World
Three Spanish Train Tragedies Prompt Survivors to Demand Safety Investment
Survivors of Spain’s three deadliest high‑speed rail crashes have called for urgent action to prevent further disasters. Cristóbal González, who survived the 2013 Angrois crash that killed 80 people, said the mental trauma remains and that more must be done to stop future accidents. He noted that the Angrois crash involved excessive speed, the Adamuz crash in January was linked to a broken rail, and the Urda collision on 13 March, which killed 69 people, may have involved human error and a faulty control system.
González, who was traveling with a friend to Santiago de Compostela when the Angrois train left the tracks at 200 km/h, remains in post‑traumatic stress and finds it difficult to discuss the event. Other survivors, such as Santiago Rosendo, who was aboard the Renfe train in the Adamuz crash, described the panic and the sudden stop that followed the collision.
Investigations into the Adamuz crash identified a broken rail that caused one train to veer into the path of another. Experts have highlighted the need for greater investment in maintenance. Between 2018 and 2022, Spain spent an average of about $1.67 billion annually on high‑speed lines, but only 16 percent of that budget went to maintenance or repairs, compared with 33–39 percent in Italy, Germany and France.
Jose Maria Goicolea, spokesman for the Spanish Association of Civil Engineers, said that the increase in network usage demands more maintenance funding. He also noted that the Madrid‑Seville line, which uses a German‑made LZB control system from the 1970s, was partially responsible for the March crash due to a system failure, though human error was also cited.
Infrastructure expert Ramiro Aupin Lopera warned that since 2011, investment in maintenance has fallen sharply while network usage has risen, contributing to the recent accidents. Private operators Ouigo and Iryo have expressed concerns about the obsolete LZB system on the Madrid‑Seville line.
Diego Martin of the Spanish train drivers’ union SEMAF said that blaming workers would not prevent future crashes; instead, identifying causes is essential.