‘It’s a tragedy of the like we’ve never seen’: Lisbon tram crash kills 15 as Portugal blames tourists

A devastating tram crash in Lisbon, Portugal, on Wednesday killed at least 15 people and injured 18 others, with a child among the injured. The Glória Funicular, a historic cable-pulled tram, derailed during rush hour and crashed into a nearby building, a tragedy that is now being linked to the city’s overwhelming tourism problem.

Fabiana Pavel, the president of the Bairro Alto Residents’ Association, said that “excessive tourism” is to blame for the accident. He told BBC News that the tram was “used too much and the population lost the ability to use it as public transport, because it became a tourist attraction.” The Glória Funicular has been a long-time fixture of the city, connecting downtown Lisbon to the Bairro Alto district. However, it has become a major tourist attraction, drawing in thousands of visitors.

The sheer number of tourists has made it difficult for local residents to use the tram for its intended purpose: public transport. Mass tourism has become a huge problem for many communities across Europe. The influx of visitors has gotten so bad that many towns have had to implement new tourist taxes to help curb the issue. In June, protests broke out in Lisbon, Barcelona, and the Spanish island of Mallorca, with locals spraying tourists with water guns to show their frustration.

Portugal blames tourism for latest tragedy

Portugal’s historic city of Évora City Council even implemented a tourist tax of nearly $2 per guest per night, which began on August 1. These measures and protests highlight the growing tension between locals and tourists in a number of European communities, and it appears that this tension may have played a part in the recent Lisbon crash.

While authorities have launched a probe into the mechanical failure of the tram, local media have raised concerns about recent maintenance schedules. It’s not clear whether the excessive use of the tram by tourists contributed to a lack of maintenance or if it was simply a mechanical failure, but the tragedy has certainly brought the issue of overtourism to the forefront.

The USA found a way to bring down tourism, but it was done by scaring tourists away with dictatorial questioning and arresting tourists for little reason. I doubt Europe would want this extreme, since it’s hurting cities that thrive on tourism.

Following the tragic incident, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed his condolences to the victims’ families and promised full transparency in the investigation, saying, “It’s a tragedy of the like we’ve never seen.” It’s clear that this is a huge blow to the city of Lisbon, but it may also be a wake-up call for the rest of Europe. If a solution to overtourism is not found soon, we may see more and more tragedies like this one.