- A rear-end collision near Urda on 28 October 2026 killed at least 68 people.
- An LZB control system failure halted trains across 60 to 69 kilometres of track.
- A manual order allowed the Renfe train to resume before it struck the Iryo service.
- Two carriages left the tracks and fell down an embankment.
- The crash was Spain’s second fatal high-speed rail disaster in under ten months.
Spain’s high-speed rail network has come under severe scrutiny following a fatal rear-end collision near Urda in Toledo province on 28 October 2026 that killed at least 68 people and injured more than 100 others. The crash on the Madrid to Seville high-speed line marks the country’s second fatal high-speed rail disaster in under ten months. Rail operator Adif suspended traffic on the Madrid to Andalusia line following the incident.
The collision occurred when a state-operated Renfe AVE train struck a stationary Iryo train travelling in the opposite direction. An automatic control system malfunction affecting the LZB train management system went down across 60 to 69 kilometres of track, forcing trains in the zone to halt. A traffic control centre then issued a manual order allowing the Renfe train to resume its journey. Transport Minister Oscar Puente described the decision to resume traffic under those conditions as inexplicable. The Renfe train struck the stalled Iryo service 17 minutes later. Two carriages left the tracks and fell down an embankment.
Trade unions have noted that the multi-operator market introduced after liberalisation in 2021 increased traffic by 40pc over five years, putting strain on rail infrastructure and safety margins. The disaster struck one day before a planned 24-hour national strike by Spain’s largest train drivers’ union, which had sought technical fixes for rolling stock reliability and better channels for workers to flag safety threats. The crash occurred four weeks before Spain’s national election on 29 November 2026, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez suspended election campaigning to declare three days of official mourning.
