Following two high-speed rail disasters in Spain this year alone, controversy is mounting over the country's railway system.
While Spanish authorities have pointed to signaling system errors as the primary cause, critics suggest that more structural issues, such as maintenance problems, may be at play.
According to foreign media reports, including The Guardian, on local time October 28, Spanish authorities have identified incorrect signals as the cause of the accident.
On the morning of the accident, a computer malfunction occurred in the railway security and signaling system.
Consequently, the automated system was shut down on the route between the capital Madrid and the southern region of Andalusia, prompting all trains to halt operations and stop on the tracks.
In that situation, the central control center suddenly instructed only a Renfe train to resume operations, leading it to rear-end a stationary train.
Immediately following the accident, Spanish authorities announced that human error appeared to be involved.
They noted that the decision by the control center to resume operations was incomprehensible, and that no speed reduction advisory had been given.
However, foreign media reported that more fundamental causes lie behind this accident, reminiscent of those seen in developing nations.
Britain's The Guardian pointed out that both the accident this month and the previous one in January involved the exact same route and the same rail operators.
Both accidents occurred on the line connecting Madrid and Andalusia, involving a collision between a train operated by the private rail company Ilio and a train operated by the state-owned railway Renfe.
The Guardian reported that given this route is the oldest among Spain's high-speed rail lines, questions remain as to whether sufficient budget was allocated for maintenance.
Since Spain opened its railways to the private sector, the number of train passengers surged by 40% between 2019 and 2024.
Accordingly, the budget allocated to the high-speed rail network reached a record high of 2.24 trillion won, but investigations revealed that most of it was used to build new infrastructure, with only about 16% allocated to maintaining existing facilities.
Attention is also being drawn to the fact that the Spanish railway union had already threatened a strike prior to the accident, demanding the implementation of railway safety measures.
Previously, a train collision near Adamuz, Andalusia, in January resulted in 46 deaths, while yesterday's accident on October 28 claimed 68 lives.
(Reported by Jo Gi-ho | Video by Jang Yu-jin | Design by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News)
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