7.2.27 When Will The Funiculars Return?

When indeed.

You want the good news first, or the bad news?

OK, we’ll start with the good news.

The intention is for all the funiculars of Lisbon - Lavra, Bica and Glória, as well as the Elevador de Santa Justa - to be returned to service as soon as it is practical, and safe, to do so. The political will is there. And the newer Elevador da Graça, of course, is already back in service.


HOWEVER

Here’s the bad news.

The final report into the fatal accident on the Elevador da Glória may take some time to appear. So one assumption should be that:

THERE WILL BE NO RE-OPENING THIS YEAR.

ALSO

That final report is highly likely to make recommendations, with the strongest of hints that they are implemented. These will almost certainly include the ability to stop one of the cars in the event of a cable break. This, in turn, will mean lots of testing in order to show that the system works.

AND

There may also be a recommendation to strengthen the cars’ bodywork. This would mean that the Bica and Lavra funiculars, despite their cars being intact, could not return to service until those cars had been rebuilt and re-tested.

CONCLUSION

The Bica and Lavra funiculars may return to service in time for the summer season in 2027. But that may not happen, so assume 2028.

Elevador da Glória will need - at a minimum - one car repairing and the other rebuilding, in addition to proving that they can be stopped in the event of a cable break. So no reopening until 2028.

The Elevador de Santa Justa may open before then, but we have to see what’s in the final report on the Glória accident first.

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