The tragedies in Adamuz and Gelida in January, which caused 47 fatalities, cast doubt on the entire Spanish railway system, not only because the accidents called into question the maintenance and safety of the network, but also because since then train travel has not been the same. In Catalonia, Rodalies still suffers from line closures, speed restrictions and service delays, and high-speed journey times have lengthened. Trips from Barcelona to Madrid now take half an hour longer due to the system, and there are unexpected delays and stops on the tracks without anyone providing any explanation to users. The reason is the speed restrictions imposed by the ministry – especially on the Zaragoza-Calatayud stretch – following incidents reported by train drivers. What complaints are we talking about? Were there more incidents than usual after Adamuz? Did the labor dispute between the Semaf union and the ministry, which ended in a strike, have anything to do with it? And more importantly, what actions has Transport taken to resolve the state of the infrastructure? ARA made a transparency request to the Spanish government to clarify these points, but the request has been rejected. In other words, the public administration has refused to release this information, and the Communications Department of the Ministry of Transport refers to the official response given through the transparency process.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office will also investigate the tragic train accident in Adamuz, Córdoba. in which 46 people died on January 18thSpecifically, the European Union Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation into possible fraud involving European funds in the maintenance of the high-speed rail line connecting Madrid and Seville, the section where the accident occurred. "This exceptional confirmation comes after significant public interest. No further details will be made public at this stage," stated the European Public Prosecutor's Office in Madrid. This EU body is responsible for investigating crimes that may affect the EU's financial interests. In this case, according to EFE, the investigation seeks to determine whether there was embezzlement and misappropriation of European aid in the use of European funds. SER reports that the investigation is looking into whether there was misappropriation in the management of the more than €100 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) allocated to these works. The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, has confirmed that the European Public Prosecutor's Office has been investigating the accident since it occurred. In his opinion, the agency intervenes in "all cases involving European funds." "For whatever reason, it's being presented today as a major development, but it isn't," he stated in a social media post. On January 30, European prosecutors Luis Miguel Jiménez Crespo and Juan José Navas Blánquez requested from the Ministry of Transport "all signed contracts and the corresponding file numbers related to the section of the railway network where the accident occurred." Meanwhile, the investigation into the causes of the accident is being conducted by an investigating court in Andalusia.

Problems are piling up on the high-speed rail line between Madrid and Barcelona. Adif, the infrastructure manager, which has been working for days to correct all the defects in the train network, has asked all operators serving this line to cancel the last trains of the day to allow more time for on-site work. In practical terms, this means that starting this Monday, there will be no high-speed service between Barcelona and Madrid after 8:00 p.m. This situation will only affect this corridor, and the Ministry of Transport has not yet specified how long it will last. Renfe, Iryo, and Ouigo have already canceled the last trains of the day because, with all the speed limits that had been established for safetyHigh-speed train journeys are so long that the last trains of the day occupy part of the nighttime maintenance slot. While there is no commercial service, workers thoroughly inspect and repair the infrastructure, and sources at Adif (Spain's railway infrastructure manager) indicate that there is not enough time to carry out the "adequate" checks. Renfe, which operates the AVE high-speed train service, has explained that it is canceling the journeys that departed from Madrid (Atocha station) at 8:27 p.m. and 9:07 p.m. and arrived at Sants station at midnight. Trains departing from Barcelona (Sants) at 9:05 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. and arriving at Atocha station shortly before midnight have also been canceled. "Automatic rebookings have been made for passengers affected by these cancellations," the company explained.

The Catalan phrase "to call for bad times"It refers to the doomsayer or the jinx: the one who predicts misfortunes. In Spain, and in Catalonia, it is usually the one who does the opposite who attracts misfortune. That is, "calls good weather." In other words, they see the sky as bright and clear without knowing (or knowing, even worse) that storm clouds are approaching.

"I'm informing you that we're stopped. We'll resume our journey shortly, but we don't know when. We're stopped due to traffic on the network and the snow. And also due to structural problems." This message, issued this afternoon by a driver of a high-speed train stopped between Barcelona and Madrid, reflects the chaos on the AVE high-speed rail lines in recent hours. This chaos adds to the disruption experienced in recent days on the Cercanías commuter rail network. Furthermore, flights departing from Madrid are also experiencing delays this Wednesday due to the snowstorm.

Catalonia is experiencing an unprecedented situation this week. The commuter rail service, crucial for ensuring mobility throughout the country, was suspended for two days following an accident that resulted in the death of a train driver. Due to the same accident, the AP-7, the highway that crosses the country from south to north and is the main route for freight exports, remained closed for more than 24 hours southbound. This mobility chaos has exposed the weaknesses of public transport infrastructure that is nearing collapse due to a number of factors, including a long-standing lack of investment and the effects of climate change.

It was supposed to be temporary, but it will ultimately last longer than expected. Adif has decided to maintain the temporary speed restriction on the Barcelona-Madrid high-speed rail line following a complaint from a train driver, even though early Wednesday morning it announced that service was returning to normal along almost the entire route. However, this is not the only section affected after the Adamuz accident, where the condition of the tracks is being investigated as a possible cause of the crash: sources at La Moncloa (the Prime Minister's office) have reported that speed will also be restricted on the Valencia-Madrid route due to complaints from another train driver. In the case of the section affecting Barcelona, ​​the speed will be limited to 160 kilometers per hour on a stretch between kilometer markers 100 and 178, between Madrid and Zaragoza, out of a total distance of 667 kilometers. This decision was made after a Renfe train driver "complained about the track."

Adif reversed course hours after lifting the speed limit on the Barcelona-Madrid high-speed rail line and announcing that it would only remain in place at four points, where trains must travel at 230 km/h instead of 300 km/h. Adif sources reported that, following a complaint from a train driver who "reported the alleged poor condition of several sections of the track," they were forced to reinstate the speed limit to 160 km/h on another stretch. This means reinstating the measure that was already applied Tuesday afternoon to 150 kilometers of this 667-kilometer line, which had been lifted early Wednesday morning. From now on, the 160 km/h limit will be applied again on a section between kilometer markers 100 and 178, between Madrid and Zaragoza.

The word "dead" hadn't even appeared in the headlines about the train derailment in Córdoba when the Spanish right wing was already seizing the opportunity with its usual rapacious zeal. Its political leaders used Twitter to gauge how to exploit the tragedy. The most aggressive was Abascal, who sees himself as the moral leader of the so-called new right in Spain (in reality, it's as old as the hills). He also acted as quickly as possible: at 10:48 p.m. on Sunday, he had already published his tweet. The Vox leader established a causal link between Sánchez's government and the events: "(...) I cannot trust the actions of this government. Nothing works under corruption and lies," he wrote, or rather, was written to him. The party, financed by Iranian opposition groups, wants to present itself as a guardian of integrity and transparency.

The derailment of two high-speed trains – an Iryo and an Alvia operated by Renfe – in Adamuz (Córdoba) has so far left 40 dead and 152 injured. The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, must... warned that the figure "is not final" and the president of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, fears More victims will be found when the crane lifts the wrecked train cars. In fact, he explained that the force of the collision was such that bodies have been found "hundreds of meters from the point of impact." Furthermore, eleven adults and one child are in the ICU, and another 36 people are hospitalized in different hospitals for injuries sustained in the accident. So far, 74 injured people have been discharged. "The impact has been very strong," admitted Moreno, who expressed his gratitude for the outpouring of support that Andalusia is receiving.

They are more expensive but also faster trains. This has made them the preferred alternative for many users who have given up on the chaotic Cercanías commuter rail system and switched to the Avant trains. So much so that in the last year and a half, demand for this service has surged. "I have to buy tickets well in advance to make sure I can get to work and back. And sometimes I can't find seats on the trains that best suit my schedule," explains Laura, who has to travel between Valls and Barcelona almost every day. Her case is identical to that of other passengers in Tarragona, Girona, and Lleida. "Here in Lleida, you either buy Avant tickets three or four weeks in advance or you won't find any," confirms Kevin Bruque, a user and spokesperson for the Avant Catalunya Users platform.

The Spanish Congress of Deputies voted this Thursday in favor of reinstating the criteria for compensation for delays on Renfe's high-speed and long-distance trains. Specifically, thanks to the votes of Vox, Junts, ERC, Podemos, and the BNG, an amendment proposed by the PP (People's Party) was approved. sustainable mobility lawThe original criteria for compensation to AVE (high-speed train) users in cases of delays exceeding 15 minutes have been reinstated. Renfe, however, is already exploring ways to maintain the current compensation rates, approved in 2024, which only cover delays of at least 60 minutes. Sources at the Spanish rail operator confirm they are evaluating the legal framework to continue applying the existing compensation rates, which "remain the most advantageous in the sector." Company sources explain that the AVE is a commercial service covered by the 2015 railway sector law, which stipulates that it "must be provided under free competition and equal conditions with other operators." "It is unclear why this amendment only seeks to penalize Renfe, a Spanish public company, and not Ouigo or Iryo [...]. Making this demand of a single company, in a competitive environment like that of commercial services, condemns the company and its workers to compete at a disadvantage," company sources indicate. According to the amendment, starting next year, passengers who experience a delay of more than 15 minutes could claim a 50% discount on the ticket price, a percentage that will increase to 100% if the delay exceeds 30 minutes. The change represents a reversal of the elimination of compensation for 15- and 30-minute train delays, which had been implemented to only maintain compensation for delays of at least 60 minutes. Free transport in the Balearic and Canary Islands

The People's Party (PP) had opposed this criterion from the outset and took advantage of the passage of the Sustainable Mobility Law through the Senate, where it holds an absolute majority, to introduce an amendment that would force Renfe to reinstate its previous compensation policy. The Ministry of Transport, headed by Óscar Puente, also questioned the amendment, suggesting that its legal viability "needs to be examined" because it affects a company like Renfe compared to its competitors on high-speed lines, such as Iryo and Ouigo. The law, which incorporates contributions from virtually all parties, includes—through a Senate amendment endorsed by the Congress—free public transport in the Balearic and Canary Islands. Other significant amendments introduced by the PP in the Senate failed to garner enough votes to pass in the Congress, including those to freeze airport fees charged by Aena to airlines and to eliminate the "final cessation date" of the useful life of the Almaraz nuclear power plant, in Extremadura.

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High-speed rail continues to add more routes. Ouigo was the operator that inaugurated liberalization in Spain, launching the route between Barcelona and Madrid in mid-2021. Four years later, the numbers speak for themselves, with a drop in ticket prices and an unprecedented increase in ridership, filling stations to capacity. With the corridor between the two capitals beginning to show signs of wear, the French company, a subsidiary of the SNCF group, will launch a new connection that will allow passengers to reach Seville without changing trains.

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Until a few years ago, there was no doubt. When you wanted to take a high-speed train, it was always an AVE (High Speed Train). All you had to do was fight with the Renfe website to get the tickets you wanted, after refreshing a page that easily crashed a thousand times. However, not much was done because, at that time, traveling between Barcelona and Madrid by AVE was too expensive. Despite it being a short and comfortable journey, people often ended up choosing to travel by plane, unless the company paid.

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In just one month, high-speed rail users between Barcelona and Madrid are clear: the elimination of Renfe's AVLO trains has skyrocketed prices. This has been seen by those traveling from one city to another, but also by those who took advantage of the railway operator's low-cost option to reach the Catalan capital from Tarragona, at a better price compared to the AVE.

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Change of strategy on the high-speed corridor between Barcelona and Madrid, the main one in all of Spain. Renfe abandons the low cost After all the problems experienced by the Talgo trains operating this service, which forced the temporary suspension of service at the end of July, the railway operator will maintain the low-cost service on the remaining corridors served by the AVLOs, which connect Madrid with Andalusia and Galicia, despite operating on the same Talgo model.

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Trains are experiencing a golden age, with record-breaking years in a row and stations packed to the rafters. Everything accelerated after the pandemic, coinciding with the liberalization of high-speed trains that began in May 2021 with the arrival of the French operator Ouigo to cover the Barcelona-Madrid route, a corridor that had only been served by Renfe's AVE (High Speed Trains) for more than ten years. A month later, Renfe's low-cost option, AVLO, came into operation, and in 2022, it was the turn of the Italian company Iryo, which over the years extended competition to the rest of Spain's corridors. This competition has driven down ticket prices, while boosting ridership and leading to more incidents on routes that were not usually problematic.

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Sabotage and a breakdown on the high-speed line between Madrid and Seville have complicated travel between the Spanish capital and the south of Spain since last night, affecting at least 10,700 commuters and delaying around thirty trains. The incidents were caused by the theft of copper cables at five locations in the province of Toledo. The Civil Guard has already opened an investigation to clarify the events and identify those responsible, while Adif's legal services are drafting a complaint, according to the Ministry of Transport. By early Monday afternoon, more than 70% of service had been restored, and the forecast is to reach 100% service between 2 and 4 p.m.

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Among the many commuters who were unable to take the AVE (High Speed Train) from Barcelona to Madrid yesterday—a thousand of whom remain stranded in the Catalan capital, according to the Catalan government—was a familiar face, actor Viggo Mortensen. This morning, after sleeping at a friend's house, he returned to Sants station hoping to travel to the Spanish capital. He did so wearing a sweatshirt with the Ukrainian coat of arms and carrying the ARA newspaper under his arm.

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The first tickets for the new direct train between Barcelona and Seville went on sale this week. This new high-speed service without transfers between Andalusia, Aragon, and Catalonia will begin on April 23, just three days before the Copa del Rey final between Barça and Madrid is played in the Andalusian city. It is added to the existing lines. From Barcelona, ​​for example, direct trains to Seville already departed daily at 8:30 a.m. and 3:17 p.m.

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