Cause of deadly Spain train crash emerges as investigators point to ‘human error’

The crash may have involved manual signalling mistake

The crash occurred at approximately 9am on Wednesday in Toledo province, between the towns of Los Yébenes and Urda. 

Early reports suggest the disaster may have involved a mistake made by railway staff while the system was operating under abnormal conditions.

The main theory being considered by government sources centres on a possible error by an Adif operator after the primary signalling system stopped working. 

Under normal circumstances, automated safety technology helps control train movements. When the system fails, however, railway staff may have to manage traffic manually.

The reported malfunction brought around eight trains to a standstill in the area on Wednesday morning.

As reported by Spanish newspaper El País, investigators are now looking at whether the disruption led to a Renfe service being given permission to move along the line while an Iryo train remained in its path.

Initial accounts indicate that the instruction may have come from an operator working at Madrid’s Atocha control centre. 

If confirmed, the decision could help explain how the two services ended up colliding.

The impact was a rear-end crash, although the speed of the trains at the time has not yet been determined.

Rail workers’ union had called for route audit before the crash

The crash has also renewed scrutiny of the railway line itself, with questions emerging over whether its infrastructure and systems for controlling train movements are fit for purpose.

Rafael Escudero, general secretary of the Railway Workers’ Union, has urged the public to wait for the findings of the official investigation before drawing firm conclusions. 

However, he believes the possibility of failures in rail traffic management should be treated as a priority, pointing out that similar concerns were raised following the Adamuz accident.

Escudero also said the union had been calling for a formal audit of the route for some time. He questioned whether the condition of the line adequately reflects the investment that has gone into modernising it.

For the moment, the exact cause remains unconfirmed.