The European Union Agency for Railways will provide technical assistance requested by Spanish investigators after the Urda crash, but Spain will retain control of the inquiry. The accident killed 69 people.
The track section rebuilt after the fatal Adamuz collision has developed at least three deformations. Judicial experts have authorised Adif maintenance work and requested records on the repairs and inspections.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo says he will continue travelling by AVE, arguing that calls to avoid the trains damage Spain’s image. Santiago Abascal calls his position irresponsible and backs caution voiced by Juan Manuel Moreno and José Luis Martínez-Almeida.
Feijóo says Pedro Sánchez must also accept political responsibility after Óscar Puente resigned over the Urda rail tragedy. He promises a budget proposal in spring 2027 if the PP wins the 29 November election.
Salvador Illa defended former chief of staff Eduard Rivas after a newly unsealed court file raised questions about contracts awarded in Esparreguera. The parliamentary session also addressed rail safety and Catalonia's network.
Control shifted to a backup local operations post 22 minutes after Monday’s ERTMS outage began. Repairs took 54 minutes, and five high-speed trains ran an average of 20 minutes late.
Three wagons broke loose from a private rail spur in Martorell and struck a Renfe Mercancías locomotive. The driver was taken to a medical centre and was in good condition. Rodalies services were unaffected.
Three cereal wagons broke free from another freight convoy on a private Cargil branch and struck a locomotive cab in Martorell on Tuesday afternoon. The Renfe driver was unhurt and went to hospital for a precautionary examination.
The final two Iryo carriages were lifted from the tracks at Urda and moved to a secure area for canine searches. All 69 victims have been identified; about 50 Civil Guard officers remained at the site on Monday.
Salvador Illa says the Madrid–Barcelona high-speed service should remain open during necessary safety upgrades. The line carries about 40,000 passengers a day; the government is weighing a suspension lasting up to two years.
Adif cited €1.375bn in 2026 maintenance spending across both rail networks. ABC says high-speed maintenance received €438m in 2025, alongside €685m for the conventional network.
At the World in Progress forum in Barcelona, Sánchez outlined a four-part support package for victims of the Urda crash, which killed at least 69 people. The account does not confirm whether the cabinet later approved it.
Bishop José Ignacio Munilla shared a video of Carlos Ortiz speaking to young people after the CEU director was killed in the Urda rail crash. Ortiz’s message centred on Christian faith and the rejection of fear, even in the face of death.
At least 69 people died in the collision near Urda. The judge has barred the removal of material from the railway without court authorisation and ordered investigators to establish who controlled train movements.
The 42-year-old National Police officer from Alcalá de Guadaíra had recently become a father. A provisional count cited after the 28 October collision put the death toll at 69, including 16 victims from Andalusia.
Political scientist Manuel Mostaza says polarisation and cultural differences help explain why Spanish officials resist resigning after disasters. He argues that political responsibility can be demanded even when no crime is established.
Figures supplied for 08:30 on Sunday put 41 injured people in hospital after the Urda train crash, including 16 in intensive care. The death toll stood at 69; 13 victims were still awaiting identification.
Sergio Esteban says access problems at the AVE wreckage ruled out heavy medical units, prompting crews to form an ambulance shuttle in Toledo. The collision left 69 people dead and more than 100 injured.
Semaf has asked the AESF to urgently revise rules governing LZB and ERTMS failures. It wants trains barred from normal running when an outage could leave two trains in the same signalling section.
The Partido Popular’s official X account warned Pedro Sánchez against posting a book or music recommendation during Spain’s three days of official mourning. The Urda rail disaster has killed at least 69 people.
GAD3 president Narciso Michavila says the Urda rail disaster abruptly shifted his election polling. He now says Pedro Sánchez cannot finish first, while Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s PP could beat its 2023 result.
The Telecinco presenters opened Friday’s ¡De viernes! with a tribute to Raúl Triguero after his death in the Urda rail crash. He was travelling to Seville on a work assignment.
Emilio Delgado says two fatal rail accidents in a short period demand political accountability and a deep review of the system. He cites a rise from 15 to as many as 40 trains monitored at once on the Madrid-Seville line.
Tamara González Costa was travelling in carriage 8 of the Renfe train when it crashed in Urda. Her family has confirmed the 31-year-old scientist’s death; researcher Marta Shahbazi was also reported missing.
Juan Ignacio López Espinosa, an architect from A Coruña, was among those killed in the Urda collision. His family travelled to the scene to look for him while authorities worked to identify victims.
Enric Juliana argues that the rail disasters have damaged confidence in Spain's high-speed network and put Óscar Puente's political responsibility under scrutiny. A possible year-long Madrid-Barcelona suspension could deepen the crisis ahead of the 29 November election.
Pedro Sánchez has not asked Óscar Puente to resign, and sources say he does not plan to dismiss him. The minister is due before Congress on 3 November to explain the Urda crash.
Antonio Vázquez, brother of Curro Vázquez and a respected figure in bullfighting, was confirmed among the 69 people killed in Wednesday’s collision near Urda. His family had first received a mistaken report that he was in hospital.
Marta Shahbazi was travelling in carriage 8 to Huelva for a research award when the train crashed at Urda. Her family had no news of her whereabouts and gave DNA samples to the Guardia Civil to help identify missing passengers.
Pimec and Catalonia’s College of Civil Engineers accept that major works are needed but oppose a total shutdown. They want some trains to keep running and say planning must account for passengers and businesses.
The Cambridge embryologist was among those unaccounted for after two trains collided in Urda. Her brother Carlos Shahbazi told EL PAÍS the family had received no news from authorities at the time.
Juan Ignacio López Espinosa, 63, was travelling from Málaga to A Coruña when the AVE collided with an Iryo in Urda. His family had reported him missing on the day of the crash; he was among 69 people killed.
Pedro Sánchez says the crashes at Urda and Adamuz have shattered public confidence in Spain’s rail system. He pledged measures to strengthen high-speed services; 69 people had died in Urda by the time of his visit.
Juan Manuel Parra, an emergency doctor at Hospital de Alcorcón, was travelling on the AVE that collided with an Iryo near Urda. He used a belt as a tourniquet on a passenger with an amputated arm before emergency teams arrived.
Rail workers repeatedly warned Adif of severe staffing gaps at control centres, including Atocha. They reported routinely uncovered emergency shifts and missed breaks as the Government focused scrutiny on the centre after the Urda crash.
