The cable in question and the braking system were visually inspected without comment in a routine check during the morning of the accident day, announces Portugal's accident commission on Saturday.
The condition of just that part of the cable that came loose from the carriage had, however, not been possible to check visually at the time, according to the investigators.
It was on Wednesday that the Glória funicular's carriages suddenly ran away and crashed at the square below. The accident occurred at 60 kilometers per hour and the whole process was over in 50 seconds.
Eleven of the sixteen fatalities were foreign nationals, including three Britons, two Canadians, and two South Koreans. Around twenty people were also injured.
A more detailed preliminary accident report is expected in about 45 days.
The prosecution authority is conducting a separate investigation.
