Spain Train Crash: Expert Urges Madrid-Seville Services Stay Suspended Until Safety System Is Replaced

Spanish civil engineer José María Goicolea has urged authorities to keep Madrid-Seville high-speed services suspended until an ageing train-control system is replaced. His call follows the Spain train crash near Urda, Toledo province, on Wednesday, 28 October, which killed at least 69 people.

The collision occurred when a moving Renfe service struck a stationary Iryo train on the route. High-speed services on the affected Madrid-Andalusia corridor remain suspended, although some unaffected sections continue operating.

Investigators are examining a signalling failure and subsequent control-room instructions, with no final cause established.

The crash was the second deadly railway disaster on the Madrid-Seville line this year. In January, 46 people died when two trains collided near Adamuz, in southern Spain. The latest collision has renewed scrutiny of railway maintenance and delays to safety upgrades.

Renfe has arranged some special conventional services, but its broader alternative transport plan, originally scheduled for 30 October, has been postponed. The operator said the scheme could not begin before 3 November because train drivers' union SEMAF required 96 hours' notice for changes to working schedules. A revised launch date has not been confirmed.

Engineer Calls for Extended Madrid-Seville Suspension

Goicolea, spokesman for the Spanish Association of Civil Engineers, wants the Madrid-Seville line to remain closed while its German-made LZB train-control system is phased out.

'I would close the line between Madrid and Seville while the LZB system is phased out,' he told Al Jazeera.

The recommendation goes beyond the existing suspension. Spanish authorities have not announced a decision to keep the route closed until the replacement system is fully operational.

LZB technology dates from the 1970s and has been used on the Madrid-Seville line since it opened in 1992. It is being replaced by the European Rail Traffic Management System, known as ERTMS, which is already installed across most of Spain's high-speed network.

The upgrade was supposed to have been completed by early 2026.

In September 2021, infrastructure operator Adif awarded a €93.8 million (£78.2 million) contract covering signalling and safety improvements, including ERTMS installation. The project subsequently fell behind schedule, leaving the older system in use when Wednesday's collision occurred.

Goicolea suggested that the LZB failure and apparent human error contributed to the accident. His assessment remains an expert opinion, rather than a final finding by investigators.

Spain Train Crash Investigation Examines Signalling Failure and Control-Room Orders

Spain's independent accident investigation authority, AITAT, said preliminary evidence indicated a sequence of technical malfunctions, instructions and actions that led to the collision without adequate safeguards.

Investigators estimated that the moving Renfe train was travelling between 160 and 200 kilometres per hour when it struck the stationary Iryo service. The precise speed remains subject to analysis of the train's onboard data recorder.

The collision followed a signalling failure that automatically stopped several trains. Control staff in Madrid subsequently took over the management of train movements.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a controller authorised the Renfe train to continue despite the Iryo service remaining stationary ahead. He maintained that the instruction breached a protocol limiting speed to 40km/h under those circumstances.

Rail workers' representatives have challenged attempts to attribute responsibility primarily to human error. They argue that the failure of the safety system and the conditions under which controllers operated also require examination.

On Friday, 30 October, Puente rejected calls for his resignation. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged to establish the causes of the accident as investigators continued examining technical records and communications.

Survivors Demand Greater Investment in Rail Safety

The latest tragedy has prompted survivors of earlier Spanish rail disasters to renew calls for stronger safety measures.

Cristóbal González, who survived the 2013 Angrois derailment near Santiago de Compostela, told Al Jazeera that the experience continued to affect him. That accident killed 80 people.

'We must stop more accidents happening,' he said.

Santiago Rosendo, a survivor of January's Adamuz collision, also questioned how another fatal accident could occur on the same railway line within months.

Maintenance spending has become another focus of criticism. European Commission figures cited in the reporting showed that Spain allocated 16% of its high-speed rail expenditure to maintenance and repairs between 2018 and 2022. Comparable proportions in Italy, Germany and France ranged from 33% to 39%. Those comparisons do not establish the causes of either collision.

Meanwhile, rescue teams continued recovering and identifying victims near Urda. By Friday, authorities had carried out 49 autopsies and formally identified five people, according to regional officials. The death toll could rise as recovery operations continue.

Investigators must still establish the precise impact speed and determine how the signalling failure and subsequent instructions contributed to the collision. Their findings will be separate from decisions about the delayed replacement of the LZB system.

High-speed services on the affected corridor remain suspended, with no confirmed reopening date. Renfe is preparing revised transport arrangements for passengers, while authorities have not committed to keeping the route closed until ERTMS installation is completed.