The Portuguese parliament has officially backed a resolution to reopen the Corgo Line, a narrow-gauge railway in the northeast region of the country that has remained shuttered for over a decade. While the legislative measure does not mandate immediate government action, it serves as a significant political endorsement for the restoration of the route, which once linked Chaves with the main broad-gauge Douro line at Régua. The decision follows a public petition initiated in 2024 that gained enough momentum to reach parliamentary debate.

According to Railway Gazette, the line faces a long history of dormancy and failed rehabilitation attempts. Although the 70 km segment between Vila Real and Chaves was abandoned in 1990, the remaining 26 km track between Vila Real and Régua continued to operate until 2009. Plans to modernize the line were set in motion with a €23.4m budget, but the national financial crisis of 2010 forced authorities to halt all work. By 2012, the government had moved to formally close several regional routes as part of broader austerity measures. However, the national railway plan approved in 2025 has reinvigorated the discussion, highlighting the line’s dual utility as a local transit corridor and a vital asset for regional tourism.