The president of the Lisbon City Council, Carlos Moedas, stated on Friday that he will not “speculate about the information regarding the cable of the Elevador da Glória,” which might be linked to the accident that resulted in the deaths of 16 people and injured more than 20.
“First of all, I want to say that I was the first to immediately initiate an external investigation. This investigation is underway. The new information we learned today concerns the change of a cable six years ago. This highlights the importance of the investigation because it must consider the timeline. It also shows that in recent days—this is why I will not speculate on this information—many reports have come to light and were later verified,” the mayor emphasized, speaking from Praça do Município, during the 134th-anniversary ceremony of the Municipal Police, in which he participated.
For Carlos Moedas, it is crucial to have the inspection and investigation first before drawing “conclusions,” urging everyone not to “rush to conclusions” as “we must let the investigation proceed first.”
“It is very important that the investigation continues, and there is one promise I make to the people of Lisbon: we will investigate until the last consequence. This investigation, obviously, needs to be conducted. Over time, during the years decisions were made. These decisions then influence the future. What we see here is that a decision made six years ago may have had an impact, but we don’t know. I don’t want to speculate and I won’t speculate,” he concluded.
This Friday, the possibility emerged that a change in the type of cable used in the support of the Elevador da Glória might have contributed to the accident last week that killed 16 people and injured more than 20.
Six years ago, the cable that supports the elevator ceased to be made entirely of steel and was replaced by a “rope” with a fiber core. However, there was no change in the type of attachment, which may have contributed to the accident.
Tomásia Sousa | 07:50 – 12/09/2025
The report relied on statements from experts at the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) and the preliminary report of the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft and Railway Accidents (GPIAAF).
The issue involves a change made six years ago, when a fully steel cable was replaced with one consisting of six steel strands with a “fiber core.” According to experts, the core of the cable became a “rope” that was irreversibly deformed when tightened and continued to deform over months, losing volume and causing the cable to come loose.
Despite this change, the anchoring system remained, and over time, the cable reportedly lost its grip on the trambolho. “There are expansions, vibrations, and the compatibility between the materials is different than it would be with steel on steel,” explained Pedro Amaral, a materials engineer, to Expresso.
