Spanish Train Drivers Announce Nationwide Strike Following Fatal Crashes
Spain's largest train drivers' union has declared a nationwide strike, demanding urgent professional safety assurances after two devastating accidents claimed at least 43 lives within three days. The industrial action comes amid growing anger over infrastructure maintenance failures that unions had previously warned about.
Deadly Collision and Derailment Spark Crisis
The crisis began when a high-speed train derailed near Adamuz in Cordoba province, approximately 360 kilometres south of Madrid. The derailment led to a catastrophic collision with another train, killing 42 people including the driver of the oncoming service. Emergency services worked through the night using cranes to remove carriages from the wreckage, with rescuers painstakingly prising apart the second carriage of the state-operated Renfe train to search for additional victims.
Just two days later, a commuter train derailed near Barcelona after a retaining wall collapsed onto the track during heavy rainfall. This second tragedy claimed the life of the driver and left four passengers with serious injuries. A third incident on Barcelona's regional network, attributed by rail operator Adif to a rock falling onto the line during the same storm, fortunately caused no injuries.
Union Demands Accountability and Safety Improvements
The train drivers' union, SEMAF, has vowed to pursue criminal liability for those responsible for railway infrastructure safety. "We are going to demand criminal liability from those responsible for ensuring safety in the railway infrastructure," SEMAF stated emphatically. The union had previously alerted Adif in a letter last August about severe wear and tear on the very track where the two trains collided, highlighting issues including potholes, bumps, and imbalances in overhead power lines that were causing frequent breakdowns across several high-speed lines.
Emergency Measures and Widespread Disruption
Adif has implemented emergency measures including additional speed limits on the Madrid-Barcelona line after a driver reported poor track conditions across a 78-kilometre stretch. Maintenance teams worked overnight to inspect the line, identifying four points requiring immediate repair. The accidents have caused significant chaos for commuters and travellers across Spain, with regional trains throughout Catalonia suspended on Wednesday to allow for comprehensive track inspections following recent storms. Renfe's President Alvaro Fernandez Heredia was photographed using replacement bus services as he travelled back to Madrid from Adamuz, highlighting the widespread disruption affecting even senior railway officials.
The strike announcement represents a dramatic escalation in the confrontation between railway workers and infrastructure managers, with drivers demanding fundamental improvements to a system they claim has been neglected despite repeated warnings about deteriorating conditions that now appear to have contributed directly to multiple fatalities.
