Broken Rail May Have Caused Spanish High-Speed Train Crash
The high-speed train crash that killed 45 people in Spain on Sunday may have been caused by a rail fracture that likely occurred before the accident, based on preliminary findings of a probe into the disaster.
Investigators with Spain’s Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes Ferroviarios identified consistent impact marks on the wheels of several cars, as well as similar marks on trains that had passed through the same section earlier, according to a statement on Friday. This suggests the rail fracture happened before the crash, they said.
The pattern of wheel damage supports a working hypothesis that the broken rail created a step that struck the first wheel of each set, progressively destabilizing the track until it tipped outward, and ultimately causing the following car to derail.
The accident occurred when the last two carriages of a high-speed train traveling to Madrid from Málaga derailed and collided with another train coming in the opposite direction.
The crash sent shockwaves across the country, prompting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to declare three days of national mourning and cancel his planned trip to Davos.
A second train crash occurred a few days later in the Barcelona area, killing one. As a result, train drivers in Spain called for a strike, citing frustrations over maintenance and safety.
The incidents has cast doubts over Spain’s rail system, a source of national pride until this week, and upped pressure on the left-wing administration of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, which manages infrastructure and the main passenger operator through state-owned companies.
The government is under intense scrutiny, with the transport ministry having seen repeated changes at the top and the premier facing regional elections in the coming months.