Before the railway was built,
diligences were used to go to the Portuguese capital of
Lisbon. From 1894 these went to Poceirão in the
Palmela municipality, from where the train was taken to
Barreiro on the River
Tagus for the ferry crossing to the capital. The diligence was still in service in 1911 but was eventually replaced by a bus. The Santiago do Cacém Railway Station was completed in May 1933. At the time it was located about 300 metres away from the town, which has since expanded. Operations began on 21 June 1934 when the line was connected from
Ermidas-Sado, which was on the line connecting the Portuguese capital
Lisbon to the
Algarve. Santiago do Cacém was to be on the branch line that would connect Lisbon with the port of
Sines, which was completed on 14 September 1936. There was an elaborate opening ceremony for the new section of line and the Santiago do Cacém station. Many representatives of the
Companhia dos Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses (Portuguese Railways Company), including the director and the chairman of the board, travelled from Lisbon for the event, together with the Minister of Public Works and his chief of staff. Other dignitaries joined when the train reached
Setúbal. When they reached Santiago do Cacém they were met by a large number of local people, together with a band.
Rockets were fired in celebration. ==References==