High-speed train crash near Toledo kills dozens on Spain's Madrid–Seville line; services to Andalusia suspended
The second deadly crash on the same line this year; leaked audio suggests a train was cleared to proceed at normal speed during a signalling failure.
A Renfe AVE train from Madrid to Seville struck the rear of a stationary Iryo train near Urda, in Toledo province, on Wednesday morning, derailing two carriages. The regional government put the toll at 68 on Wednesday, with about 80 injured, Al Jazeera reports; the BBC reported 69 dead by Thursday. The Renfe train carried 397 passengers, the Iryo train 147.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the LZB control system failed around 8:30 a.m. along a 63 km stretch, and the Atocha control centre then let the Renfe train resume "normally," which he called "inexplicable." Leaked recordings published by El País and RTVE, described by the BBC, appear to show the driver being told to proceed at normal speed. Spain declared three days of mourning (Oct. 29-31). It follows a January crash on the same line, involving the same operators, that killed 46.
Rail infrastructure operator ADIF suspended high-speed services between Madrid and Andalusia, El País reported. Instead of assuming normal service on the Madrid–Seville route, travellers should check Renfe's and Iryo's notices before setting out.
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Linienzugbeeinflussung
After exploring Train crash in Spain kills at least 68 people, for the signalling system that failed, read Linienzugbeeinflussung.
Wikipedia explains LZB, the cab-signalling and train-protection system used on some German and Austrian lines and on Spain's AVE network.
Wikipedia · Swim · 30 min
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