The branch was built in 1884 by Dauderni & Duparchy to transport stone for the construction of the
Port of Leixões from the São Gens quarries, in
Custoias, near
Senhora da Hora. It measured about in length and was originally built in a gauge, crossing the
Porto à Póvoa line in Senhora da Hora at a right angle. The original junction was later replaced in 1898 with a new connection facing the opposite direction, which allowed more direct service between and Leixões. Following a government order in 1891 and an agreement in 1892 with Duparchy & Bartissol, the port works contractors at the time, the began leasing the branch. On 28 March 1895, the Leixões port, its works, quarries, and railway passed to state ownership and administration, though the leasing of the Matosinhos branch continued. That same year, on 30 July, a passenger station and two auxiliary stations at the port of Leixões were inaugurated, establishing a connection with maritime cargo and passenger services. However, in 1933, the company faced financial challenges and its board was suspended by the Portuguese state and replaced by an administrative commission. During this period, there was a proposed plan to add a second track to the Matosinhos branch, but this did not follow through. Around the 1940s, the expansion of the Port of Leixões led to the demolition of the railway bridge over the Leça River, shortening the railway line. Furthermore, a section between and the seaside in Matosinhos was converted into a walking path. It intersected diagonally the
grid plan of
Matosinhos and consequently was named Broadway, in reference to the original
Broadway in
New York City. ==See also==