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 stated that the underground cable — which served as a counterweight between two carriages and ultimately broke, leading to the crash — was defective and lacked certification for passenger transportation.
The cable, reportedly acquired in 2022 by Carris, the company responsible for Lisbon's public transport, had not been deemed technically suitable. Following the incident, Carris announced the dismissal of its head of maintenance for funiculars and trams.
The 140-year-old Glória funicular, a popular attraction for tourists, derailed and crashed into a building on September 3rd. Of those who perished, 11 were foreign nationals, including three British citizens, with another 20 individuals sustaining injuries in the accident.
The preliminary findings released on Monday revealed a lack of oversight from Carris engineers, with the defective cable having never been subjected to testing prior to installation.
Furthermore, the outsourced maintenance company failed to ensure proper monitoring and reportedly gave the Glória funicular an all-clear prior to the tragic event, raising questions about the validity of the safety checks performed that day.
Issues were also highlighted with the emergency brake system, which the operator tried to engage when the cable snapped but failed to work correctly and had not been tested prior to the accident.
Despite these preliminary findings, the report emphasized that the investigation is ongoing, and no assumptions on the guilt or responsibility of any individual or organization should be made at this stage. Lisbon's Mayor, Carlos Moedas, emphasized to SIC television that the report suggests the tragedy was due to technical malfunctions, not political shortcomings.
Carris released a statement indicating that it was still too early to ascertain whether the cable's defects directly contributed to the accident, referencing that the cables had been in use for over a year without prior incident.
The report also noted that the heads of the current Carris management took over in May 2022, while the acquisition of the cables occurred under the previous administration.
Among the recommendations issued are the implementation of a new safety management system aligning with European best practices. The full investigation report is projected to take around 11 months, with interim reports expected if delays occur. In light of the findings, all funiculars in Lisbon have been ordered out of service pending thorough safety checks.
Recommendations include a review of braking systems to ensure they are capable of halting vehicles in the event of a cable failure, a situation that went unchecked in the Glória accident. Additionally, there is a call to address legislative gaps that exempt Lisbon’s historic funiculars from the oversight required for other cable-driven transport systems.
