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The historic Gloria cable rail in Lisbon

In one of the deadliest accidents in Lisbon's public transport system, a car derailed on the Gloria funicular line and crashed. At least 17 people died.

The authorities are investigating the cause for the accident.

Here are some facts regarding the line:

The street Calcada da Gloria is named after this railway.

Gloria is the most famous funicular line, particularly among tourists.

Gloria is a bridge that connects the downtown area of Lisbon, located at the intersection of Avenida da Liberdade, the main commercial street, and Restauradores Square. It also links the Sao Pedro de Alacantara terrace, which provides panoramic views of Lisbon, with Bairro Alto or the Upper Quarter.

The cars have a yellow paint similar to the trams in Lisbon.

The Gloria Line transports approximately 3 million passengers annually.

The two cars of the line, which can each carry around 40 passengers, are connected to opposite ends on a haulage cord. Traction is provided by electric motors in each car that counterbalance one another.

The line opened in 1885 and initially operated with a counterweight system of water. It then switched to steam power, before being electrified by overhead cables in 1914.

- In 2002, the railway was designated as a National Monument.

Two long wooden benches are arranged along the aisle, with their backs facing the windows. They are all at the same level. The bottom of the car has a higher base to compensate for a gradient of over 17%.

The German company Maschinenfabrik Esslingen built the two identical cars with numbers 1 and 2.

The route is approximately 265 metres long (290 yards), on a double rail track with a gauge of 90 centimetres (35 inches) and a slot in the middle for cable connections. The derailment happened about 50 metres from the bottom, at a 30 degree turn.

In 2018, a derailment was caused by an unreported technical issue involving the cable. No injuries were reported.

In a press release, the municipal public transport company Carris stated that "all maintenance protocol has been completed".

In May, the line was closed for four days to perform maintenance. (Reporting and editing by Charlie Devereux, Alex Richardson and Andrei Khalip)

(source: Reuters)