Tribute paid to Holyhead man following Lisbon funicular crash

An 82-year-old man from Holyhead has been confirmed as one of the victims of a fatal railway crash in Portugal last week.

Andrew David Kenneth Young died when the Glória funicular cable railway in Lisbon derailed on Wednesday, 3 September.

Mr Young moved to Holyhead from Scotland in 1980 where he had a long career as a customs officer.

Heritage railways

A statement from his family said: “A lifelong transport enthusiast, in retirement he enjoyed visiting heritage railways and tramways around the world.

“It is a comfort to his sons, their mother, and his brothers that his final moments were in pursuit of the hobby which gave him so much happiness.”

A total of 16 people died in the crash. Also among the dead were a couple from the UK, five Portuguese nationals, two Canadians, two South Koreans, one American, one French, one Swiss and one Ukrainian.

A further 21 people were injured, including five seriously.

The Gloria funicular, which is 140 years old, was packed with passengers when it came off the rails.

Portugal’s prime minister, Luis Montenegro, described the incident as “one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past”.

Steep slopes

Funiculars are a type of railway system that transport people up and down steep slopes.

The Gloria funicular features two separate yellow carriages which travel between Restauradores Square in central Lisbon and the Bairro Alto area, with journeys taking three minutes.

It is electrified and uses steel cables.

The derailment resulted in one of the carriages crashing into a building at a bend in a road.