Faulty cable caused Lisbon funicular crash, inquiry finds | Portugal
A faulty cable was found on the funicular that crashed in Lisbon in early September, killing 16 people, the official investigation said on Monday, recommending that vehicles in the city remain out of service until their safety can be confirmed.
The accident, in which the 19th-century picture postcard Elevador da Glória crashed into a building after leaving the rails, has shocked the Portuguese capital and exposed fears over the safety of the popular but aging tourist attraction.
Portugal’s air and rail accident investigation bureau (GPIAAF) wrote in a note published three days after the tragedy that the cable connecting the two cabins was disconnected shortly before the September 3 incident.
GPIAAF’s preliminary report, published on Monday, said the cable did not comply with standards set by the city’s transport operator, CCFL.
“The cable did not comply with the specifications in force in the CCFL to be used for the Glória tram,” the 35-page report said.
The city’s other funiculars have been out of service since the accident, and GPIAAF said they should remain grounded until inspectors confirm they have braking systems that “could immobilize the cabins in the event of a cable break.”
Among the dead were three British, two South Koreans, two Canadians, a Frenchman, a Swiss, an American and a Ukrainian, and 11 of the 16 victims were foreign nationals.
Around 20 people, including three Britons, were also injured in the accident.
The Portuguese victims included four staff from the same social care agency whose offices were at the top of the steep side road serviced by the funicular.
Glória first opened in 1885, using a system of counterweights to move two wagons along a 265-meter (870-foot) track up and down a steep hill.
According to GPIAAF’s note a few days after the accident, a routine inspection on the morning of the accident found nothing unusual about the broken cable.
Investigators said Glória’s driver activated the funicular brakes, but they were unable to stop the car without the help of the counterweight system.
They added that the entire incident happened in just 50 seconds.
The bureau’s final report, with security recommendations, is expected sometime next year, but an interim report could update the public on the progress of the investigation.
