At least 68 people have been killed and 108 injured after a high-speed train crashed into a stationary service near Urda, in Spain’s Toledo province, in one of the country’s deadliest rail disasters.
The collision happened at 8.53am on Wednesday, about 130 kilometres south of Madrid, as two trains travelled from the capital towards Seville. The Renfe service struck an Iryo train which had stopped on the line, derailing several carriages and sending two down an embankment.
The trains were carrying a total of 544 passengers. At least 58 of those injured are reported to be in a serious condition, while rescue teams continue to search the wreckage and anxious relatives await news.
Investigation into Spain train crash begins
Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a computer failure at about 8.30am had brought six trains to a halt along a 63-kilometre section of track, including the two involved in the crash.
A worker at a rail control centre subsequently instructed drivers to restart and continue “as normal”, meaning at high speed, according to the minister. The driver of the Iryo train reportedly said he was having difficulty restarting, leaving the service stationary.
That information was allegedly not passed to the other drivers. The Renfe train then collided with the stationary Iryo service less than half an hour later.
Mr Puente described the decision to allow the Renfe train to proceed despite a red signal as “inexplicable”, while saying the drivers were not to blame.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez travelled to the scene and announced three days of national mourning. “It’s not possible for a country like Spain to suffer two high-speed train accidents in one year,” he said, promising a full investigation and support for victims and their families.
Mr Sánchez said the latest crash and a fatal accident on the same line in January appeared to be unrelated, but argued that Spain’s rail systems needed to be investigated and improved.
Previous deadly rail accident
In January, 46 people died near Adamuz in Córdoba when a high-speed Iryo train derailed and collided with an approaching Renfe service. The accident remains under investigation.
A preliminary Civil Guard report identified defects in the track, rail or a weld between two sections of track as the main line of inquiry, while leaving seven other possible explanations open.
The latest disaster is expected to intensify scrutiny of Spain’s rail infrastructure ahead of a snap election in November. Railway safety authority figures cited in the reports show that accidents rose from 45 in 2016 to 57 in 2024 and 69 last year, while rail deterioration and breakages increased from 494 to 667 over the same period.
Spain spent an average of about €1.5 billion a year on its high-speed network between 2018 and 2022, more than any other country. However, around 16 per cent of that spending was allocated to maintenance, renewal and upgrades, with most directed towards new infrastructure.
