A technical glitch followed by a series of alleged human errors at a railway control centre may have led to a devastating collision between two high-speed trains in Spain, killing 68.According to Spanish news outlet El Diario, the incident began around 8.30am on Wednesday when a computer malfunction knocked out the LZB train control system on a 69-km stretch of track. The failure automatically stopped several trains, including an Iryo service and a state-owned Renfe AVE train travelling behind it.However, instead of requiring the AVE train to proceed at a restricted speed, the control centre at Madrid’s Atocha station allegedly instructed its driver to resume the journey at normal speed. The train was travelling at high speed when it struck the stationary Iryo train from behind at around 8.53am near Urda, in central Spain.El Diario, citing audio recordings of conversations between train drivers and the control centre, reported that the operator appeared to have authorised the resumption of services without applying the necessary safety precautions. The recordings raised questions about whether the operator had misread the relevant protocol and failed to account for the position of the Iryo train.When the LZB system is unavailable, railway procedures require trains to operate under trackside signalling, with drivers proceeding at sight speed. According to El Diario, industry sources said this means travelling at no more than 40 kmph, allowing drivers to react to obstructions ahead. A high-speed train travelling at around 200 kmph, by contrast, can require more than a kilometre to stop.The report also highlighted a second missed opportunity to prevent the collision. About five minutes after the AVE train was authorised to resume its journey, the Iryo driver contacted the control centre to report that her train remained stopped because of the signalling problem. She was also told to continue at normal speed once able to do so.Despite the communication, there was no indication in the recordings that the control centre warned the AVE driver about the stationary train ahead. The AVE travelled approximately 25 km before the collision.Transport minister Óscar Puente described the decision to allow the AVE train to resume at normal speed as “inexplicable”. The investigation by the Civil Guard and Spain’s Railway Accident Investigation Commission is expected to establish how the technical failure and decisions at the control centre contributed to the disaster.The crash is Spain’s second deadly high-speed rail accident this year, following a January collision that killed 46 people. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pledged a full investigation and improvements to restore public confidence in the country’s rail network.
