Spanish PM: Public Trust in High-Speed Trains Has Been Seriously Undermined
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has acknowledged that trust in the country's high-speed rail has been damaged after a deadly train collision. His government intends to establish the causes and propose solutions.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has admitted that public confidence in the country's high-speed rail system has been undermined following a train collision in Toledo province. The statement was reported by The Guardian, as cited by the Ukrainian outlet European Pravda.
Speaking on Friday, Sánchez said it was unacceptable for a country with such a powerful high-speed rail network to suffer two accidents of this kind and scale in a single year. In his words, the authorities' task goes beyond investigating the causes: they must also find solutions that ensure a tragedy of this magnitude does not happen again, and strengthen the system further.
What happened
Two trains collided on the morning of 28 October near the town of Urda in Toledo province. More than 540 people were aboard the two trains. According to the latest figures, 74 people died in the crash. It is the second deadly train collision in Spain this year.
A preliminary assessment suggests the cause may have been human error in responding to a signalling system failure.
Families of the victims
Sánchez stressed that Spain is working "tirelessly" to provide information to the families of the dead as quickly as possible. The victims include citizens of at least 23 different countries.
The prime minister said his government also intends to determine the causes of this second deadly train collision in the country this year.
