Spain's rail crisis continues as new incidents affect high-speed and commuter services

New faults on AVE and commuter lines add to the growing list of incidents across Spain's rail network

Spain's rail crisis continues as new incidents on commuter, medium-distance and high-speed lines add to ongoing disruption across the network, following the fatal train crash in Adamuz (Córdoba).

Since this tragic incident, where 45 people lost their lives and 152 people were injured, further incidents in Cartagena, Asturias and on the Rodalies network in Cataluña have raised serious concerns about the rail infrastructure. The incident in Rodiales claimed the life of one driver and left more than 30 injured. The latest issues show the scale of the problems with Spain's rail network. 

Rodalies services in Cataluña are still struggling after the landslide in Gelida forced the network to shut down while train drivers called for safety checks. Services have started to resume, but further faults at the Centro de Tráfico Centralizado at Barcelona's Estació de França are causing repeated cancellations and delays.

Across the network, landslides, power failures and other infrastructure problems continue to cause disruption, with some services temporarily halted.

Protests have been threatened in Barcelona, warning that the ongoing chaos on Rodalies is hitting daily life and the local economy hard.

Delays and disruptions continue throughout Spain

Further disruption has been reported, this time in Bilbao, where some lines have been suspended due to a power outage. This latest incident happened at 8.15am on Tuesday January 27. 

On the high-speed network, services between Madrid and Galicia continue to operate, although Renfe warns that journey times may be longer than usual due to recent adverse weather conditions. As a result, passengers are being offered free changes and refunds if they choose not to travel.

Adif maintains a temporary speed restriction of 160kmh on the Ourense-Santiago section of the line, which is expected to remain in place for around 48 hours. While high-speed trains continue to run, regional services in Galicia remain suspended due to the weather.

On the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed line, Adif confirms that the crack detected near l'Espluga de Francolí (Tarragona) has now been repaired. Following the repair, the maximum speed has been increased to 230 km/h, after having been reduced to 80 km/h as a precaution.

Issues persist on the Madrid-Sevilla high-speed line near Almodóvar del Río (Córdoba). Elsewhere in Andalucía, incidents on the medium-distance line between Córdoba and Jaén continue to affect services, with replacement buses operating between affected stations.

Rail workers in Mallorca are planning partial strikes, saying the service is underfunded, short-staffed and facing ongoing safety problems.

With investigations into the Adamuz crash and the incidents that followed still ongoing, Spain's rail network is under pressure. Passengers should make sure to check travel updates as the disruption continues.

Images: Archive