The high speed between Barcelona and Madrid will not recover normality until next week

BarcelonaNormal high-speed rail service between Barcelona and Madrid will not be recovered until the beginning of next week. This was announced this Wednesday by the new Adif spokesperson in Catalonia, Antonio Carmona, who explained that the work to remove the train affected by Monday's fire is complex and can only be done at night, because it is incompatible with train traffic on the adjacent track.

The incident occurred on Monday near Ricla, in Aragon, when the tail locomotive of an AVE train that had left Madrid bound for Figueres caught fire. The 283 passengers traveling on the train had to be evacuated, although no injuries were reported. Traffic resumed after a few hours but only partially – on a single track – and remains restricted on a stretch of about 25 kilometers in Aragon.

Thus, on this stretch, trains run on a single track, a limitation that can extend journeys by between 10 and 15 minutes, as detailed by Carmona. In the last few hours, Adif has been able to increase the maximum permitted speed from 80 to 160 km/h, but the line's capacity remains constrained until the burnt-out train is removed.

The tasks to remove the train require dismantling and removing the part of the locomotive affected by the flames with the help of a large crane. Once this operation is completed, Adif technicians will have to inspect and repair the damaged infrastructure elements, including the catenary, before restoring traffic on both tracks.

Meanwhile, Renfe, Iryo, and Ouigo have announced that they are adapting their services to the capacity limitations, with schedule changes and disruptions on some routes. According to Carmona, Adif and the operators are maintaining coordination to manage the service while the restrictions last. The causes of the fire remain under investigation.

Changes at Adif

Carmona's appearance is the first one he has made as Adif's spokesperson since his change of company was made public. The historic Renfe spokesperson (who for a few months also held the position of director of Rodalies) has left the train operator to now take charge of track management, from the Adif side. The position of director of Rodalies has fallen since last summer to Oscar Playà, who is the new managing director of the joint company (between the State and the Generalitat) Rodalies de Catalunya.

Among his new duties, in addition to being a spokesperson, Carmona will coordinate actions with the Generalitat, city councils, and other administrations and stakeholders involved, as stated in the job competition requirements. He will have to develop and monitor the network's work plan, periodically report on the progress of projects, and produce an annual monitoring report. Among the tasks of his new position described in the call for applications, there is also analyzing demand and identifying new planning needs.