Lisbon funicular railway crash, more than15 people killed and more than 20 were injured in the Gloria funicular derailment in Lisbon, which led to national mourning and a complete investigation of safety failures and maintenance issues.
A funicular accident in Lisbon has really happened. Here’s what’s known so far:
What Happened?
- On September 3, 2025 at around 6:05 p.m. local time, the Elevador da Gloria (Gloria funicular railway) in Lisbon derailed, during the evening rush hour. The upper carriage went out of control and derailed down the hill crashing into a building and the lower carriage jolted but stayed on track.
- The likely cause: the derailment and crash were due to loss of control caused by a loose or snapped haulage cable.
Casualties & Impact
- Deaths: There are minor differences in the number of deaths reported:
o More than 15 deaths were reported at the beginning.
o Other sources revised this to 16 of an injured person who, however, died afterwards.
- Injuries:
o The first reports were 18 injured with five in critical status.
o Subsequent modifications increased that figure to 23.
- Some of those involved included foreigners, such as a family of Germans, the saddest thing was that one of the children (who was 3 years old) had minor injuries, the father died and the mother is in serious condition.
Response & Investigation
- The Portuguese government announced both a nationwide day of mourning on September 4, 2025 and a three days mourning day at the municipal level in Lisbon.
- An investigation has been initiated. The authorities involved are the public prosecutors office, the transport safety agencies and the funicular operator Carris, who insists that all routine maintenance and checks were done.
- Also, it is reported that there were already concerns about the functionality of brakes and cable tensions raised by workers. Carris had cancelled a tender on long-term maintenance days before the accident because bids were high and were out of their budget, forcing them to resort to short-term repairs.
- After the crash, all the other funicular lines in Lisbon were suspended to check.
Investigation & Forensics
- A criminal investigation has been officially opened by the office of the public prosecutor to find out what has happened and to preserve important evidence. Coordination involves police, the national transport safety authority and Carris (the operator).
- National Forensics and pathology teams with the assistance of other cities teams performed overnight autopsies to identify the victims and establish their causes of death.
- The Order of Engineers is offering technical and engineering assistance and contributing to the technical research of possible mechanical failures.
What Authorities Are Doing
- All funiculars suspended in Lisbon as a result of emergency inspections. There is an extensive review of maintenance protocols.
- The carrier, Carris, asserts that all maintenance procedures have been complied with such as the daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance inspections. The last general maintenance was on August-September 2024. A 4 yearly overhaul was completed in 2022.
- Workers had already complained that the tension in the haulage cables was causing braking issues, but this is not yet being established by authorities.
City & National Response
- National: the national government proclaimed September 4, 2025, as a day of national mourning, and the city of Lisbon gave three days of local mourning. The flags in the city are raised half-mast.
- Lisbon: Mayor Carlos Moedas of Lisbon and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa publicly congratulated and grieved; response operations are organized by emergency and municipal services: civil protection, police and firefighters.
- The injured victims went into hospitals; hospitals increased blood stocks through the Institute of Blood, and contingency plans were implemented to handle the number of casualties.
- Foreign governments and bodies such as the EU have also sent their condolences; EU flags were even flown at half-staff over EU buildings.
- The debris is marked off, and forensics and journalists are recording pictures and descriptions of the location.
In a nutshell: Law enforcement agencies are undertaking an intensive probe that includes criminal, technical, and engineering investigators. Service suspensions and investigations are implemented to avoid additional danger, the leaders of the city and country organized emergency responses, declared the grieving, and assisted victims. I will follow up on official findings–all you need to do in that regard is say the word and I will update you immediately such findings come through.
Conclusion
The Lisbon funicular accident shook Portugal and has caused a concern on safety of old transport infrastructure around the world. Even though the exact reason of the accident (mechanical, maintenance lapses, systematic negligence, etc.) is of concern to the government, the primary concern at the current moment is the support of the families of victims and the safety of the population. Beginning to mourn locally and nationally, one might raise the very fact of what is happening, as a disaster of a certain kind, as part of the lesson of the disagreeableness of unnecessary tests of safety, openness and accountability of preserving confidence in a depressed city.
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