Report says snapped cable between cabins was substandard and city’s other funiculars should fix risk before reopening
The funicular that crashed in Lisbon killing 16 people in early September had a faulty cable, the official inquiry said on Monday as it recommended the city’s vehicles stay out of service until their safety can be confirmed.
The accident, which saw the picture-postcard 19th-century Elevador da Glória hurtle into a building after careering off the rails, shocked the Portuguese capital and laid bare fears over the safety of the popular yet ageing tourist attraction.
Portugal’s air and rail accident investigations bureau (GPIAAF) wrote in a note published three days after the tragedy that a cable linking two cabins disconnected shortly before the 3 September incident.
The GPIAAF’s preliminary report, released on Monday, said the cable was not up to the standards laid out by the city’s transport operator, CCFL.
