The Announcement at Lisboa Oriente
You are at Lisboa Oriente station at 14:05. Your ticket is for the Intercidades at 14:15 to Porto-Campanhã, where a friend will meet you at 17:30. You hear this announcement: «Atenção, passageiros: o Intercidades das 14h15 com destino ao Porto-Campanhã parte com 25 minutos de atraso e sai da linha 4, e não da linha 2. Os passageiros do Alfa Pendular das 14h30 devem dirigir-se ao balcão 3 para informações.» You do not have an Alfa Pendular ticket. The journey takes about 2 hours and 50 minutes.
1. Where and at what time do you board? Show the calculation.
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Answer: Line 4, at 14:40.
Why: The announcement gives two changes for your train: delay of 25 minutes and a platform change. 14:15 + 25 minutes = 14:40. «sai da linha 4, e não da linha 2» means the old platform is cancelled - the «e não» is the key word. Going to line 2 would make you miss the train.
2. Do you need to go to balcão 3?
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Answer: No.
Why: The instruction about balcão 3 is addressed to «Os passageiros do Alfa Pendular das 14h30». You have an Intercidades ticket. A listening trap at A2 is hearing a counter number or a platform and following it without checking who the message is for.
3. Will you still meet your friend at 17:30? Explain.
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Answer: Yes, but exactly at 17:30, with no margin.
Why: New departure 14:40 + 2h50 journey = 17:30 arrival. The delay is absorbed because you now leave later and arrive exactly at the planned time.
Practical conclusion: the plan still works, but if the train loses even ten more minutes you will be late, so it is sensible to send your friend a short message now saying the train is delayed.