A year after the tragedy at Glória, what is the future of the city's elevators?

On September 3, 2025, a derailment of the Glória Elevator in Lisbon resulted in 16 deaths, after a cable supporting the historic equipment came loose. Cabin 1 was practically destroyed and Cabin 2 was also extensively damaged. The causes of the accident have not yet been fully determined, but all historic elevators in the city — Santa Justa, Lavra, Bica and the Glória Elevator itself — were preventively suspended and remain closed. Nearly a year after the tragedy, Carris presented, at a press conference on August 31, its vision for the future of the Glória Elevator. The company plans to launch an international public design-build tender by the end of the first quarter of 2027, with the expectation that the new elevator will be operational by 2029. The new equipment will maintain two cable-connected cabins, incorporate advanced technology with real-time monitoring systems, and respect the historic identity of the old elevator. Carris refused to share publicly the document that supported the presentation and did not provide cost estimates, indicating only that the funding model will be defined in coordination with the Municipality of Lisbon. The remaining historic elevators — Lavra, Bica and Santa Justa — continue without a reopening date. Only the Funicular da Graça, inaugurated in 2024 and subsequently transferred to Carris, reopened to the public on April 30, 2026, after validation of safety conditions. An Independent Technical Commission, composed of representatives from the Order of Engineers, LNEC, Instituto Superior Técnico, CML, EMEL and Carris, is assessing the safety conditions of the remaining equipment. Rui Lopo, president of Carris, said only that the assessments are ongoing, citing "technical circumstances" and the delay in the availability of safety equipment and systems. The project for the new Glória Elevator will be developed by a team led by architect Ricardo Bak Gordon, with technical advice from Leonor Medeiros on historic heritage matters and Rui Furtado on engineering. The Calçada da Glória will also be requalified, including Largo da Oliveirinha, which is being transformed into a pedestrian square with trees and benches. A memorial to the victims of the tragedy will be built in this space. Cabin 2, which survived the accident, will be transformed into a museum piece to enhance the historic heritage.