The black boxes of the two trains that crashed on January 18 in Adamuz (Córdoba) reveal that between the derailment of the Iryo train and collision with the Alvia trainOnly fifteen seconds passed, according to a statement released Tuesday evening by the Railway Accident Investigation Commission (CIAF). Specifically, the black boxes provide information about the most critical 43 seconds of the accident, between 7:43 p.m. and 7:44 p.m., when the two trains collided while traveling below the permitted speed (250 km/h). The starting point where the Iryo train derailed and occupied the other track (from the Loma del Partidor Norte tunnel to the Adamuz South switch) coincides with the "track where the rail fracture was located," the CIAF indicates. The investigation states that at 19:43:29 hours, an electrical disconnection of the train's motor occurred, "the first anomaly detected as a symptom of the derailment," while fifteen seconds later (at 19:43:44 hours), the Alvia train's black box "stopped recording." This moment, therefore, "presumably corresponds to the moment of the collision between the two trains," according to an initial analysis of the black boxes, which reveals that the derailment triggered an automatic emergency braking of the Alvia through the LZB safety system (a railway safety system). Temperature alarm

According to the CIAF (Spanish Railway Infrastructure Manager), the disconnection was presumably related to "voltage disturbances or a lack of contact between the pantograph and the overhead contact line," being the first anomaly detected as a symptom of the derailment. At the time of the disconnection, which occurred through the opening of the circuit breaker, the Iryo train was traveling at 205 km/h. Four seconds after this first derailment, the Iryo was on track circuit 645, but a temperature alarm was registered in the grease boxes of car 8, "presumably because it was already derailed." "This alarm triggers the activation of the train's brakes, and the train is braking," the CIAF reports, adding that at 19:43:37, eight seconds after the derailment, switch A645 was not checked.

]]>

A month and a half later tragic train accident in Adamuz The investigation into the train crash—which resulted in 46 deaths—is ongoing, and all hypotheses regarding the causes remain open. In a report submitted to the court overseeing the investigation and signed on February 17, the Civil Guard admitted that it did not yet have sufficient evidence to completely rule out or confirm any of the possibilities. Precisely in response to this report, the investigating magistrate authorized officers on Monday to review the data from the black boxes and the surveillance camera footage from the two trains involved in the accident. One hypothesis that remains open and strong is that the cause of the crash was a problem with the railway infrastructure. Investigators are certain that a rail and a weld broke, but so far they have not been able to determine whether the rail break caused the weld to fail, or vice versa. In any case, the reasons for this breakage would also need to be clarified, and the Civil Guard is considering several possibilities. On one hand, there is the possibility that a defective rail caused the derailment of the Iryo train, which collided with the Alvia train traveling in the opposite direction. Investigators have requested data from Adif (Spain's railway infrastructure manager) regarding the batch of rails used on this section to clarify the matter. Another possibility is that a rail weld was defective and broke, so the Civil Guard has also requested information on the workers who performed the welding.

]]>

The Secretary of State for Transport, José Antonio Santano, has reacted in the controversy generated by the alleged removal of railway equipment from the area of ​​the Adamuz accident in January, "under cover of darkness and without judicial authorization." In a public appearance this Tuesday in Barcelona, ​​Santano denied any wrongdoing and defended Adif's work.

]]>

"Based on the above and as of the current date, this possibility cannot be definitively ruled out, pending the completion of the remaining information to be gathered." This is one of the most repeated phrases in the Civil Guard's initial report on the cause of the accident. from Adamuz, which on January 18 caused the death of 46 people and left more than 150 injuredThe document, to which ARA has had access, presents up to eight hypotheses that could have caused the tragic accident, and, for the moment, the police force explains that they do not have enough information to rule any of them out.

]]>

The political truce that prevailed during the first hours of the Adamuz and Gelida tragedy is now history. As the days have passed, the PP's discourse has become increasingly... in crescendo When it comes to demanding accountability for the accidents, which have been compounded by the railway chaos in Catalonia and the AVE high-speed train speed restrictions, the PP's leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, directly blamed Spanish President Pedro Sánchez for the accidents on Wednesday and predicted that his government "will be in the dock" for the train tragedy. "They played Russian roulette with our safety; this was an avoidable accident, not an unforeseeable catastrophe," the PP leader declared. He said this after Sánchez appeared before Congress to explain his government's handling of the accidents, in which he defended the Andalusian case, stating that all maintenance controls were "scrupulously" followed, although he acknowledged that protocols "are not infallible" and that quality standards are not always met.

]]>

Last Friday, the president of the Valencian Generalitat, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, accused the Moncloa Palace (the Spanish Prime Minister's office) of treating the victims of the DANA storm as "second-class victims." His argument was that the victims of the Adamuz and Gelida train accidents would receive three times the compensation of those killed in the storm. "It's very sad and regrettable," he complained. But that's not the case. Shortly afterward, the Spanish government's delegate in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé, criticized him for the "indignity" of equating two catastrophes that "are not comparable." Even the associations of victims of the DANA storm have had to step in to refute him. The crux of the matter is that the victims of both tragedies can receive direct, non-refundable aid from the Spanish government of 72,000 euros. In other words, they receive the same amount of public money. What differs is the insurance system linked to railway tragedies, which is paid for by the insurance companies. These amounts, although not paid by the State, will be advanced in the case of Adamuz by the Moncloa Palace to prevent them from arriving years later, as on other occasions.

]]>

Time. This is the factor that will now determine the restoration of normal rail service in Spain, and particularly in Catalonia, where the commuter rail network has been mired in chaos for days. This was reiterated by the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, during his appearance before Congress this Tuesday: "The rail network isn't a teapot. It can't be fixed in two days," stated Puente, who, five days after appearing before the Senate regarding the Adamúz (Córdoba) train accident—also a fatal accident in Gelida—repeated the procedure in the lower house of the Spanish Parliament. Puente appeared again at his own request and that of the parliamentary groups—this Tuesday, the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) submitted a list of requests for his appearance regarding the rail chaos—and immediately took the opportunity to defend his decision to address the situation during this rail crisis. He also apologized to commuter rail users. The Transport Minister has been under intense scrutiny for days, especially from the right wing and the Catalan independence movement, who have called for his resignation. But he is also being targeted by railway unions, particularly train drivers, and will meet with them this Wednesday to discuss their demands.

]]>

I would like to believe that Transport Minister Óscar Puente's approach to political participation will be different after his recent experiences. The most solemn and dignified ceremony for the Adamuz and Gelida train accidents took place last Thursday at the Carolina Marín Sports Palace in Huelva. The most significant moment at this state funeral was the speech by Liliana Sáenz, daughter of one of the victims. "We are the families [now 46] who will fight to know the truth," she said, emphasizing the meaning and purpose of her words. "Only the truth," she added, "will help us heal this wound that will never close. We will know the truth, we will fight to ensure there is never another train accident, but we will do so with serenity, with relief."

]]>

Four days after the train accident that killed 45 people in Adamuz, Isabel Díaz Ayuso asked the Archdiocese of Madrid to organize a mass at the Almudena Cathedral—which also hosted the mass for the victims of the DANA storm in the Valencian Community—in memory of the victims. And the preparations, surrounded by her supporters, were perfectly tailored for her. At eleven minutes to seven in the evening, the President of the Community of Madrid arrived walking through the Plaza del Armería, accompanied by the President of the Senate, Pedro Rollán, and the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida. She was in the center. Although, according to protocol, the preeminence should have been given to the President of the Senate, the fourth highest authority in the State. After ascending the stairs, just below the main entrance, a man approached Ayuso, shook her hand, and asked for a photo. First one selfieBut it ends up being a woman from the Madrid president's team who does it. She bids farewell to the sudden, uninvited guest with a half-smile, shy because of the circumstances, but easily recognizable, and with a wink.

]]>

Two train accidents with 46 deaths and rail chaos in Catalonia. These were the two issues that Transport Minister Óscar Puente was forced to address before the Senate on Thursday, at the urging of the People's Party. His appearance followed the expected script—the minister defended his handling of the situation—but gradually became increasingly heated. According to Puente, neither the Adamuz accident, which claimed 45 lives, nor the Gelida accident, which resulted in the death of a train driver, was related to the maintenance of the rail network carried out by Adif and his ministry. However, regarding the recent chaos on Catalan trains, the Transport Minister offered some self-criticism. "The commuter rail service is terrible, but we are working to correct it," the minister acknowledged in response to Junts senator Eduard Pujol, with whom he had a tense exchange after Pujol repeatedly called for his resignation. "I'm not deaf, you don't need to tell me to resign again," the minister retorted.

]]>

The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, has announced a new decree law to expedite the payment of compensation to victims of railway accidents following the accidents in Adamuz and GelidaAt the press conference following the Council of Ministers meeting, he assured that the families of the deceased and the injured must have immediate access to the necessary financial support. In this regard, he announced a plan of up to 20 million euros for the tragedies in Andalusia, with 45 deaths, and Catalonia, with 1 death. He explained that under the new regulations, the families of a fatality would immediately receive 72,000 euros as a non-refundable grant from the State, another 72,000 euros as an advance on civil liability insurance, and subsequently another 72,000 euros as an advance. In other words, according to Puente, within three months, the families of fatalities could receive up to 210,000 euros. "We will not allow a repeat of what happened in Angrois; they will not have to wait ten years to receive compensation," he said regarding the 2013 Galician train tragedy. The minister boasted of his "transparency" and "facing the music," contrasting it precisely with the government's actions. "I'm not hiding away; I'm facing the music," he declared, alluding to the role of the Valencian president, Carlos Mazón, during the DANA storm. "This minister is the best guarantee for the victims to know the truth," he asserted. However, he declined to comment on the progress of the investigation being led by the Railway Accident Investigation Commission (CIAF). after focusing on welding the tracks of the Adamuz section

]]>

The train accidents in Adamuz (Córdoba) and on the Cercanías commuter rail line have become a major political crisis for Pedro Sánchez's government. Amidst a growing offensive by the People's Party (PP), which is escalating its rhetoric against the Prime Minister, the Moncloa Palace has announced that the Socialist leader will appear before Congress on Wednesday, February 11, at his own request, to address the train crisis. However, the chosen date has infuriated the PP, who consider it "insensitive," "cruel," and "shameful" that Sánchez "wants to wait two more weeks to explain the accidents when he could do so this week." The PP had demanded the Spanish president's appearance this Thursday in the Senate, where it holds an absolute majority, but Sánchez, who is legally entitled to do so, has circumvented the attempt by Alberto Núñez Feijóo's party to have him appear earlier.

]]>

The Adamuz train accident will necessitate a considerable review of the track conditions to ensure, as far as possible, the safety of the high-speed rail network. This network comprises 3,000 kilometers, used by more than 40 million passengers last year. The same must be done with the commuter rail network, bearing in mind in both cases the need to restore services to full normality as soon as possible and with the necessary guarantees. It is a matter of responsibility. On the one hand, the smooth operation of transportation—including high-speed rail—is a necessity, not a luxury, and on the other, risks must be minimized. Besides establishing the causes of accidents—which in the case of Gelida are especially clearer than in the one from AdamuzWhat must be guaranteed is that proper maintenance of the network is carried out.

]]>

Can a glass of water cause a nuclear accident? The probability is extremely low, but that's what happened on March 28, 1979, at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in the United States. A small amount of water—the equivalent of a glass—seeped through a leak in the pneumatic system, activating valves that ultimately shut off the cold water circuit meant to cool the reactor core. The emergency system failed because, a few days earlier, technicians had left the tubes connecting it to the circuit closed, and the warning light that should have illuminated the problem also failed to activate. The result was a partial meltdown of the reactor core, fortunately without any direct fatalities. Individually, all these errors would have been minor, and in fact, most had already occurred at that and other nuclear power plants. But, taken together, they led to one of the worst nuclear accidents to date.

]]>

It has been a very tough week for our self-esteem, which is usually precarious and moody. The tragic death of Gelida ended up becoming a huge "Please come back tomorrow.For four hundred thousand people. The sudden closure of the usually gridlocked AP-7 seems like a cruel twist of fate, but it's a reminder that we live in a very densely populated area and there are two million more of us than there were 25 years ago.

]]>

The Railway Accident Investigation Commission (CIAF)The Spanish Railways Authority (AER) issued its first report on Friday regarding the cause of the train accident in Adamuz (Córdoba), based on rail and tread samples. The tread is the outer surface of the train wheel in direct contact with the track. The document suggests that the leading hypothesis is that the left rail of the track broke before the Iryo train passed. "Car 6 derailed due to a complete loss of track continuity," it states. The condition of the railway tracks on this section of the high-speed line in Córdoba has been a focus of the authorities' investigation almost from the outset. At the site of the accident, where an Iryo train car overturned and collided with an Alvia train traveling in the opposite direction, causing 45 fatalities, a broken section of track was identified, as well as damage to the undercarriage of some train cars. marks were detected which could correspond to a defect in the rails, as the Spanish government had explained.

]]>

On Monday, a journalist from New York Times He discovered, near the Adamuz accident site, one bogie From the wrecked train: a ten-ton piece from the underside of one of the trains that was ejected 270 meters from the tracks. The discovery sparked the detective spirit of Ana Rosa Quintana's team, who immediately organized a field trip to the area to see if they could find more scrap metal. At nine o'clock on Thursday morning, the presenter announced the discovery of some key pieces to solve the cause of the accident. As a teaser, they used a video worthy of a true crime A low-budget series where a writer and four teenage neighbors from Adamuz explored the area, acting as astute detectives. To create intrigue, they showed the scene of their discovery, but pixelated the scrap metal as if it were pornographic, as if it might offend the audience's sensibilities. To compete with the New York Times they taught the bogie and they said:This piece pales in comparison to the piece we found on Ana Rosa's program."They constructed a cheap epic to describe how they had battled the elements to find the train fragments:"It was raining heavily, there was mud everywhere..."And they showed images of the team, soaking wet, with gladiatorial music playing, ready to leap into the Roman circus arena. They asserted that the pieces they had found could change the course of the investigation and clarified that they had already informed the Civil Guard of the entire inventory from the morning until the mornings, including images of the material located." true crime homemade in a corner of the screen under a sign in capital letters: "EXCLUSIVE: We found a key piece of evidence for the investigation"

]]>

In current affairs programs, news coverage of disasters no longer has anything to do with informing the public. Its purpose is the systematic exploitation of the suffering of people in extremely vulnerable situations. We saw another example of this on Tuesday in Just the right time Joaquín Prat Jr.'s interview on Telecinco with the uncle of a six-year-old girl who had lost her parents and twelve-year-old brother in the Adamuz train crash revealed that he only wanted to exploit the poor man's distress. They even used him to create suspense during commercial breaks and then rubbed his family's tragedy in with sensationalist, slapstick, and saccharine tactics.

]]>

A special correspondent makes sense if the news story takes place at a party, a celebration, an anniversary. In this case, it's fun, woman of color, to ask ordinary people questions, to be there sharing their excitement. "And how long have you been waiting to see your idol?" If it's a catastrophe, it doesn't make much sense. Before, when there were no cameras, the special correspondent reported on the war, the truce, and the cries of the victims. They were the "eyes" of those who wanted to know. Now, having journalists from news programs "on the ground" only clutters the area, because there are so many of them and they all want the same thing. The cameras, all in the same place, show us the same thing. It's understandable that twenty journalists ask an artist twenty times who designed their outfit. But it's not understandable that twenty journalists ask the same survivor twenty times what the minutes before the tragedy were like. What's the point of a studio there, at the scene of the events? It doesn't help to inform, it only helps to feed the hype. We want to see wreckage, people crying, personal belongings scattered on the ground, people talking about "luck" (who are being pressured to talk about "luck"). And we want to be genuinely affected.

]]>

TheInvestigation into Sunday night's train crash in AdamuzThe train crash, which has already left 42 dead, more than a hundred injured, and 43 missing, continues. Moments after the Adamuz train accident, the driver of the Iryo company contacted the Adif control center in Atocha to warn that he had experienced a "coupler" near the town in Córdoba province. The communication, recorded on the train's black box and published by [unclear - possibly "the train" or "the train"].Eldiario.esThe recording contains the initial description of what happened, when the driver still didn't have a complete understanding of the derailment or the extent of the collision with the other train involved. Far from clarifying the facts, however, the audio has raised many questions. How could neither the driver nor the control personnel mention the collision with the Alvia train? How could the control personnel say that "no other train is coming"? The ARA (Argentine Radio and Television Archive) has spoken with several train drivers and experts who, with their experience, provide the necessary context to interpret this call. This is a reconstruction of what likely happened in the minutes following the fatal collision and the call:

]]>