High speed in Spain, a 4,000 km network with high safety standards
The Iberian railway system is considered safe, according to European authorities and standards, and in recent years the government has invested billions of euros in renewing the infrastructure, including tracks, switches and signalling systems
Spain has one of the most extensive high-speed rail networks in the world, with over 4,000 km of Ave (Tav) lines operated by Adif, second only to China. It connects major cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Valencia and Málaga, often offering journeys of less than 3 hours between the capitals at speeds of 300 km/h, operated by Renfe (Ave and Avlo) and private operators such as Iryo (participated by Trenitalia) and Ouigo, which also connects to France. The high-speed network is equipped with automatic speed control systems (Ertms and Asfa) and "subject to constant periodic maintenance", as Transport Minister Oscar Puente recalled after the derailment of two trains in Adamuz (Córdoba) on Sunday evening, which left at least 39 people dead and more than 100 injured, 30 of them in serious condition.
However, the system is considered safe, according to European authorities and standards, and in recent years the government has invested billions of euros in renewing the infrastructure, including tracks, switches and signalling systems. Serious accidents on the Tav lines are very rare. The saddest precedent remains that of Santiago de Compostela, on 24 July 2013, which occurred, however, outside of a pure high-speed section, on a conventional line with a change of regime and under different operating conditions. Also then, a long-distance Alvia train was involved, which derailed at the entrance to the station of Angrois, in the northern region of Galicia, causing 79 deaths and more than 140 injuries in what is still considered the most serious rail disaster in Spain in recent decades.
