The proposal, which includes a set of measures following the accident with the Glória funicular, was approved in an extraordinary council meeting today. Documents from the PS and PCP were also approved, while the PSD/CDS-PP devoted nine out of 16 pages to considerations, noting that “it is not possible to predict or anticipate an accident of this type.”
The Glória funicular, managed by Carris, derailed on Wednesday afternoon, resulting in 16 fatalities and dozens of injuries, affecting both Portuguese citizens and foreigners of various nationalities.
“While administrative transparency is a value to preserve, and has seen exponential growth in this municipal term in Lisbon, there are situations where authorities must be given the necessary time to conduct investigations and draw conclusions, to prevent the municipality from simply feeding a media agenda that only seeks to find culprits,” stated the team led by the council’s president, Carlos Moedas (PSD).
The PSD/CDS-PP leadership, governing Lisbon without an absolute majority, also noted that once the inspection procedures are concluded, all documentation related to this accident should be made available to the public.
“It is solely the competence of central administration entities to investigate and determine the possible causes of this accident. This investigation is currently underway by the Public Ministry in collaboration with the Judicial Police and the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft Accidents and Rail Accidents (GPIAAF),” they emphasized.
In their considerations, the PSD/CDS-PP leadership also highlighted the commitment of the municipal teams, particularly in terms of security and civil protection, alongside national institutions, including the PSP, the Judicial Police, the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection, INEM, the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, and the units and institutions of the National Health Service: “All, without exception, provided a quick, diligent, efficient, and effective response to this catastrophe that affected Lisbon and its victims.”
In the proposal, Carlos Moedas’ team also praised the investment in the municipal company Carris, noting that the budget allocation has been reinforced each fiscal year, having increased by approximately 29% during the current mandate.
Regarding the deliberations on identifying the reasons or causes of the accident, the council decided to await the final conclusions of the ongoing investigations, promoted by the Public Ministry with the collaboration of the Judicial Police, the GPIAAF, Carris’s internal bodies, and the external experts invited for that work.
To honor and support the victims and their families, the creation of a Municipal Support Fund for the Victims of the Glória Funicular was determined, along with naming a street after the guard Andre Marques as a posthumous tribute and establishing a collective memorial.
Concerning the operation of elevators, funiculars, and cable cars, the council decided to recommend Carris to constitute a mission team, apply for co-financing projects within European programs for safe transport and smart cities, including the installation of sensors for predictive monitoring, and create a public risk panel and a Municipal Safety Seal for Lisbon’s Historical Elevators.
Another measure is the “imposition in future maintenance and operation contracts for such equipment of dynamic transparency clauses requiring publication in a public portal, including work orders, inspection reports, and real-time updated audits for public scrutiny.”
The government is also recommended to review decree-law No. 34/2020 regarding cable installations, which needs clarification concerning the framework, supervision, licensing, and inspection of equipment like the Glória funicular.
Other approved measures include the creation of the Municipal Operations Center, the development of an International Crisis Communication Plan, and the disclosure of all documentation about the elevator accident on the Lisbon City Council’s Transparency Portal.
