Radio recordings of conversations between railway dispatchers and drivers shed light on possible errors before the collision between two high-speed trains near the Spanish town of Urda. The crash on October 28 killed at least 69 people and injured dozens.
A high-speed train from the state-owned operator „Renfe“ crashed into the back of a stopped train from the private operator „Irio“. The incident occurred south of Madrid after the automatic train protection system stopped functioning due to a computer failure.
Authorization to run with a faulty system
According to reports in Spanish media, the dispatch center in Madrid instructed the driver of the „Renfe“ train to resume normal traffic, even though the „Irio“ train remained stopped about 25 kilometers further along the line.
The driver asked for confirmation: „Normal traffic?“, and the dispatcher replied: „Yes“. The „Renfe“ train then departed. About five minutes later, he crashed into the stopped train of “Irio“.
Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente described the decision of the control center as “inexplicable“ and “wrong“. According to him, the permission was given at a time when the automatic protection system was not yet operational.
Discrepancy in instructions to the driver
The Spanish public radio and television corporation RTVE announced that trains could travel at speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour on the section. The newspaper “Pais“, citing government sources, gave a different version of the necessary actions: the driver of “Renfe“ should have been instructed to move at up to 40 kilometers per hour and only as long as there is a clear line of sight that the track in front of him is clear.
The recordings also show a conversation with the driver of the “Irio“ train. She was instructed to resume normal movement, but reported that the attempt to restart the system was unsuccessful and the train could not continue.
“That's why I still stopped at the entrance signal at Urda station“, she said.The dispatch center replied: “Okay, then as soon as possible. And if there are any problems, call us“.
The radio communication is expected to be among the key evidence in clarifying the causes of the accident. The investigation is pending to establish how the decision to resume traffic was made and why the information about the stopped train on “Irio“ did not lead to the stopping or limiting the speed of the “Renfe“ train.
Sources: bta.bg, rtve.es, elpais.com