Lisbon, Sept 7 (LaPresse) – The preliminary technical report from Portugal’s government office for investigations into air and rail accidents (GPIAAF) regarding Wednesday’s incident in Lisbon has been released. The ‘Elevador da Gloria’ funicular, which connects the upper and lower parts of the city, derailed and crashed into a building.
The report, originally expected on Friday, confirms that the accident was caused by the breaking of the cable linking cabin 1 (the descending cabin), which was responsible for securing the vehicle—a part known as the ‘trambolho.’
According to local media, the incident unfolded over 50 seconds, during which the brake operator did everything possible to stop the cabin descending from Bairro Alto, activating both pneumatic and manual brakes. However, neither succeeded in stopping the uncontrolled descent of the vehicle.
“The brakes do not have sufficient capacity to immobilize moving cabins unless they are mutually balanced by the connecting cable,” reads an excerpt of the document published by Portuguese media.