The electrified, mostly single-track, iberian gauge (1,668 m) line runs parallel to the Mondego River.[2]
It is the main railway access from Portugal to the rest of Europe.[1] It was constructed by Companhia dos Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses da Beira Alta to open a new international link, closer to Coimbra, and to connect the line to the Port of Figueira da Foz. It was opened on 3 August 1882.[3] During the modernisation and electrification in the 1980s and 90s the signalling and tracks were replaced.[1]