Lisbon, Oct. 24, 2025 (Lusa) - The cable of the Gloria funicular in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, which did not comply with the required specifications, had been in use since 2022, according to the preliminary crash investigation report, which alters the initial information that it had been in use "for about six years".
The Expresso newspaper reported on Friday that the municipal public transport operator, Carris, "gave incorrect information to the investigation into the Glória funicular accident", analysing the information note from the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft and Railway Accidents (GPIAAF), released three days after the tragedy, and the GPIAAF's preliminary report, completed within 45 days and released on Monday.
The derailment of the Glória funicular, managed by the municipal public transport operator, Carris, occurred on the 3rd September and caused 16 deaths and two dozen injuries, among Portuguese and foreigners of various nationalities.
The GPIAAF information note stated that the type of cable used in this funicular had been in use "for about six years" but this information was clarified in the preliminary report, which indicated that this type of cable had been in use since "December 2022", adding that it did not comply with Carris' specifications and was not certified for use in passenger transport.
The date initially disclosed for the use of this type of cable pointed to 2019, which placed responsibility on the previous management of Carris, as well as the former mayor of Lisbon, Fernando Medina (PS), since the local authority is the sole shareholder of this public transport company.
In response to the Expresso news report, the current Carris management - under the leadership of Pedro de Brito Bogas, who resigned on Wednesday, a resignation that was accepted by the mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas (PSD) - clarified today that "it never provided the information referred to in the news, since at the time it was investigating the facts regarding the acquisition of the cable".
"The aforementioned data is not included in the extensive documentation that Carris sent to the GPIAAF as part of the investigation. To date, the Carris board of directors has not been questioned by the GPIAAF as part of the investigation," the municipal company said in a statement.
Lusa sought a response from the office of mayor of Lisbon Carlos Moedas (PSD), who referred the matter to Carris.
Speaking to Lusa, newly elected PS councillor Alexandra Leitão said that "providing incorrect information to the office that investigates accidents, whether deliberately or not, is very serious".
Alexandra Leitão considered that the change in dates regarding the use of this type of cable, from 2019 to 2022, is also relevant politically, emphasising that the first GPIAAF document was released before the local elections on 12 October and "had an incorrect date because, deliberately or not, Carris provided this incorrect information".
"This incorrect information, whether deliberate or not, obviously benefited, objectively, the then candidate Carlos Moedas, who used it to absolve himself of responsibility, as he has done throughout this process," said the socialist, recalling that the current and re-elected mayor of Lisbon "was very quick and very clever to, without speculating, shake the water off his coat" when the GPIAAF information note came out, attributing responsibility to the previous 2017-2021 municipal mandate, led by the PS.
SSM/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
