Train collision in Andalusia, unions: problems on the line long reported

The high-speed railway line between Madrid and Andalusia - where on the evening of Sunday 18 January two trains derailed causing at least 39 deaths and 122 injuries - had been completely renovated last May, with a EUR 700 million investment. But it still had problems. Problems that, according to reports in some international media, had been reported for some time. In a letter last August, a Spanish train drivers' union allegedly warned rail operator Adif of heavy wear and tear on the tracks, including the one where the two trains collided. Potholes, bumps and imbalances in the overhead power lines caused frequent breakdowns and damaged the trains. High-speed trains between Madrid and Andalusia have reportedly been affected by delays since 2022, as a result of problems of various kinds: signalling failures, but also problems with overhead power lines. A network, the Spanish high-speed network, which is particularly vulnerable to cable theft, since it crosses large areas of deserted countryside.

Sources familiar with the initial investigation, quoted by the Reuters news agency, support the hypothesis of wear and tear at the origin of the train disaster. Experts investigating the cause of the derailment reportedly found a broken joint on the tracks. Technicians at the scene, who analysed the rails, found some wear and tear in the joint between the rail sections, known as the joint plate. This, according to them, proved that the fault had been present for some time. Investigators discovered that the defective joint created a gap between the rail sections, which widened as the trains continued to travel on the tracks.

Preliminary investigations into the train accident have been entrusted to the court of first instance number 2 in Montoro (Cordova), various Iberian media report, including La Sexta, citing legal sources. The General State Prosecutor's Office informed that the provincial prosecutors of Cordova will participate in the investigation. "The public prosecutor's office is working proactively to clarify the circumstances and causes of this tragedy," reads a note.