Lisbon Gears Up for Safe Revival of Historic Gloria Funicular

Lisbon's city council has mobilized a team of specialists to design a new safety mechanism for the Gloria funicular railway, which experienced a tragic crash last week. The railway will remain non-operational until safety standards are assured, said council's Vice President Filipe Anacoreta Correia on Monday. 'We must guarantee maximum security,' Correia emphasized, assuring the public of necessary measures before the historic cable car resumes service.

The expert team comprises members from Carris, the municipal public transport company managing the funicular, alongside academia and engineering bodies like Portugal's engineering regulatory organization and LNEC. In an extraordinary session, the council granted these experts decision-making power over the funicular's operational safety, after a preliminary report cited a problematic cable as a crash cause, resulting in 16 fatalities and 22 injuries.

The incident transpired in just 50 seconds, as both pneumatic and manual brakes failed to halt the funicular in time and no redundant safety system was in place. Opened in 1885, Gloria remains one of Lisbon's three historic funiculars operated by Carris, crucial for local commuters and drawing around 3 million tourists annually between the downtown and Bairro Alto.

(With inputs from agencies.)