Deadly Funicular Accident in Lisbon: Experts Determine Causes of Catastrophe
Kyiv • UNN
The derailment of the Glória funicular in Lisbon on September 3, which led to the death of 16 people, may have been caused by the replacement of the steel cable six years ago without changing the fastening system. Experts believe that the material weakened at the attachment point due to heating, vibration, and deformation.
The reason for the derailment of the Glória funicular in Lisbon on September 3, which killed 16 people, could be that six years ago the steel cable was replaced with another, but the fastening system remained unchanged. This was reported by Expresso, informs UNN.
Details
According to experts from the Institute of Higher Technical Studies and Engineers, over time, the material could have weakened at the attachment point due to heating, vibration, and deformation, which led to the disaster.
Everything that could go wrong with the Glória funicular went wrong. The cable loosened, the brakes failed, and the carriage could not withstand the impact and was completely destroyed at a speed of 60 km/h.
It is noted that the State Transport Company, which was responsible for maintenance, should have checked the new system after replacing the cable, but did not. In addition, the night inspection, which the company allegedly conducted 18 hours before the accident, raises serious doubts, because the work described in the report required significantly more time than indicated.
The preliminary report of the Bureau for the Prevention and Investigation of Aviation and Railway Accidents confirmed that the cable loosened precisely at the point of attachment to the upper part of the cabin. This is not a break, but a plastic deformation. The final conclusions are to be published in 45 days.
Recall
On September 3, in the Portuguese capital Lisbon, a funicular derailed, killing 16 people.
Later, it became known that among the dead was a citizen of Ukraine born in 1971.