Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 21, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
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The Lisbon rail crash was linked to an uncertified cable, with maintenance flaws also highlighted. GPIAAF's final report is due next September.
By Sergio Goncalves
LISBON (Reuters) -The cable that snapped and caused a Lisbon funicular railcar to hurtle down a hill in September, killing 16 people, was not certified for use in passenger transport, according to a preliminary report that also pointed to maintenance flaws.
Portugal's Office for Air and Rail Accident Investigations (GPIAAF) said in the report late on Monday it was still impossible to say whether the use of an inadequate cable had caused the crash, as other factors were also at play.
GPIAAF's final report is due by next September.
The yellow tram-like carriage, which carries people up and down a steep hillside in the Portuguese capital, hit a building after leaving the track on September 3.
Gloria, which opened in 1885, is one of three old funiculars operated by the municipal public transport company Carris, which suspended their use after the incident. The line carried around 3 million tourists and locals a year.
GPIAAF said the maintenance procedures, designed by Carris, have not been updated for many years and "the use of cables that did not comply with the specifications and usage restrictions was due to several accumulated failures in the process of acquiring, accepting, and using them by Carris".
Carris' internal control mechanisms "were not sufficient or adequate to prevent and detect such failures."
Carris has outsourced maintenance of the elevator since 2007 and the GPIAAF also identified deficiencies in this area.
"There is evidence that maintenance tasks recorded as completed do not always correspond to the tasks actually performed," it said.
Carris said in a statement "it is not possible at this stage to say whether the nonconformities in the use of the cable are relevant to the accident or not."
(Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; Editing by Andrei Khalip)
A funicular is a type of cable railway system that operates on a steep slope, using two cars that counterbalance each other on a track.
Maintenance in transportation refers to the regular upkeep and repair of vehicles and infrastructure to ensure safety and efficiency in operations.
A preliminary report is an initial document that outlines the findings of an investigation or study, often subject to further review and finalization.
Certification in transportation involves verifying that equipment, vehicles, or systems meet specific safety and operational standards before they can be used.
Maintenance flaws are deficiencies or errors in the upkeep of equipment or infrastructure that can lead to safety hazards or operational failures.
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