A year after crash of an iconic Lisbon streetcar, a memorial but no promises for restored service

Lisbon’s iconic funicular streetcars remain halted, with safety questions still unanswered a year after a tragic derailment killed 16 peopleByBARRY HATTON Associated PressSeptember 3, 2026, 11:04 AMLISBON, Portugal -- Lisbon inaugurated a memorial Thursday to the 16 people killed in a funicular derailment a year ago, as questions persist about the safety of the city's iconic hillside streetcars, which remain at a standstill.Near the crash site, a 150-year-old olive tree stood at the center of a ring of limestone blocks laid into the ground featuring the names of the victims. Foreign ambassadors laid wreaths and the Patriarch of Lisbon, a senior Catholic church official, offered a blessing.The accident was one of the Portuguese capital’s worst tragedies in recent memory and cast a shadow over the city’s ongoing tourism boom.The picturesque yellow streetcar, called a funicular because it travels up and down a steep hill in tandem with a second car, is a popular tourist attraction. Authorities said that 11 of those killed were foreigners, likely tourists who stand in long lines to board it.Lisbon attracted about 10 million tourists last year, and they are one of the city’s economic ma...