Wednesday’s collision between two high-speed trains in central Spain was the second fatal crash in nine months on a network long held up as a national success story PARIS -- Wednesday’s deadly collision between two high-speed trains in central Spain was the second fatal crash in nine months on a network that has long been a source of national pride. Spain has spent decades building Europe’s largest high-speed rail network, second only to China’s. Until this year, there had been no fatal incidents on its dedicated high-speed lines since the network opened in 1992, officials said.
That ended with the disaster near Adamuz, which killed 46 people in January. That crash and Wednesday's both involved trains run by the state-owned company RENFE and private company IRYO on the track linking Madrid with the Andalusia region. The year has also seen fatal incidents on a commuter line near Barcelona and at a railroad crossing in central Spain.
A look at four fatal train incidents in Spain this year: Two high-speed trains, both traveling from Madrid to Seville, collided near Urda, in Toledo province, killing at least 68 people and injuring dozens more, regional authorities said. One train struck the rear of another that had stopped, derailing two cars. The crash halted high-speed services between Madrid and Andalusia.
An Iryo train traveling from Malaga to Madrid derailed near Adamuz, in southern Spain, and collided with an oncoming Renfe train heading to Huelva. Forty-six people were killed and more than 100 injured. The impact sent the Renfe train’s first two cars down an embankment.
Investigators’ preliminary findings indicated that a fracture in the rail appeared to predate the derailment. A commuter train crashed near Gelida, outside Barcelona, after a retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks during heavy rain. One person was killed and 41 were injured, according to the Spanish government.
The accident came two days after the Adamuz disaster and was followed by a suspension of Catalonia’s Rodalies commuter services. A passenger train traveling from Madrid to Badajoz struck a car at a railroad crossing near Talavera de la Reina, in Toledo province. The car’s driver was killed.
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