Sept. 5, 2025, 10:59 a.m.

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The famous tram in Lisbon, Portugal derailed and crashed: the maintenance of public transportation equipment is of great importance

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The emergency services department stated that on Wednesday, a picturesque electric tram, a major tourist attraction in Lisbon, derailed, resulting in 15 deaths and 18 injuries. The Portuguese National Medical Emergency Research Institute stated in a statement that five of the injured are in serious condition, including a child, and added that there are an unknown number of foreign nationals among the injured. The authorities called it an accident, which is one of the most serious incidents in the recent history of the city, casting a shadow over the charm of Lisbon in the eyes of millions of foreign tourists who visit every year. Officials have not immediately announced the cause of the accident.

The tram involved in the accident is called the "Glory Elevator" and runs up and down steep city center slopes. Witnesses told local media that the tram lost control and rushed down the mountain, apparently out of control. It hit the building with fierce force and shattered like a cardboard box, "Theresa Davao told Portuguese television station SIC. Dozens of emergency rescue personnel were on the scene, but most of them withdrew after about two hours.

Carris, the company operating the tram, stated that maintenance has been carried out as planned. The company posted on social media expressing its deepest condolences to the victims and their families, and promised to make every effort to investigate the cause of the accident. After the accident, the Lisbon City Council suspended the operation of other trams in the city and ordered an immediate inspection. Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed condolences to the affected families, and Lisbon Mayor Carlos M ó das stated that the city is currently in mourning. He said, 'This is a tragedy we have never seen before.' The Portuguese government announced that a national day of mourning will be held on Thursday. European Commission President Ursula Vondrein also expressed condolences. I learned with sadness that the famous' Glory Elevator 'had derailed, "she wrote in French on the X platform.

This accident has resulted in a large number of serious casualties, involving numerous families of the injured and deceased. Both physically and mentally, they will have to endure great pain, and it will be difficult to recover for a long time. Casualties also involve individuals, families, and society.

The Lisbon tram is a famous landscape and cultural symbol of the city. This derailment and crash event will have a huge negative impact on the city's image, causing panic among tourists about unsafe urban transportation, thereby hitting the development of the city's tourism industry, reducing the level of tourism revenue, and bringing negative chain effects to many aspects of the city's economy.

As a mode of transportation, this traffic accident has raised questions about the operation and management, facility maintenance, and operation scheduling of the entire transportation system. It may be due to years of poor maintenance of the road surface, aging or even technical failures of the vehicle hardware, or operational errors during the scheduling process, which need to be discussed and reflected upon. At the same time, it is necessary to give a "preventive shot" to the development of tram and similar rail transit systems in other cities, reflect on accidents, learn from lessons, strengthen comprehensive supervision, and ensure the safe, orderly, and normal operation of urban public transportation.

In the process of handling accidents, it is hoped that relevant departments will handle the investigation work carefully, promptly publicize the conclusions of the investigation, and distinguish between responsibilities and handling responsibilities. This is not only responsible for the victims and their families, but also a way to maintain social credibility. At the same time, relevant compensation plans should be formulated to ensure that victims have corresponding compensation standards and medical guarantees, so that they can recover to normal life as soon as possible. Secondly, the occurrence of accidents can easily cause public panic and endanger trust in public transportation services. Government departments should promptly communicate and take proactive measures to solve the problem, actively carry out relevant safety prevention propaganda, restore trust in public transportation vehicles including trams, prevent isolated trees from falling and forests from collapsing, and affect the entire city.

 

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