More than 200 Guardia Civil officers were at the Urda crash site on Thursday as rescue teams worked among the wreckage. The reported death toll remains at least 68, with 53 people injured, including 15 in serious condition. The collision occurred at about 8:30 a.m. near kilometre 118 of the Madrid-to-Seville line, when a Renfe AVE train struck the rear of a stopped Iryo service travelling south from Madrid. The impact derailed rear carriages, and one fell down an embankment.
The rail disruption is affecting journeys between Madrid and Andalusia, including services to Seville and Córdoba, as well as Málaga. Renfe has stopped selling high-speed tickets through 13 December, but Sofía Buera said the suspension could end earlier if Adif restores circulation. The date marks a sales limit; it does not confirm that trains will remain out of service until then.
A replacement transport plan is due to begin on Friday 30.
Buera said the plan will combine train and bus legs, with passengers switching between the two modes at a point along the route. Adif’s role in restoring rail circulation remains central to when train travel can resume.
Airlines are adding capacity. Iberia plans three extra flights on Thursday and has capped fares after prices rose amid demand for travel between Seville and Madrid, according to Buera. The fare ceilings are €99 in economy and €149 in business class for eligible tickets through 8 November. Air Europa has announced an additional flight between Málaga and Seville from Friday.
Coach operators are also expanding services. Confebus said some of its member companies had increased available seats fivefold. BlaBlaCar also saw heavy activity on Wednesday. A separate non-profit initiative is connecting drivers with spare seats to people seeking trips between Madrid and Andalusia, without charging users or taking a commission.
For further context on the collision, an earlier Adif audio report examined communications before the crash. Investigators are examining how the Renfe train was authorised to proceed while a 63-kilometre section of signalling or safety equipment was out of service following a computer malfunction. The Guardia Civil and Spain’s rail accident investigation commission, CIAF, questioned the Adif traffic-control operator responsible for the line. A judge requested the trains’ black boxes, and investigators were instructed to collect traffic data and operating protocols from Madrid-Puerta de Atocha’s control centre.
At Urda, recovery and investigation work continued overnight. Crews moved one carriage that had fallen down an embankment after the collision between the two passenger trains. Guardia Civil officers were inspecting the site with heavy cranes, while patrols searched the surrounding area in case a victim had become disoriented. The force also deployed aerial drones, alongside anti-drone and detection services. Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the cause as human error, while the Guardia Civil and CIAF investigation remained open.
