The LZB safety system failed on Wednesday morning, 28 October 2026, stopping about eight trains in the area around Urda, Toledo. Shortly after 9 a.m., two high-speed trains travelling from Madrid towards Seville collided on the Madrid-Andalusia line: a Renfe service struck the rear of a stationary Iryo. At least 30 people were reported dead, while Castilla-La Mancha authorities initially confirmed 10 deaths and warned that the toll could rise.
Early hypotheses point to a possible error by an Adif operator after the main signalling system failed. RTVE reported that trains were operating under the alternative Bloqueo de Señalización Lateral, known as BSL or lateral signalling block, after a failure in the LZB train-protection system. The system is automated; when it breaks down, control switches to manual operation. Investigators have not established the cause of the collision.
According to the initial account, the control centre switched to manual mode and instructed trains to resume their journeys. The Iryo failed to start and remained on the track. Despite the obstruction, a controller at Atocha ordered the AVE behind it to move forward. The AVE hit the Iryo from behind. CNBC cited preliminary reports that the moving train was travelling at more than 100 kilometres per hour, though investigators have not determined its final speed.
The impact left several carriages destroyed on an embankment, and two Iryo carriages were reported to have derailed. Adif suspended high-speed traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia corridor as rescue operations and investigations continued. The central government fears the death toll could rise, and sources in both the central government and Castilla-La Mancha expect more fatalities. Emergency services asked Urda mayor Manuel Galán to prepare a sports hall for injured people.
Renfe activated its Plan de Asistencia a las Víctimas de Accidentes Ferroviarios y a sus Familiares, known as PAVAFF, and made 900 10 10 20 available. Iryo provided 655 28 69 75, while Castilla-La Mancha’s 112 emergency service activated 900 122 112.
The rail incident is separate from the political story covered in the PP-Vox Senate talks; the supplied information gives no connection between the two.
