A preliminary report into last month's funicular crash in Lisbon that killed 16 people has detailed a litany of failings. Portugal's Air and Rail Accident Investigations Bureau said an underground cable - which acted as a counterweight between two carriages and broke, causing the crash - was defective and had never been certified for passenger transportation. It said the cable was not technically suitable and was acquired in 2022 by Carris, the company running Lisbon's public transport that now says it has dismissed its head of maintenance of funiculars and trams.
The 140-year-old Glória funicular, popular with tourists, derailed and crashed into a building on September 3. Among those killed were 11 foreigners, including three British nationals, while another 20 people were injured. The preliminary report, released on Monday, indicated that no oversight was provided by Carris engineers and that the cable was not tested before installation.
The supervision and maintenance of the funicular by an outsourced company also faced criticism for failing to perform adequate checks on the day of the disaster. Despite the driver attempting to activate the emergency brake system when the cable snapped, it failed to operate correctly and was never tested prior to the incident.
Lisbon’s Mayor, Carlos Moedas, stated that the report indicates the tragic event was due to technical issues rather than political failings. Carris has emphasized that it is too early to determine whether the use of improper cables directly caused the accident, as previous incidents had occurred without issues.
Ongoing concerns regarding safety prompted calls for immediate reviews of the braking systems on all Lisbon cable cars and a recommendation to bring the historic funiculars under tighter legal and supervisory oversight. This report is a prelude to a more comprehensive inquiry expected to take about 11 months, with an interim report possibly released sooner, while measures are taken to prevent further incidents.
The 140-year-old Glória funicular, popular with tourists, derailed and crashed into a building on September 3. Among those killed were 11 foreigners, including three British nationals, while another 20 people were injured. The preliminary report, released on Monday, indicated that no oversight was provided by Carris engineers and that the cable was not tested before installation.
The supervision and maintenance of the funicular by an outsourced company also faced criticism for failing to perform adequate checks on the day of the disaster. Despite the driver attempting to activate the emergency brake system when the cable snapped, it failed to operate correctly and was never tested prior to the incident.
Lisbon’s Mayor, Carlos Moedas, stated that the report indicates the tragic event was due to technical issues rather than political failings. Carris has emphasized that it is too early to determine whether the use of improper cables directly caused the accident, as previous incidents had occurred without issues.
Ongoing concerns regarding safety prompted calls for immediate reviews of the braking systems on all Lisbon cable cars and a recommendation to bring the historic funiculars under tighter legal and supervisory oversight. This report is a prelude to a more comprehensive inquiry expected to take about 11 months, with an interim report possibly released sooner, while measures are taken to prevent further incidents.
