Funicular to be replaced in Portugal’s Lisbon after deadly accident that left 16 dead

• The 140-year-old Gloria funicular in Lisbon, involved in a deadly accident in 2025 that killed 16 people, will be replaced with a new system.
• Investigations found that an underground cable linking the carriages broke, causing the accident; all three city funiculars remain closed.
• Carris plans to launch a tender in early 2027 for a modern, technically advanced funicular, preserving the historic site but not reconstructing the old lift.

LISBON - One year after an accident that left 16 dead, Portuguese authorities announced on Aug 31 that the emblematic funicular hit by the disaster would be replaced.

Eleven foreigners were among the dead when the cable on the 140-year-old Gloria funicular broke and a carriage hurtled into a building on Sept 3, 2025.

The Gloria and the city’s two other funiculars have been shut down since.

Investigators highlighted a series of failures but said that an underground cable linking the two carriages on the funicular had broken.

The Carris transport company, owned by Lisbon city authorities, said a tender for a new system would be launched in early 2027 aiming to have a new funicular running by 2029.

Carris president Rui Pedro Gaspar Lopo said the line would be new and “not a reconstruction” of the long-time tourism favourite.

“The future lift will be new, but the site will remain historic,” he said.

“Carris must develop a robust and technically advanced solution. We want a modern project, but one that enhances the historic identity” of the old lift, added Goncalo Reis, deputy head of the city council. AFP