Spain rail crash: Control center flaw under scrutiny

Madrid, Oct 31 (EFE).- A failure in railway operator Adif’s control system is at the center of the investigation into the collision between a Renfe train and an Iryo train in Urda, Toledo, which has killed 69 people in Spain’s deadliest high-speed rail accident.

The investigation is focusing on the response of the control centre after the LZB safety system failed on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line, and on the decision to authorize one train to resume its journey while the other remained stopped further ahead.

High-speed rail services, defined as those operating above 250 kilometers per hour, have recorded their only two fatal accidents in Spain’s history this year, since the network began operating in 1992. The Urda crash claimed 69 lives, while 46 people died in an accident in Adamuz, Córdoba, last January.

What happened before the collision?

According to Transport Minister Óscar Puente, the following timeline is based strictly on the visual and audio recordings examined by investigators:

8:31 a.m. The LZB system failed along a 63-kilometer stretch of the Madrid-Seville high-speed line because of a communication problem between computer systems at the control centre in Urda.

All trains on the affected section came to an immediate stop, and the line switched to what railway protocols describe as «degraded conditions.» Responsibility for managing traffic then passed to Adif’s Regulation and Control Centre in Atocha, Madrid.

A backup arrangement came into operation, using the lateral signaling block system, known as BSL, and the automatic signaling and braking system, ASFA.

Under these conditions, a train must not be authorized to enter a section already occupied by another train. If movement is permitted, it must follow a «visual approach» procedure, with a maximum speed of 40 km/h, allowing the driver to stop before any obstacle.

8:36 a.m. The control centre authorized AVE train 2080 to resume its journey under normal operating conditions, at a speed well above the 40 km/h limit applicable under the degraded operating procedure.

8:41 a.m. The control centre authorized Iryo train 6066 to resume its journey, but the train was unable to move and remained stopped.

8:48 a.m. Iryo contacted the control centre to report that it could not resume its journey. The centre received the message but took no action, according to the minister’s account.

By then, the AVE train was already moving. It travelled around 25 kilometers and exceeded 160 km/h before colliding with the stationary Iryo train at 8:53 a.m.

Why did the LZB system fail?

The LZB system is owned by Hitachi, which must obtain judicial authorization to examine the system logs and determine the cause of the failure.

Such incidents are not unprecedented. There have been 170 failures of this type so far this year, a figure that Puente said was in line with the European average.

The minister described LZB as a highly reliable and robust system, used in countries with extensive railway experience, including Germany.

Why is the system being replaced?

The LZB system is installed on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line, but is due to be replaced by the more modern European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS).

The change is required under European regulations governing the Trans-European Transport Network, which set 2040 as the latest deadline for implementing ERTMS.

On the Madrid-Seville line, the new system is expected to become operational in early 2027, around 12 months later than originally planned.

Was there human error?

Puente said Friday that he had not used the term «human error.»

However, on the day of the accident, he described as «obviously erroneous» the control centre’s decision to authorize the Renfe train to resume its journey despite the Iryo train remaining stopped further ahead.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has acknowledged that public confidence in the railway system has been «broken» by the accident.

Puente has also recognized the loss of confidence but said it was possible to restore it. He described the accident as an exceptionally rare event, arguing that Spain’s railway system remained safe.

The minister said public confidence depended not only on safety but also on reliability and punctuality.

«The accident makes us reflect on everything we are offering to citizens, and I believe that one way to regain confidence is not only through safety, but also through reliability and punctuality,» he said. EFE

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