MADRID — A deadly train collision in central Spain this week that claimed at least 69 lives has been attributed to errors by rail traffic controllers, officials said Friday, as authorities launched a formal investigation into the incident.
The crash occurred Wednesday after controllers at a rail operations center in Madrid authorized a train traveling at about 100 miles per hour to proceed while another train remained stopped on the same track. Óscar Puente, Spain’s transport minister, described a series of “inexplicable” mistakes by controllers who failed to act despite having clear visibility of the situation on their monitoring systems for 17 minutes.
Puente said the moving train, operated by the company Iryo, was instructed to resume normal speeds of up to 124 mph, far exceeding the regulatory limit of approximately 25 mph typically imposed when technical problems arise. The halted train, run by Renfe, was unable to restart, a message relayed by its driver to the control center at 8:48 a.m. However, no intervention followed, and the stationary train remained on the tracks ahead.
Because the signal ahead of the Iryo train was set to green, a following Renfe train proceeded past its own green light, unaware the track was occupied, ultimately colliding with the stopped railcar. Puente expressed bafflement that no preventive measures were taken despite the opportunity and time available.
The crash marks the deadliest rail accident in Spain in over a decade, leaving dozens hospitalized, including 17 in intensive care. It also comes less than a year after another fatal accident raised concerns about Spain’s rail safety.
The incident occurred under unusual circumstances after an aging automatic safety system, known as LZB, shut down temporarily across part of central Spain. When this occurred, human controllers assumed direct oversight of train movements. Despite scrutiny over the outdated system’s reliability, Puente defended its performance, noting it had failed about 170 times this year—mainly due to external factors such as vandalism and cable theft—a frequency consistent with prior years and below European standards.
The transport minister also refuted claims from train worker unions that the operations center had inadequate staffing on the day of the accident.
An independent inquiry and judicial investigation have been initiated to determine precisely how the sequence of controller errors unfolded and why no corrective action was taken despite repeated warning signs. Puente said the probe aims to provide “appropriate explanations” and restore public confidence in Spain’s rail network. He stated he had no intention of resigning in response to the tragedy and subsequent criticism.
The government has indicated plans to replace the LZB system with a modern safety mechanism next year, seeking closer alignment with European rail standards and compliance with evolving industrial requirements. Meanwhile, questions remain over the adequacy of current protocols and human oversight in managing train traffic during technical disruptions.