▲ Scene of the high-speed train accident in Spain
As Spain has experienced two high-speed rail disasters in just this year alone, controversy is mounting over the underlying causes of these recurring major accidents.
While Spanish authorities have pointed to a signal system error as the primary cause, critics are raising questions about structural issues such as maintenance.
Spanish authorities are currently pointing to incorrect signaling as the superficial cause of the accident.
On the morning of the day the accident occurred, a computer malfunction occurred in the railway security and signaling system.
Because of this, the automatic system was suspended between the capital Madrid and the southern Andalusia section, and safety measures were implemented as trains simultaneously stopped operations and parked on the tracks.
According to preliminary investigation results, under those circumstances, the central control center unexpectedly ordered only a Renfe train to resume operation, and it rear-ended a stationary train.
Oscar Puente, Spain's Minister of Transport, made remarks that seemed to blame the human error of the traffic controller regarding this.
He said, "From our perspective, in a situation that is difficult to understand, a decision to resume operations was made at the control center, and there was no recommendation to slow down."
However, regarding Minister Puente's remarks, the Spanish Civil Servants' Union (CSIF) is rebuking him for taking an evasive attitude.
They are strongly protesting, claiming that from the very beginning of the investigation into the cause of the accident, the minister is trying to shirk responsibility for policy failure and make a scapegoat out of the traffic controller to cut losses.
In global media, there are also views pointing to more fundamental causes for this fatal error, which triggered a typical developing-country-style accident.
Britain's The Guardian pointed out that both the accident that occurred in January and this latest one involved the same route and the same railway operator.
Both accidents occurred when a train belonging to the private railway company Iryo and a national railway Renfe AVE train collided on the route connecting Madrid and Andalusia.
The Guardian pointed out that as this section is the most aged among Spain's high-speed railway networks, doubts are being raised as to whether sufficient budget was invested in maintenance.
Between 2019 and 2024, after Spain opened its railways to the private sector, the number of train users increased by 40%.
However, according to data analysis by Reuters of EU data, while the budget poured into the high-speed rail network is at the highest level of about 1.5 billion euros (approx. 2.24 trillion KRW) annually, a significant portion of the funds was concentrated on building new infrastructure.
The proportion of the budget invested in the maintenance of existing facilities was investigated to be at around 16%, falling far behind other European countries such as Germany and Switzerland.
Pointers are emerging that while the high-speed rail network expanded enough to be used by 25 million people in the first half of this year alone, infrastructure maintenance failed to keep pace with the increasing rate of users.
Attention is also drawing to the fact that the Spanish railway union had already announced a strike ahead of the accident, demanding the implementation of railway safety measures.
The Spanish railway union has been demanding safety measures since the accident in January, but claims that proper measures have not been implemented until now.
In response, they had announced that they would halt the operation of Renfe high-speed trains for the day on the 29th, but the accident occurred a day before the strike was set to begin.
Joan Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the Spanish railway union, pointed out in an interview with state broadcaster TVE that while the increase in traffic due to privatization placed additional burdens on the railway infrastructure, it failed to harmonize with maintenance issues, stating, "Even if this issue is not the decisive cause, it is a matter that must be kept in mind."
The railway union demanded practical and concrete solutions regarding safety issues, saying, "Our goal is to change the system and make it safer."
Spain is a country with Europe's largest high-speed rail network spanning about 4,000 km, but news of railway accidents has been incessant recently.
The train collision accident that occurred near Adamuz in Cordoba, Andalusia, last January killed 46 people, and the death toll from the accident on the 28th has reached 68.
Train accidents in Spain, including derailments and collisions, increased from 45 cases in 2016 to 57 cases in 2024, and 69 cases last year.
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