Between 1943 and 1945, Cottinelli Telmo expanded the construction by building a warehouse for foodstuffs.
By decree 104/97, the management of the railways was entrusted to a new company, the Rede Ferroviária Nacional (National Railway) in 1997.
Commemorations celebrating the Portuguese railway system's 150 years were celebrated at Campanhã in 2006.
Architecture
The station is situated in an isolated space, implanted on level terrain, on the eastern end of the city of Porto, along the right margin of the Douro River. The principal facade is exposed to the Largo da Estação towards the urban centre of Campanhã, and its rear towards the railway lines and departure platforms. In actuality it is a central station to the city.
The station includes, not only the passenger terminal, but also some support buildings, with sanitary installations, covered wharfs and carriage house. The main building has a rectangular plan, that comprises five bodies, that occupy a linear tract. The rectangular, two-story, central corp is slightly extended from the main body, and flanked by the lateral, single-story wings, that extend to another two lateral sections. The facades are plastered and painted in white, along with the frames and bunting, while the pilasters, decorative friezes and cornices are in granite.