A preliminary investigation by Portugal’s National Office for Prevention and Investigation of Accidents in Civil Aviation and Rail (GPIAAF) has revealed that a critical steel cable failure precipitated the tragic derailment of Lisbon’s historic Ascensor da Glória on September 3, causing 16 fatalities and injuring dozens more.
At approximately 18:05 local time, the funicular—which faithfully transports passengers up and down Lisbon’s steep 265-meter incline connecting Bairro Alto with Restauradores Square—commenced its evening journey under routine operation. The two iconic yellow trams, acting as counterweights via a shared haulage cable, traveled fewer than six meters when they suddenly lost the balancing force from the connecting cable, causing one cabin to reverse slightly and stall, while the other accelerated uncontrollably down the slope. Despite the brake operator’s immediate attempts to deploy both pneumatic and manual brakes, the tram careened off the track. It crashed into a building, unleashing devastation within a matter of seconds.
GPIAAF’s initial report pinpoints the rupture occurring at the cable’s attachment point to the upper car, noting that this highly stressed section had not been visually inspected earlier that morning because it was inaccessible without disassembly. Notably, maintenance records indicate the cable was within its expected lifespan—337 out of its anticipated 600 operational days—and that daily inspections only hours before the disaster did not reveal any anomalies.
The iconic funicular, operating since 1885 and running continuously through generations of Lisboetas and tourists, now stands suspended, its tragic derailment marking one of the city’s most sorrowful transport disasters in memory. In the wake of the crash, Portugal declared a national day of mourning, and Lisbon extended it to three days. Memorial services were held at churches in the heart of the city, with high-ranking officials, including the president, prime minister, and mayor, among those paying tribute.
Public reaction has been deeply emotional. Many residents lament the loss not only of lives—including foreign visitors from several nations—but also of a centuries-old symbol of daily Lisbon life, now starkly reminding the city of aging infrastructure risks amid mass tourism pressures.
Although GPIAAF has prepared a comprehensive and latest report, this tragedy has already triggered urgent calls for improving maintenance supervision, modernizing safety protocols, and enhancing transparency among transport operators and regulatory agencies. The investigation is still ongoing. Carris (Lisbon’s transport operator) and judicial authorities are carefully reviewing past maintenance records, liability agreements, and structural evaluations to prevent such disasters from happening again.
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