Sánchez confronts rail safety crisis after second deadly collision

Olive groves lined the track in the central province of Toledo when a high-speed train struck a stationary vehicle from behind on Wednesday morning.

The collision killed 68 people and injured dozens more, marking the second fatal incident on Spain's rail network this year. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez arrived at the site after regional officials confirmed the death toll exceeded 60. He pledged a thorough investigation and improvements to the system, which carries 45 million travelers annually.

Spain's high-speed rail network ranks second in the world only to China by track mileage. The system had operated without a deadly crash for over three decades until January, when 46 people died in southern Spain after a train derailed and hit another. Both incidents involved state-owned RENFE and the private operator IRYO, which began service in 2022 following the liberalization of the market in 2021.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente attributed the crash to human error at a central command center rather than the train engineers. A computer malfunction stopped the security system on a 63-kilometer stretch of track at 8:30 a.m., halting all trains. Minutes later, command officials told the RENFE train to resume movement without speed restrictions. The train collided with the stopped IRYO vehicle at 8:53 a.m., despite an active stop signal on the line.

The disaster complicates the political landscape for Sánchez, who called for early elections earlier this month. His government declared three days of national mourning starting Thursday. Polls indicate a challenging race ahead for the Socialist party, which had sought to capitalize on public discontent regarding housing costs. The crash adds rail safety to the list of issues Sánchez must address alongside migration policy and corruption accusations.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the Popular Party, demanded a full investigation and canceled his party's campaign events for the day. He stated that respecting the victims took precedence, though Spaniards were asking tough questions. Santiago Abascal of the far-right Vox party criticized the government more sharply, calling it a criminal organization and promising to work until it faced a courtroom.

Rescue crews worked through the night to clear the wreckage. Hundreds of emergency workers, firefighters, police, and soldiers assisted in recovering bodies and treating survivors. Cranes began moving damaged train parts late Wednesday as the site remained active.