Adif will limit the speed of a section of the Barcelona-Madrid route due to the condition of the track.

MadridAdif announced on Tuesday that it will limit the speed on a section of the Barcelona-Madrid high-speed rail line due to the condition of the track, as reported by SER and confirmed by ARA. Specifically, the company, which reports to the Ministry of Transport, will reduce the speed to 160 km/h on 150 kilometers of this line, which totals 667 kilometers. This is a "preventive" and temporary measure, according to Francisco Cárdenas, a member of the UGT union at Renfe in Catalonia, aimed at ensuring train safety. In fact, Adif sources explain that the inspection will be carried out tonight and that, if everything is in order, the restriction could be lifted as early as Wednesday. "The train drivers have reported potholes, and this limitation has been put in place for safety reasons," explains a spokesperson for the public company, which reports to the Ministry of Transport. For its part, the People's Party (PP) has demanded an "immediate clarification" regarding this decision. "Citizens deserve explanations and coherent decisions," complained Juan Bravo, the Popular Party's Deputy Secretary for Infrastructure, who criticized the measure as "completely contradictory" to the announcement made months ago by Minister Óscar Puente, when he promised that the AVE high-speed trains running from Barcelona to Madrid would be completed. They would be going at 350 kilometers per hourThe PP spokesperson in Congress, Ester Muñoz, strongly criticized a decision she considers "extremely serious" and also demanded explanations: "What peace of mind can Spanish society have if this decision is made now?" she asked.

Adif's decision comes at a particularly inopportune moment: the tragic train accident in Córdoba, which has caused at least 42 deaths, has focused all attention on the state of the infrastructure. However, this limitation is not an exceptional event, explain sources familiar with the railway sector in the ARA. For example, on the conventional commuter rail line, there are usually "speed restrictions" due to infrastructure reviews, recalls Adrià Ramírez, president of the Public Transport Promotion Association (PTP), in a telephone conversation with the ARA, who believes that "it is logical" that after events like those of this Sunday in Córdoba. "The concept speed limit "It's very common on the conventional network," Ramírez reiterates.

In this case, Adif had received several warnings from train drivers, who, through the Semaf union, had reported vibrations in the high-speed trains that reach 300 km/h. This same week, some of the workers had decided to reduce their speed on some sections of Adif's lines.

The three operators that provide the high-speed service between Barcelona and Madrid (Renfe, Iryo, and Ouigo) have informed their employees of the speed restriction and the affected points (at kilometer point 182.9 of the line). This will affect the journey time, which will be longer than usual. The Spanish government says that "the railway system is safe."

The measure was announced after the cabinet press conference, in which Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska emphasized the safety of the rail system. Despite the accident, the Spanish government maintains that the system is "robust and safe," and highlighted the increased investment in infrastructure in recent years. Adif, the Spanish rail infrastructure manager, also issued a statement asserting that last November it confirmed the track near Adamuz on the high-speed line between Madrid and Seville was in "adequate condition." According to Adif, two inspections are carried out annually on high-speed lines, and the most recent inspection of this 4-km section was conducted by specialized technicians on November 5th. Furthermore, the statement added, the track alignment, including leveling and gauge, was verified last October, and the train's response to track interactions was checked in November, with no problems identified.