Spanish Minister: Train Collision Caused by Control Centre Order Letting a Halted Train Proceed

Spain's transport minister, Óscar Puente, said on Wednesday that a collision between two high-speed trains in south-western Spain, which killed 64 people, was caused by an unexplained decision by the central rail control centre. The centre allowed one train to keep moving after the safety system had failed. The minister stressed that the drivers are not to blame. It is the second major train disaster in Spain this year.

What is known about the incident

According to Puente, at 8:30 a.m. the safety system stopped working on a 63-kilometre section of track because of a computer fault, and all trains on that stretch halted. The control centre nevertheless instructed a train operated by "RENFE" to resume travel without any speed restrictions. At 8:53 a.m. it collided with a stationary train run by the private company "IRYO".

Puente said the order should never have been issued, since a stop signal was still in force on the line. Even if movement was permitted, a reduced speed should have been specified. The exact speed is still being established, but on this section it may have been 200 kilometres per hour. "I am not blaming anyone, I am simply laying out the facts," the minister said.

The scene and the casualties

Both trains were travelling from Madrid to Seville. The crash occurred on a flat stretch between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes, surrounded by olive groves. The train that struck from behind pushed two carriages of the stationary train off the rails, and one carriage was smashed to pieces. The "RENFE" train carried 397 passengers and the "IRYO" train 147. Authorities report that 80 people were injured in addition to the dead.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, speaking at the site in the Castilla-La Mancha region, announced three days of mourning. He said "all of Spain is in mourning" and that it is unacceptable for a country like Spain to suffer two such disasters in one year.

The earlier crash

In January, another accident in southern Spain killed 45 people when an "IRYO" train derailed and collided with an oncoming "RENFE" train. The latest collision is the deadliest in Spain since 2013, when 80 people died. In recent decades Spain has invested heavily in high-speed rail and become a world leader in the field.