Almost 30 years after its closure, the old Outiz station in Vila Nova de Famalicão is once again a
‘mandatory stop-off point’, but now for visitors to the Famalicão-Póvoa de Varzim Cycle-Pedestrian Route, which has given new life to the 27 kilometres of the old railway line that connected the two cities.
The mayor of Famalicão, Mário Passos, said as much this weekend when he attended the inauguration of the renovated building, which Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) granted to the municipality with the aim of rehabilitating it and installing, together with the Parish Council, a cycle path support facility with a bar and bicycle maintenance area.
‘An excellent place to socialise with friends or to regain strength after a walk, a run or a good bike ride,’ said the mayor, who pointed to the work carried out as ‘a good example of heritage preservation’.
‘It's a support facility available to all those who enjoy the Via Cycle-Pedestrian, but above all it's a beautiful meeting point for our leisure time,’ he added.
It should be remembered that the work on the old Outiz station, which received municipal support of 63,000 euros, followed the construction of the Famalicão-Póvoa de Varzim Cycle Path, which was inaugurated in July 2021 with a total cost of 4.3 million euros and ERDF co-financing under the North 2020 Operational Programme of 3.6 million. An infrastructure offers excellent conditions for sustainable mobility, but also for sports or simply leisure activities. A path has replaced the old train route, which closed in 1995, where people can enjoy the river, trees, fields, walkways, vegetable gardens and animals on foot or by bicycle.