A carriage detached from a CP Intercidades (Intercities) train travelling from Lisbon to Faro on Monday afternoon, briefly coming to a halt on the line near Grândola, in the Alentejo.
In a statement, railway operator Comboios de Portugal (CP) confirmed the separation occurred “after the coupling between two train units broke,” causing the rear carriage to become detached. The company said that passenger safety was never at risk.
“The safety of passengers was not affected, as railway units are designed to brake and immobilise when this type of situation occurs, which is what happened,” CP said.
According to the operator, passengers in the detached carriage were safely escorted into the remaining cars, and the journey continued to Faro. The affected carriage was later pushed to Grândola station with the assistance of a Medway locomotive, CP added.
CP also confirmed that it had opened an internal inquiry to determine the cause of the failure and to identify any “possible improvement measures,” noting that no previous incidents of this nature have been recorded.
The Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft and Railway Accidents (GPIAAF) also confirmed the occurrence, attributing it to a mechanical failure in the coupling device of the first carriage.
In a written response to Jornal de Notícias, GPIAAF said it has launched a preliminary analysis to gather relevant information and assess whether a formal investigation will be opened.
The results of that process could take up to two months and will be published on the agency’s website. The GPIAAF is responsible for investigating civil aviation and railway safety incidents in Portugal.
