A preliminary investigation into the deadly train collision in southern Spain suggests that a damaged section of rail may have contributed to the accident. The disaster, which occurred near the town of Adamuz on Sunday, left 45 people dead and dozens more injured.
According to a report by the Rail Accident Investigation Commission (CIAF), the investigators found nicks in the wheels on the right-hand side of the three front carriages of the Iryo train, which they believe were consistent with an impact with the top of the rail. The report hypothesised that the rail fracture may have occurred prior to the passage of the Iryo train, leading to the derailment.
“The nicks in the wheels and the observed deformation in the rail are consistent with the rail being fractured: with the rail’s continuity interrupted, the section before the break would initially bear the full weight of the wheel, causing that part of the rail to sag slightly,” the CIAF report stated.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente acknowledged that if the cause of the accident was a damaged rail, the fault must have occurred “in the minutes or hours before the train derailment and, therefore, could not be detected.” The investigators are also looking into the possibility of a manufacturing defect in the rail.
The tragedy has sparked concerns over the safety of Spain’s railway system. Two days after the Adamuz accident, a train driver was killed and 37 people injured when a train derailed due to the collapse of a retaining wall near Gelida in Catalonia.
In response, Semaf, Spain’s largest train drivers’ union, has called for a three-day strike in February to demand measures to guarantee the safety of railway workers and passengers. The union said industrial action was “the only legal avenue left for workers to demand the restoration of safety standards on the railway system and, consequently, guarantee the safety of both railway professionals and passengers.”
The opposition has seized on the incidents, with the leader of the conservative People’s Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, accusing the socialist-led coalition government of a “chaotic response” and a lack of transparency. He said, “The state of the railways is a reflection of the state of the nation,” and that “what we have is the worst government in our history.”
The CIAF has stressed that the theory of a rail fracture is provisional and will be subject to further testing and investigation. Nonetheless, the deadly accidents have raised serious concerns about the safety and maintenance of Spain’s railway infrastructure, and the government will face pressure to address these issues urgently.
