The Costa da Caparica beach train can circulate again next year, until then it is inspiration for a cultural space. There are 26 artists who give a new life to the carriages, in an exhibition that brings together memory, art and the community.
For 60 years, the transpraia train turned on the beaches of Costa da Caparica. Stopped in 2019, but after the French investor Gregory Bernard buy the train, there is hope that it will circulate again by 2026
“What inspired me was Caparica. I fell in love with Caparica. I arrived almost nine years ago and fell in love with Caparica. I helped me a lot to change my lifestyle, so I wanted to return to Caparica and save the train. That’s why I got involved in Transpraia,” Gregory Bernard, owner of Transpraia and Artist
The association “Friends of Transpraia” leads the train revitalization project. Until I can circulate again in the carris, it is now home to art and living in an exhibition that brings together more than 20 artists. For local artists, such as João Miguel, participating in this initiative has a special meaning.
“It is great to be able to participate in this exhibition because I live here in Costa da Caparica. (…) Transpraia refers to me to nostalgia, and I often make references in my work to things that bring me this nostalgia, let’s hope it is not just nostalgia and that it is a future.”
According to the association, more than 1200 people have already undergone the exhibition. Admission is free and the revenues of artwork sales reverse to support the reactivation of the train.
