Lisbon, Oct. 21, 2025 (Lusa) - The mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, has said that the Glória funicular accident, which caused 16 deaths and around two dozen injuries, was due to technical rather than political causes.
The mayor's reaction, on monday evening, follows the preliminary report by the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft and Railway Accidents (GPIAAF), which points to maintenance and supervision failures by the public transport operator, Carris.
"Contrary to the politicisation that some engaged in during the local election campaign, this report reaffirms that the unfortunate tragedy of the Glória funicular was due to technical rather than political causes," said Carlos Moedas in a short written statement sent to the Lusa news agency.
The preliminary GPIAAF report, released on Monday and accessed by Lusa, reveals that the cable connecting the two cabins of the Glória funicular, which broke at its attachment point on the carriage that derailed, did not comply with Carris' specifications and was not certified for use in passenger transport.
"The use of cables that were in multiple ways non-compliant with the specifications and restrictions on use was due to several accumulated failures in their acquisition, acceptance and application by CCFL [Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa], whose organisational internal control mechanisms were not sufficient or adequate enough to prevent and detect such failures," the report maintains.
The investigation states that Carris, in the process of purchasing cables for the Glória funicular, sent potential suppliers cable specifications for the Santa Justa lift, which are different, failing to detect the error or explain the mistake.
According to the GPIAAF, "for a reason that Carris was unable to explain to the investigation, and for which no documentary evidence could be found in the consultation with suppliers, the specification provided by Carris's Electrical Maintenance Department (DME) for one of the cables for the Santa Justa lift was adopted for the two additional items, corresponding to the cables for the Glória and Lavra funiculars, changing only the diameter".
This public body detected faults and omissions in the maintenance of the funicular, also pointing out the lack of training of employees and supervision of the work carried out by the service provider.
The GPIAAF says, for example, that the inspections scheduled for the day of the accident "are recorded as having been carried out, although it has evidence that they were not carried out at the time indicated on the corresponding record sheet".
The preliminary report also indicates that lifts and funiculars, such as the Glória and Lavra in Lisbon, as well as Carris trams, are not supervised by the Institute for Mobility and Transport (IMT), but are only inspected by the management company itself.
The GPIAAF recommends that Carris should not reactivate the funiculars in Lisbon "without a reassessment by a specialised entity" and that the IMT should implement an appropriate regulatory framework.
The accident involving the Glória lift on 3 September caused 16 deaths and around two dozen injuries, among Portuguese and foreign nationals of various nationalities.
JGS/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
