Spain Investigates Fatal High-Speed Train Collision Near Toledo

MADRID, Oct 29 (OPA) — A Renfe AVE train struck a stationary Iryo train at 8:53 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28, near Urda in Toledo province. The crash occurred on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line, marking the second major rail disaster in Spain this year following a January accident in Adamuz that resulted in 46 deaths.

Preliminary investigations center on a computer failure that disabled the LZB safety system at 8:30 a.m., affecting six trains. Communications logs indicate that at 8:36 a.m., an Adif controller at Madrid’s Atocha station authorized the AVE to resume travel under normal conditions. Despite reports from the Iryo driver at 8:48 a.m. that her train remained stationary, the AVE was not ordered to stop before the impact 25 kilometers later.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the decision to allow the AVE to resume normal speed as inexplicable. The LZB system, which has monitored traffic on the line since the 1990s, is currently slated for replacement by the modern European ERTMS standard. Investigators are now analyzing black box data and control center logs to determine why safety protocols failed to prevent the collision.

The Court of First Instance and Preliminary Investigation No. 2 in Orgaz has assumed jurisdiction over the case, imposing a strict perimeter around the crash site. Authorities have seized the trains' black boxes and are collecting evidence from the Atocha control center. An independent technical commission will run alongside the judicial inquiry to issue safety recommendations.