Spain Orders Investigation After Second Fatal Train Crash This Year

Spain’s rail network suffered its second fatal accident this year when a moving train struck a stationary one from behind, killing 68 people. The crash occurred in the central province of Toledo, disrupting the quiet rhythm of a stretch of track lined with olive groves. The incident took place just four weeks before the country holds its next national election.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the site after regional authorities confirmed the death toll and reported that dozens of injured passengers were receiving treatment in local hospitals. The collision involves one train operated by the state-owned RENFE and another from the private operator IRYO. Spain opened its high-speed rail lines to private competition in 2021, with IRYO beginning service the following year.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente identified a specific sequence of events that led to the disaster. He stated that a computer malfunction caused a security system to fail on a 63-kilometer stretch of track at 8:30 a.m. All trains stopped, leaving the IRYO service near the town of Urda and the RENFE train 25 kilometers behind. Puente said a central command center subsequently ordered the RENFE train to resume movement without speed restrictions, despite an active stop signal.

Puente described the order as inexplicable and said the train engineers were not at fault. The RENFE train collided with the stopped IRYO train at 8:53 a.m. He noted that the moving train should have been ordered to travel at reduced speed if it were to move at all. Emergency workers, firefighters, police, and soldiers worked through the day to rescue survivors and recover bodies, with cranes moving damaged train parts late in the evening.

Sánchez declared three days of mourning starting Thursday. He pledged an investigation into the cause of the crash and improvements to the system to restore public confidence. The network, which ranks second in the world by track mileage after China, had not experienced a deadly crash since it began operating more than three decades ago. The system carried 45 million travelers last year.

"It is clear that we need to reinforce the safety of our train service to rebuild the trust in our high-speed rail," Sánchez said. "It is not acceptable for a country like Spain to endure two high-speed train accidents in the same year." His Socialist party had called for early elections earlier in the month, aiming to capitalize on voter dissatisfaction with housing costs.

Political rivals responded to the crash with varying tones. Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo demanded a full investigation and canceled campaign events for the day. He stated that his party would respect the dead while still addressing the questions Spaniards are asking. Vox leader Santiago Abascal, who is seeking a coalition with the conservatives, used stronger language to criticize the government.