Last summer there were problems between the one-day river cruise operators and the train operators, who criticised CP for poor service and moved over to a bus service as a way of ferrying their boat passengers up and down the valley.

Today, CP and boat operators Barcadouro, Rota do Douro and Tomaz do Douro signed an agreement to ensure there would be an exclusive train for river cruise passengers during the high season.

The exclusive train will be able to carry between 200 and 600 passengers and will not affect the scheduled services, which will be maintained.