{"id":2579,"date":"2026-02-01T20:43:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T20:43:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579"},"modified":"2026-02-01T20:43:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T20:43:42","slug":"spains-rail-network-under-scrutiny-after-second-deadly-crash-in-three-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579","title":{"rendered":"Spain\u2019s rail network under scrutiny after second deadly crash in three days"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Spain\u2019s rail network is under scrutiny after a commuter train crashed near Barcelona just days after at least 43 people died and 152 were injured in a collision between two high-speed trains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second crash in three days occurred at approximately 9pm on Tuesday when a retaining wall collapsed onto the track near Gelida in the region of Catalonia in north-east Spain, derailing a local train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Olamide, Wizkid - Kai! (Official Video)\" width=\"980\" height=\"735\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7tChMHOrQJM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A trainee driver, named as 27-year-old Fernando Huerta from Seville, was killed and 41 people were injured, five of whom are in a critical condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is believed the wall collapsed as a result of the unusually heavy rainfall that Catalonia is experiencing. However, as a precaution the region\u2019s network was shut down pending inspections, stranding hundreds of thousands of people and causing chaos on the roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emergency responders work at the site of the train derailment accident in Gelida<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Earlier in the day, several people were injured, none seriously, when a train on the Maresme coast north of Barcelona struck a rock on the track. After a delay, the train was able to continue its journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The incidents have prompted Spain\u2019s biggest train drivers union to call for an indefinite strike to demand assurances for the profession\u2019s safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are going to demand criminal liability from those responsible for ensuring safety in the railway infrastructure,\u201d the Semaf union said in a statement on Wednesday. It said it could not accept \u201cthe constant deterioration of the rail network\u201d and was calling for \u201curgent new measures\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the cause of Sunday night\u2019s collision at Adamuz, near C\u00f3rdoba in southern Spain, is not yet clear, the train\u2019s black box recorder revealed that the driver of the high-speed train from M\u00e1laga to Madrid had warned the control centre that he was in trouble moments before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The driver is heard saying: \u201cI\u2019ve got an enganch\u00f3n [a snag] near Adamuz.\u201d According to the train operator Adif, the issue referred to was related to the connection between the train\u2019s operating system and the overhead power source. The control centre tells him to disconnect the train from the power source; the driver replies that he has already done so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He tells the controller to stop all oncoming trains and is told there aren\u2019t any, but only moments later the high-speed train collides with a regional train heading in the other direction. The driver is then heard saying the train has been derailed and calling for emergency services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The two accidents have focused minds on the rail network \u2013 both the nearly 4,000km (2,485 miles) of the super-efficient high-speed AVE network, mostly built with EU funding, and the chronically unreliable and underfunded regional services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The transport minister, \u00d3scar Puente, stressed during an interview with the television station Telecinco that the two accidents were \u201ccompletely unrelated\u201d. But opposition parties have seized the opportunity to pile pressure on the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is too much,\u201d the head of the rightwing Popular party, Alberto N\u00fa\u00f1ez Feij\u00f3o, wrote on X as he demanded an \u201cimmediate clarification\u201d of the state of the nation\u2019s railways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking to reporters on Tuesday before the Barcelona-area crash, the far-right Vox party\u2019s spokesperson Pepa Mill\u00e1n claimed Spaniards were now \u201cafraid to get on a train\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, while the latest accidents raise concerns about safety, according to EU statistics Spain\u2019s rail network is one of Europe\u2019s safest. According to the same report, in 2024 a total of 16 passengers died in accidents on Europe\u2019s rail networks, among them one passenger in Spain. During the same period there were 20,000 deaths on Europe\u2019s roads. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/jan\/21\/spain-rail-network-scrutiny-after-second-train-crash\">(Guardian)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spain\u2019s rail network is under scrutiny after a commuter train crashed near Barcelona just days after at least 43 people died and 152 were injured in a collision between two high-speed trains. The second crash in three days occurred at approximately 9pm on Tuesday when a retaining wall collapsed onto the track near Gelida in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2583,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[115,2907,1377,2906,284],"class_list":["post-2579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-foreign","tag-barcelona","tag-catalonia","tag-europe","tag-rail-network","tag-spain"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Spain\u2019s rail network under scrutiny after second deadly crash in three days - Tona Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Spain\u2019s rail network is under scrutiny after a commuter train crashed near Barcelona just days after at least 43 people died and 152\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Spain\u2019s rail network under scrutiny after second deadly crash in three days - Tona Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Spain\u2019s rail network is under scrutiny after a commuter train crashed near Barcelona just days after at least 43 people died and 152\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Tona Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-01T20:43:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-01T20:43:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/tona.today\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Spain-flag.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"432\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tona.Today\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tona.Today\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/?p=2579#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/?p=2579\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tona.Today\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/76420356652545dc8fd331a11f052477\"},\"headline\":\"Spain\u2019s rail network under scrutiny after second deadly crash in three days\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-01T20:43:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-01T20:43:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/?p=2579\"},\"wordCount\":633,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/?p=2579#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Spain-flag.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Barcelona\",\"Catalonia\",\"Europe\",\"rail network\",\"Spain\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Foreign\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/?p=2579#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/?p=2579\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/?p=2579\",\"name\":\"Spain\u2019s rail network under scrutiny after second deadly crash in three days - Tona Today\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/?p=2579#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/?p=2579#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Spain-flag.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-01T20:43:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-01T20:43:42+00:00\",\"description\":\"Spain\u2019s rail network is under scrutiny after a commuter train crashed near Barcelona just days after at least 43 people died and 152\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/?p=2579#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/?p=2579\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/?p=2579#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Spain-flag.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Spain-flag.jpg\",\"width\":768,\"height\":432,\"caption\":\"Highly detailed animation of the Spanish flag. Seamless loop.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/?p=2579#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Spain\u2019s rail network under scrutiny after second deadly crash in three days\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/\",\"name\":\"Tona Today\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Tona Today\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/cropped-cropped-Your-paragraph-text-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/cropped-cropped-Your-paragraph-text-1.jpg\",\"width\":500,\"height\":117,\"caption\":\"Tona Today\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/76420356652545dc8fd331a11f052477\",\"name\":\"Tona.Today\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/caa7d2f1284ad52494d77a04b46fce0d6bf1fe423c5ef2a52e1d3c44ff2fad10?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/caa7d2f1284ad52494d77a04b46fce0d6bf1fe423c5ef2a52e1d3c44ff2fad10?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/caa7d2f1284ad52494d77a04b46fce0d6bf1fe423c5ef2a52e1d3c44ff2fad10?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Tona.Today\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tona.today\\\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Spain\u2019s rail network under scrutiny after second deadly crash in three days - Tona Today","description":"Spain\u2019s rail network is under scrutiny after a commuter train crashed near Barcelona just days after at least 43 people died and 152","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Spain\u2019s rail network under scrutiny after second deadly crash in three days - Tona Today","og_description":"Spain\u2019s rail network is under scrutiny after a commuter train crashed near Barcelona just days after at least 43 people died and 152","og_url":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579","og_site_name":"Tona Today","article_published_time":"2026-02-01T20:43:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-01T20:43:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":768,"height":432,"url":"https:\/\/tona.today\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Spain-flag.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Tona.Today","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tona.Today","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579"},"author":{"name":"Tona.Today","@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/#\/schema\/person\/76420356652545dc8fd331a11f052477"},"headline":"Spain\u2019s rail network under scrutiny after second deadly crash in three days","datePublished":"2026-02-01T20:43:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-01T20:43:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579"},"wordCount":633,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/tona.today\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Spain-flag.jpg","keywords":["Barcelona","Catalonia","Europe","rail network","Spain"],"articleSection":["Foreign"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579","url":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579","name":"Spain\u2019s rail network under scrutiny after second deadly crash in three days - Tona Today","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/tona.today\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Spain-flag.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-01T20:43:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-01T20:43:42+00:00","description":"Spain\u2019s rail network is under scrutiny after a commuter train crashed near Barcelona just days after at least 43 people died and 152","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/tona.today\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Spain-flag.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/tona.today\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Spain-flag.jpg","width":768,"height":432,"caption":"Highly detailed animation of the Spanish flag. Seamless loop."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?p=2579#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/tona.today\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Spain\u2019s rail network under scrutiny after second deadly crash in three days"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/#website","url":"https:\/\/tona.today\/","name":"Tona Today","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/#organization","name":"Tona Today","url":"https:\/\/tona.today\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/tona.today\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cropped-cropped-Your-paragraph-text-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/tona.today\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cropped-cropped-Your-paragraph-text-1.jpg","width":500,"height":117,"caption":"Tona Today"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/tona.today\/#\/schema\/person\/76420356652545dc8fd331a11f052477","name":"Tona.Today","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/caa7d2f1284ad52494d77a04b46fce0d6bf1fe423c5ef2a52e1d3c44ff2fad10?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/caa7d2f1284ad52494d77a04b46fce0d6bf1fe423c5ef2a52e1d3c44ff2fad10?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/caa7d2f1284ad52494d77a04b46fce0d6bf1fe423c5ef2a52e1d3c44ff2fad10?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Tona.Today"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/tona.today"],"url":"https:\/\/tona.today\/?author=2"}]}},"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tona.today\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tona.today\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tona.today\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tona.today\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tona.today\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2579"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tona.today\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2584,"href":"https:\/\/tona.today\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579\/revisions\/2584"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tona.today\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tona.today\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tona.today\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tona.today\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}