2025 Ascensor da Glória derailment

Ascensor da Glória derailment
Immediate aftermath of the derailment, as seen from Restauradores Square, with dark yellow derailed car toppled into building on right.
Details
Date3 September 2025 (2025-09-03)
18:04 WEST
LocationLisbon, Portugal
Coordinates38°42′57.6″N 9°8′34.8″W / 38.716000°N 9.143000°W / 38.716000; -9.143000
LineAscensor da Glória
Incident typeDerailment
CauseBroken cable due to fatigue (suspected)
Statistics
Passengersc. 40+ (maximal capacity: 43, 42 passengers and one conductor)
Pedestrians1 reported to have been hit by derailed car
Deaths16[1][2]
Injured23
DamageBuilding damaged, car no. 1 wrecked
Route map

At 18:04 (WEST) on 3 September 2025, a car of Ascensor da Glória, a funicular connecting Bairro Alto and Restauradores Square in Lisbon, Portugal, derailed and crashed, resulting in 16 deaths[1][2] and 23 injuries. The funicular was popular with tourists, and most of the casualties were foreign nationals. The car at the top of the hill sped uncontrollably downhill before derailing and hitting a building near the bottom.

A national day of mourning was declared following the accident. An investigation into the incident was launched by the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Accidents in Civil Aviation and Rail (GPIAAF) and Carris, Lisbon's public transport operator. An initial report by GPIAAF, issued on 6 September, stated that the cable connecting the two cabins of the Glória elevator had broken at its attachment point to the top car.[3][4] This accident is the most serious in the Portuguese capital since 1963, when the upper structure of the Cais do Sodré railway station collapsed.

Background

The Ascensor da Glória is one of three street-running funicular routes operating in Lisbon. With a capacity of 42 passengers on each car,[5] it serves the route between Bairro Alto and Restauradores Square.[6][7] The two cars, which are attached by a haulage cable, use on-board electric motors to provide propulsion.[8] The route spans about 265 metres (870 ft) at a slope of 17.7% (10.0°). It was designated as a national monument in 2002 and is a popular mode of transport for tourists and locals.[9]

The maintenance of Lisbon's funiculars had been outsourced since 2011. The last public tender for maintenance was opened in 2022, to which four companies applied, after which Carris signed a contract with MAIN – Maintenance Engineering,[10] worth €1 million, covering the Glória, Bica, and Lavra funiculars, as well as the Santa Justa Lift. According to the Carris workers' union, the company's employees had repeatedly reported poor maintenance work by MAIN.[11]

The Ascensor da Glória was last placed under general maintenance, which is held every four years, in 2022. Its most recent immediate maintenance, held every two years, was conducted between 26 August and 30 September 2024.[12][13] A routine daily visual inspection was carried out nine hours before the derailment.[14]

A few hours after the 2025 disaster, Carris CEO Pedro de Brito Bogas (in office since May 2022)[15][16] stated to the press that "the maintenance protocol was scrupulously followed" by MAIN and that it included monthly, weekly and daily inspections.[10][17]

An earlier incident had occurred in May 2018, when one of the cars derailed due to a lack of maintenance of its wheels, though the name of the outsourced contractor supplying maintenance at that time is not mentioned in the press.[18] No one was injured.[19]

Derailment

The funicular derailment occurred at 18:04 (WEST),[20] at the start of the evening rush hour.[7] Car 1,[21] at the time descending from the upper part of the slope, crashed into a building and was destroyed.[22] The other carriage, Car 2, was ascending from the bottom of the slope. According to witnesses, Car 2 initially jolted and struck the pavement at the time of the incident. As bystanders attempted to release passengers from this now stationary carriage,[21] Car 1 began travelling uncontrollably down the slope before hitting a building[23] at a bend[24] along Calçada da Glória close to Avenida da Liberdade, near the bottom of the line.[25][26] One person on the sidewalk was reported to have been hit by the carriage as it toppled.[27] The investigating agency confirmed that the entire sequence occurred in "less than 50 seconds".[20]

Footage on national and social media showed the damaged vehicle lying on its side after the crash.[7] According to Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, citing local authorities, the car was carrying more than 40 people at the time of the crash.[28] Portuguese newspaper Observador and the Lisbon fire department initially said a loose cable had caused the vehicle to become uncontrollable and crash into the building.[29][30]

Following the crash, 62 rescue personnel and 22 emergency vehicles attended the scene.[31] Video footage of the aftermath of the crash, posted shortly afterwards, showed bystanders running to assist victims.[32]

Victims

Casualties by citizenship[33]
Citizenship Dead Injured Total
 Portugal 5 5 10
 United Kingdom 3 – 3
 Canada 2 1 3
 South Korea 2 1 3
 France 1 1 2
  Switzerland 1 1 2
 United States 1 1 2
 Ukraine 1 1 2
 Germany – 3 3
 Brazil – 2 2
 Spain – 2 2
 Australia – 1 1
 Cape Verde – 1 1
 Israel – 1 1
 Italy – 1 1
 Morocco – 1 1
Total 16 23 39

The crash killed 16 people[1][2] and injured 23 others,[27] including five who were in critical condition.[6][34][35] Seven injured were taken to São José Hospital while the rest were treated at the Hospital de Santa Maria and Hospital de São Francisco Xavier.[36]

The fatalities were identified as five Portuguese and 11 of other nationalities; all were adults.[14][37] The Portuguese deaths were brakeman André Marques and four staff members of charitable organization Santa Casa da Misericórdia, which has its headquarters on the hill where the funicular operates.[14] The other fatalities were three Britons, two South Koreans, two Canadians, an American, a Ukrainian, a Swiss national, and a French national.[38]

Among the injured, five were Portuguese while the other 18 were foreigners.[27][31][39] A three-year-old child was among the injured.[40]

Investigation

Portugal's Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Accidents in Civil Aviation and Rail (GPIAAF) said it would launch an investigation into the crash.[34] Carris said that apart from the maintenance work in 2024, regular monthly and weekly checks had been done and that it would open its own investigation. It also said it was "very sorry about what happened".[41]

A preliminary report by the GPIAAF indicated that, after travelling only about 6 m (20 ft), the connecting cable between the two cabins failed at its attachment point to the upper car.[42][3][43] Investigators determined that the vehicle's speed could not be reduced despite the pneumatic and hand brakes being applied immediately by the brakeman once they lost the balancing force of the cable.[42] The report noted that, while a visual inspection of the scheduled cable was performed on the morning of the accident and did not show any issues, it was not possible to see the specific failure point without taking apart the cable. It also reported that the cable section was approximately 337 days into its expected 600-day service period at the time of the failure.[42][4][20]

The GPIAAF released the initial results of its inquiry on 20 October 2025. It found that the cable involved in the derailment "did not comply with the specifications in force at the CCFL [Lisbon’s transport operator] to be used for the Gloria tram" and that no testing or oversight by Carris was done on the cable prior to its installment. It added that while activation of the braking system failed to stop the derailment. The GPIAAF recommended that Lisbon's funiculars remain closed until they could be declared fully safe, adding that it was necessary to determine whether braking systems in the funicular cars were "capable of immobilising the cabins in the event of a cable break".[44][45] Five instances when the maintenance program referred to "non-existent, inapplicable or outdated standards" were also noted.[46]

  • Cable broken during the derailment. Bottom left: cross section. Right: unbroken cable inserted into the trambolho.
  • Diagram of the main brake. The brake pads are gripping the Z-profile in the ground.
  • A brake shoe of the manual brake is visible to the right of the wheel.

Response

Following the derailment, the Lisbon municipal council formed a technical team of Carris engineers, university experts, Ordem dos Engenheiros and the National Civil Engineering Laboratory (LNEC) to establish a new device for safety and evaluate when the funiculator may safely resume its service.

All funicular services in the city were suspended by the Lisbon Municipal Chamber which also directed an immediate inspection of all other trams and funiculars.[24] The Polícia Judiciária announced the creation of a telephone line and an email to be used by families and close friends of the victims as well as official entities for information about the incident.[47] Debris from the crash site was cleared from 4 to 5 September.[48]

A national day of mourning was observed in Portugal on 4 September while Lisbon observed three days of municipal mourning.[28] A Mass in memory of the victims was held at the nearby Igreja de São Domingos in Lisbon on the afternoon of 4 September, and was attended by Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, prime minister Luís Montenegro and Lisbon mayor Carlos Moedas.[14] Another memorial was held at the Igreja de São Roque in Lisbon on 5 September.[49] The European Parliament flew flags at half mast. President Rebelo de Sousa, the European Commission, and Spain made statements in response to the accident.[50]

The Lisbon City Council assembled a team of Carris technicians and experts from universities, Order of Engineers, and the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering to develop new safety mechanisms and determine if and when the railway is safe to reopen.[51]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Primeiro-ministro diz que estão confirmados 16 mortos e cinco feridos em estado crítico". Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (in Portuguese). 4 September 2025. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Death toll stands at 16, prime minister says". BBC News. 4 September 2025. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b Carrapatoso, Miguel Santos (6 September 2025). "Relatório aponta possível causa do acidente: cabo do elevador cedeu no ponto de fixação". Observador. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  4. ^ a b Roberts, Alison; Astier, Henri. "Cable snapped before Lisbon funicular crash, investigators say". BBC. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
  5. ^ Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa. "Ascensor da Glória". Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  6. ^ a b Atkinson, Emily; Cursino, Malu; Jackson, Patrick (3 September 2025). "What we know about fatal Lisbon funicular derailment". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "At least 15 killed after Lisbon's iconic Gloria funicular derails". Sky News. 3 September 2025. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  8. ^ Ross, Alex; Whittaker, Rebecca (3 September 2025). "Death toll rises to 15 with many more injured after Lisbon's Gloria funicular derails: Latest updates". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  9. ^ "Descarrilamento do elevador da Glória faz 15 mortos e 18 feridos em Lisboa" [Elevator derailment kills 15 and injures 18 in Lisbon]. Radio France Internationale (in Portuguese). 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Maintenance of derailed tram is ensured "scrupulously"". Portugal Pulse. 3 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025. president of Carris stated that the maintenance... has been undertaken by an external company, Main Energy, for 14 years, and an investigation is underway to determine if a maintenance issue was involved. "The maintenance protocol was scrupulously followed," stated Brito Bogas, emphasizing that the last major maintenance of the Elevador da Glória occurred in 2022, with general maintenance scheduled every four years. The plan also includes weekly, monthly, and daily inspections, all of which were performed.
  11. ^ Martins, Ruben (3 September 2025). "Elevador da Glória: cabo de segurança partiu e originou acidente que provocou mortes". Público (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  12. ^ Moura dos Santos, António; Costa, Cátia Andrea (3 September 2025). "Em direto/ Elevador da Glória em Lisboa descarrilou após cabo partir-se. PSP confirma que há mortos e Marcelo quer que acidente "seja rapidamente esclarecido"". Observador (in European Portuguese). Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  13. ^ "Portugal holds day of mourning for 17 people killed in Lisbon funicular crash". France 24. 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  14. ^ a b c d "Most of those killed in Lisbon streetcar derailment were foreigners, police say". AP News. 5 September 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  15. ^ "Câmara de Lisboa aprova Pedro Bogas como presidente da Carris para mandato 2021-2025" [Lisbon City Council approves Pedro Bogas for CEO of Carris for the 2021–2025 term]. Observador (in Portuguese). 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 16 December 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  16. ^ Relatório de Governo Societário 2022 [Corporate Governance Report 2022] (PDF) (Report) (in Portuguese). Lisbon, Portugal: Carris. 13 March 2023. p. 19. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  17. ^ "Carris assegura que foram "respeitados todos os protocolos de manutenção" do elevador da Glória" [Carris assures that "all maintenance protocols were followed" for the Glória funicular]. ECO (in Portuguese). 3 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  18. ^ Cipriano, Carlos (17 May 2018). "O elevador da Glória descarrilou e ninguém disse nada" [The Gloria elevator derailed and no one said anything]. Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  19. ^ Newman, Peter (4 September 2025). "Tragedy has struck Lisbon's funicular railway. A transport expert explains how these old-fashioned trains work". The Conversation. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  20. ^ a b c "Information notice: Opening of safety investigation" (PDF). Lisbon: Gabinete de Prevenção e Investigação de Acidentes com Aeronaves e de Acidentes Ferroviários. 6 September 2025. pp. 3–5. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  21. ^ a b Hennell, Phoebe (4 September 2025). "Overtourism blamed for funicular crash that killed 16 in Lisbon". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  22. ^ "Descarrilamento do elevador da Glória fez 15 mortos e 18 feridos. Governo decreta luto nacional" [The Glória elevator derailment killed 15 people and injured 18. The government declared national mourning.]. Contacto (in Portuguese). 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  23. ^ Whittaker, Rebecca. "Passengers on Lisbon's Gloria funicular 'screamed with fear', say horrified witnesses to crash". The Independent. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  24. ^ a b "Famed streetcar in Lisbon, Portugal, derails and crashes, killing 15 people". AP News. 4 September 2025. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  25. ^ Roberts, Alison; Rawnsley, Jessica (4 September 2025). "Lisbon in shock after funicular crash leaves 15 dead". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  26. ^ "Lisbon's Gloria funicular derails: What we know about the cause and victims". Al Jazeera. 4 September 2025. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  27. ^ a b c "What to know about the streetcar derailment in Lisbon". AP News. 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  28. ^ a b Moreira Santos, Inês; Alexandre Amaral, Paulo (3 September 2025). "15 mortos. PSP confirma balanço trágico do acidente com Elevador da Glória" [15 dead. PSP confirms tragic toll of Glória Elevator accident]. Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  29. ^ Atkinson, Emily; Lowen, Mark (3 September 2025). "At least fifteen dead after Lisbon's historic funicular derails". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  30. ^ "Portugal holds day of mourning after Lisbon funicular accident kills 17". Al Jazeera. 4 September 2025. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  31. ^ a b "Lisbon's Gloria funicular derails: What we know about cause and victims". Al Jazeera. 4 September 2025. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  32. ^ Moench, Mallory (4 September 2025). "'Out of control': Witnesses describe fatal Lisbon funicular crash". BBC News. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  33. ^ "PJ confirma nacionalidades das 16 vítimas mortais do Elevador da Glória". Notícias ao Minuto (in Portuguese). 5 September 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  34. ^ a b "15 mortos em descarrilamento no Elevador da Glória. 18 feridos: 5 em estado grave, 13 ligeiros (incluindo uma criança de 3 anos). Decretado luto nacional". CNN Portugal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  35. ^ "At least 15 killed in a streetcar derailment in Lisbon". France 24. 3 September 2025. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  36. ^ "15 mortos em descarrilamento no Elevador da Glória. 18 feridos: 5 em estado grave, 13 ligeiros (incluindo uma criança). "É uma tragédia"" [15 dead in Glória Elevator derailment. 18 injured: 5 seriously, 13 slightly (including a child). "It's a tragedy."]. CNN Portugal (in Portuguese). 3 September 2025. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  37. ^ "Nota fúnebre". Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa. 4 September 2025. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  38. ^ "Lisbon funicular worker among those killed in crash". BBC. 5 September 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  39. ^ Gateno, Daniel (4 September 2025). "Acidente em Lisboa: brasileiro tem ferimentos leves em descarrilamento do Elevador da Glória". O Estado de S. Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  40. ^ Hatton, Barry; Naishadham, Suman (4 September 2025). "Portuguese investigators search for cause of Lisbon streetcar crash that killed 16". AP News. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  41. ^ "'We are very sorry about what happened... we need to get to the bottom of it', says tramways company head". BBC.
  42. ^ a b c Badshah, Nadeem (6 September 2025). "Lisbon funicular cable snapped before deadly crash, report finds". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  43. ^ "Report on deadly Portugal streetcar derailment describes failure of cable connecting cabins". AP News. 7 September 2025.
  44. ^ "Inquiry recommends Lisbon funicular trams stay closed after September crash". Al Jazeera. 21 October 2025.
  45. ^ "Lisbon funicular crash initial report reveals litany of failings". BBC. 21 October 2025.
  46. ^ "Cable failure and maintenance flaws contributed to Portugal streetcar crash, investigation says". AP News. 21 October 2025.
  47. ^ "Em direto/ Acidente com Elevador da Glória faz 17 mortos e pelo menos 21 feridos. Primeira vítima mortal identificada é o guarda-freio do elevador". Observador (in European Portuguese). 4 September 2025. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  48. ^ "11 foreigners killed in Portugal funicular crash". France 24. 6 September 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  49. ^ Naishadham, Suman; Hernan, Munoz (6 September 2025). "Portuguese victims of streetcar crash mourned by colleagues, friends and local residents". AP News. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  50. ^ Atkinson, Emily; Cursino, Malu; Jackson, Patrick (4 September 2025). "Lisbon Glória funicular: What we know about deadly crash". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  51. ^ "Lisbon to design new mechanism ensuring funicular safety after crash". Reuters. 8 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  • Media related to 2025 Elevador da Glória derailment at Wikimedia Commons
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.