The new service hasn't got off to an auspicious start. Delays of several minutes have been noted, especially for trains waiting to connect with those coming down from Lisbon whuch are routinely 15 - 30 minutes behind schedule. But that was always the case. The 4 to 5 hour late morning gap between trains at smaller stations has also attracted adverse comment.

With the Algarve line being a single track with passing places, any delay can soon snowball into multiple problems.

Having said that, the electric trains have 100 more seats than the diesel trains they replaced. They are also quicker. At most stations, there are no steps up into the train. Boarding is more or less level. I am not sure yet about space for wheelchairs, bikes etc, but yesterday I noticed that there was a large space at the back of the train heading eastbound towards Faro. If all the trains are the same way around, that should make things easy. The space would be at the from going westbound, towards Lagos.

The train I saw yesterday was in need of a repaint. They haven't been smothered with graffiti yet, but that won't be long.

The new timetable can be seen and downloaded at https://www.cp.pt/info/documents/d/cp/comboios-regionais-vila-real-s-antonio-lagos-19-julho-2026

There are still very long intervals betwen trains at certain times of the day, particularly at the small stations west of Faro, but overall the service will be better. Most trains are now shown as through trains either side of Faro, so there will be quicker journeys and more often between Albufeira and Tavira for example.