The investigation detects marks on the wheels of five Iryo train cars

New developments have emerged in the investigation into Sunday night's fatal collision between two high-speed trains in Adamuz, Córdoba, which has now claimed at least 43 lives. The latest victim, according to EFE, was located this Wednesday. Yesterday, the investigation focused on the railway tracks and the point of contact between the bogies (wheels) and the track. This Wednesday, Transport Minister Óscar Puente stated in an interview on Telecinco that marks have been found on the bogies (the axle structure beneath the train's body) of the Iryo train involved in the accident. The minister also said it is "possible" that the two or three trains that traveled on the same track just before the Iryo also had "similar marks." This supports the theory that the track had some kind of defect that would have affected the wheels and worsened with the passage of multiple trains. "The question is why these marks appeared, whether there was something on the track or if the track itself was beginning to break down. At this time, it is not possible to draw a conclusion," he said. He also called it "outrageous" to claim that "low-cost" work was contracted for the maintenance of the infrastructure and added that it is "a renewed track that has undergone all reliability tests." This particular track was renewed last May: between 2021 and 2025, 700 million euros were invested. In recent hours, it also emerged that it underwent an inspection in October and another on-site inspection was carried out on November 5 to check the material.

The state of the tracks: under scrutiny since Monday night

In an interview on TVE on Monday night—24 hours after the fatal accident—Minister Puente admitted that there were indeed "pieces of broken rail in several places." "We have detected an initial break, but the crucial question is whether it is the cause or the consequence of the accident," the minister explained.

Since then, teams have been trying to determine whether the rail broke at some point and that caused the derailment, or whether, on the contrary, the derailment of the train and the subsequent collision—and the dragging of all the rolling stock—was what damaged the tracks. In fact, the Railway Accident Investigation Commission, the CIAFThe independent body explained on Tuesday that it is only in the "beginnings" of the investigation, gathering information. This body has warned that pieces of track and rolling stock will have to be taken to metal laboratories to determine if there was any wear or breakage.