A fire in a train leaves about 10,000 people stranded on the high-speed line between Barcelona and Madrid

BarcelonaRailway chaos in the middle of the Pilar bridge return operation. High-speed rail between Barcelona and Madrid was cut off this Monday for almost the entire afternoon, from two in the afternoon until eight in the evening, due to a fire in a train in Aragon. Traffic is gradually returning to normal, although it is necessary to circulate on a single track between the stations of Ricla and Plasencia de Jalón, in Aragon, until the affected train is removed. At Sants station, for example, passengers who were supposed to leave at 5:30 PM were called by loudspeaker around 8:30 PM.

This blockage has affected about 10,000 people, counting about 5,000 affected from the 14 trains managed by Renfe and about 4,450 more from those operated by Iryo. The reason for this suspension was an AVE train that suffered a fire in one of its cabins, forcing the evacuation of nearly 300 passengers near Zaragoza. The situation in some stations like Atocha, Sants, or Zaragoza —where the Pilar festivities are being celebrated— is complicated. Right now, there are about 5,000 travelers affected just counting the 14 Renfe trains that were circulating at the time of the incident. All of them have been transferred to nearby stations. This figure does not include passengers from other companies nor those who were supposed to travel on trains that did not even manage to depart.

According to Renfe, an AVE train departed from Madrid Puerta de Atocha at 2:27 PM bound for Figueres, but around 4:05 PM, near Ricla, in Zaragoza, a fire was detected in the tail cabin of the train. Following protocol, Renfe reports, the 283 passengers on board were evacuated, with no injuries reported. According to the government of Aragon, the incident occurred at kilometer point 255, and a woman and a person with reduced mobility required medical assistance. The Zaragoza Provincial Council (DPZ) firefighters extinguished the fire, which affected the train's locomotive and the nearest part of the following carriage. Now, Adif has already been able to inspect the damage to the overhead lines.

"Luckily it was not a passenger carriage"

Natalia Barberan, a resident of Porqueres, was traveling on the affected train and explained to the ACN that, after passing Calatayud, an alarm began to sound inside the train. "We realized there was a lot of smoke and the tail cabin was on fire. Luckily it was not a passenger carriage," Barberan commented. The passengers moved to cars further forward and several doors were opened, but the height above the tracks prevented people from being able to jump off the train correctly. "My brother-in-law has been carrying everyone in his arms and now we are in the middle of a field," she explained. "There is nothing here and we are waiting for some vehicles or all-terrain vehicles to take us to a station or sports center," stated Natalia.

"Luckily, there were no injuries. Only one person had a panic attack and another had a migraine attack," specified Barberan, who thanked the work of local residents and Red Cross volunteers. "We see two buses about two kilometers away, but they cannot get close here because there are no roads," lamented the resident of Pla de l'Estany. "Now we are forming a human chain to take all the suitcases off the train and waiting for news from the Civil Guard," continued Barberan, who sees it as quite unlikely that high-speed rail traffic can be resumed in the area. "The entire catenary has fallen due to the fire. From both tracks and all the power has been cut," concluded Natalia. At 7:45 PM, part of the passengers of the AVE affected by the fire were able to board a bus and will be taken to Zaragoza.

Diversions

The incident has forced the suspension of rail traffic between Madrid and Barcelona, which is causing trains to be stopped at different stations along the line and the cancellation of departures scheduled for this afternoon. Renfe has activated measures to assist affected travelers, including the possibility of making ticket changes and refunds free of charge.