An extraordinary private meeting of the Lisbon City Council, attended by the president of Carris, took place this morning to provide further details regarding the accident involving the Glória elevator.
The Glória elevator, managed by Carris, derailed on September 3, resulting in 16 fatalities and dozens of injuries, involving both Portuguese and foreigners of various nationalities.
Following the meeting, opposition councilors in the Lisbon City Council, led by Carlos Moedas (PSD), expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of responses to some of the questions raised during the session, although PS representatives felt “more enlightened.”
“We obtained a set of additional clarifications that are important and relevant. Naturally, the process must continue; we will only be satisfied when everything is clarified and determined,” stated socialist councilor Pedro Anastácio.
According to the socialist mayor, one significant piece of information provided was that the cable of the Glória elevator had been replaced twice during the current term (2022 and 2024), with Carris itself “providing the materials.”
However, Pedro Anastácio believes there are still aspects to clarify, particularly the decision to award a maintenance contract in 2022 at a price lower than the base value.
“An explanation was presented by the administration of Carris that does not add up, namely the issue of the price being lower than the base price. Naturally, we want further clarifications and complete answers to the questions we posed today and which were not answered,” he pointed out.
Similarly, PCP councilor João Ferreira raised concerns about the maintenance contract established in 2022, “at an unusually low price.”
“This was the first question we raised, which, in our view, requires an explanation, which has not yet been provided,” he criticized.
João Ferreira added that the communists requested an inventory of the complaints and safety concerns raised by workers but received no responses.
The Citizens for Lisbon, through councilor Paula Marques, criticized the “silence” of Carlos Moedas and Lisbon’s deputy mayor, Filipe Anacoreta Correia (CDS-PP), accusing them of trying to shift blame to the maintenance company.
“We perceive an attempt to pass the blame or responsibility, from Carris to the maintenance company, and from the executive, particularly the president and vice-president. We feel they are hiding behind the idea that there is an ongoing process,” Paula Marques noted.
Bloco de Esquerda councilor Ricardo Moreira criticized the Carris administration and the mayor of Lisbon for “insisting on a narrative that everything went well.”
“The narrative that everything was done as it should have been regarding maintenance and inspection persists. This position is unacceptable; the tragedy of the Glória elevator claimed 16 lives and was not a natural disaster,” said the mayor.
Ricardo Moreira also highlighted that the current leadership “lacks the ability to plan for the future,” as major maintenance on the city’s historic elevators did not consider redundancy means in the braking system or the telematic monitoring of critical components.
Meanwhile, the Livre party, through Rui Tavares, noted that the meeting “left many issues unresolved” but concluded that there was a “lack of attention” and disregard for the historic elevators.
“When asked if the president of Carris had ever been questioned about these services, elevators, funiculars, and historic lifts, he gave no response indicating there had ever been special attention,” he pointed out.
On the side of the executive leadership, in a response to Lusa, the deputy mayor of Lisbon described the morning session as an “excellent meeting,” emphasizing that “all councilors could ask questions to the president of Carris.”
“Naturally, with an investigation ongoing, many of these responses will await the normal conclusion of the process that we all want to determine the truth and within the shortest possible time,” he anticipated.
Regarding the maintenance contracts, Filipe Anacoreta Correia highlighted that the chairman of Carris explained the investments and expenses in this area, pointing out that they “have increased in recent years.”
Meanwhile, in a statement released today, Lisbon City Council informed that it has made documents about the Glória elevator available on the Transparency Portal, with the exception of those subject to “confidentiality” or “judicial secrecy.”
“The Lisbon City Council has already made available a wide range of documents about the Glória elevator on the Transparency Portal, thus enhancing public access to municipal information and promoting greater proximity with citizens,” states the municipality.
The information can be accessed via the link https://transparencia.lisboa.pt/transparencia-por-setores/mobilidade.
Currently, the Lisbon City Council’s executive, composed of 17 members, includes seven elected from the “Novos Tempos” coalition (PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança) — the only ones with assigned portfolios who govern without an absolute majority — three from the PS, three from Citizens for Lisbon (elected by the PS/Livre coalition), two from the PCP, one from Livre, and one from BE.
