The crash near Urda occurred on the exact same rail line where 46 people died in an Adamuz collision just 10 months earlier. Past major disasters in the country have been attributed to factors including excessive train speeds and broken rails, while the latest event points to potential control system failures and human error. Between 2018 and 2022, Spain allocated only 16 percent of its rail spending to maintenance, falling well behind European peers. Experts warn that fatal accidents will persist unless infrastructure funding pivots from network growth to comprehensive track preservation.
Key points
Industry experts urge the government to prioritize safety and maintenance over high-speed…: Industry experts urge the government to prioritize safety and maintenance over high-speed line expansion.
Spain lags significantly behind France, Germany, and Italy in the percentage of funds ded…: Spain lags significantly behind France, Germany, and Italy in the percentage of funds dedicated to railway upkeep.
Engineering representatives stress that higher maintenance investments are critical to sa…: Engineering representatives stress that higher maintenance investments are critical to safely sustain Spain's 4,000-kilometer rail network.
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As people still suffering post-traumatic stress watch history repeat itself, experts call for investment in the high-speed network.
Madrid, Spain – “I survived but the mental scars are still there all these years later. We must stop more accidents happening,” says Cristobal Gonalez.
Gonzalez suffered multiple injuries when a high-speed train, which should have been travelling at 80 kilometres per hour (50 miles per hour), hurtled off the line at 200km/h (125mph), killing 80 people.
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The accident in 2013 at Angrois, near Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, remains Spain’s deadliest rail crash.
On Wednesday, 13 years later, at least 69 people were killed when two trains collided near Urda, a town close to Toledo…
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