Adif backtracks and reinstates speed limits on part of the Barcelona-Madrid route following a warning from a train driver
The measure comes after the worker reported the alleged poor condition of several points along the road.
MadridAdif 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.
Throughout the night, the affected section (150 kilometers between Madrid and Calatayud) was inspected, and after studying the infrastructure, Adif decided to lift "the temporary speed limit along almost its entire route," explained a spokesperson for the state-owned company. The four kilometer points where the speed limit is 230 km/h will be reviewed tonight, and the expectation is that the restriction will be lifted tomorrow, Thursday, according to Adif sources. However, normal service on the line will not fully return even with the partial lifting of this restriction, as a new 160 km/h limit has been added to 78 kilometers of the line. In an interview on Telecinco, Transport Minister Óscar Puente justified the first temporary speed restriction because train drivers reported 25 incidents on the Madrid-Barcelona line yesterday. He attributed this to the "morale" of railway workers, as there had been hardly any incidents in previous days. Puente clarified that following these reports, track inspections were carried out overnight, and it was found that four of the 25 incidents required further attention. Sources at the Ministry of Transport specified that virtually all the reported incidents were caused by the train drivers themselves. This particular driver reported 21 of the 25 incidents on Tuesday and 13 on Wednesday morning. He also cited his announcement two and a half months ago that the AVE high-speed train would soon be traveling at 350 kilometers per hour. He said he secured it as part of the complete renovation of the line that will take place shortly.
Temporary measure
The measure was "preventive" and temporary, as indicated by Francisco Cárdenas, a member of the UGT union at Renfe in Catalonia, and aimed to guarantee the safety of passengers and trains. Sources at Adif explained this Tuesday that if everything was found to be in order after the inspection, 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," explained a spokesperson for the public company that reports to the Ministry of Transport. For its part, the People's Party (PP) has demanded an "immediate clarification" regarding this decision. "Citizens must have explanations and coherent decisions," complained the PP's Deputy Secretary for Infrastructure, Juan Bravo, who criticized the measure as "completely contradictory" to the announcement made by Minister Óscar Puente months ago, when he promised that the AVE high-speed trains running from Barcelona to Madrid would be affected. They would be going at 350 kilometers per hourThe PP spokesperson in Congress, Ester Muñoz, harshly 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 has not come at just any time: the tragic train accident in Córdoba, which has caused at least 42 deaths, has focused all attention on the state of the infrastructure. However, limitations like this are not exceptional, explain sources familiar with the railway sector in the ARA. For example, on the conventional commuter rail line there are usually "speed limitations" 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 speed on some sections of the Adif line.
The three operators that provide the high-speed service between Barcelona and Madrid (Renfe, Iryo, and Ouigo) informed their employees of the speed restriction and the affected points (kilometer point 182.9 of the line). This has affected the journey time, which has been longer than usual.
The measure was revealed after Tuesday's 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 railway 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 the manager, high-speed lines undergo two annual inspections, and the most recent inspection of this 4-km section was carried out by specialized technicians on November 5th. Furthermore, the statement added, the track's alignment, leveling, and gauge were verified last October, and the train's response to track interactions was checked in November, with no problems identified.
