"Spanish train drivers call three-day strike after deadly derailments", 21 January 2025

Spain's biggest train drivers' union on Wednesday called a three-day nationwide strike for February 9-11 to demand measures to guarantee railway safety after three derailments in 48 hours caused crashes that left dozens dead, including two drivers. A commuter train derailed on Tuesday after a retaining wall collapsed onto the track during heavy rains in Gelida, near Barcelona, killing the driver and seriously injuring four passengers.

It came after two trains collided on Sunday near Adamuz in the southern province of Cordoba, in one of Europe's worst train accidents. A train driver was among the 43 people who died...

Transport Minister Oscar Puente told reporters that investigators had analysed and taken pictures of that piece, adding that it appeared logical to believe the piece flew out into a stream after the two trains collided.Puente said authorities are working towards resuming the Madrid-Andalucia rail link, which has been suspended since Sunday's accident, on February 2.

A third derailment of a train on Barcelona's regional network on Tuesday, which left no injuries, was caused by a rock falling on the line during the same storm, rail network operator Adif said...

SEMAF had warned Adif in a letter last August of severe wear and tear to the railway track where the two trains crashed, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters, saying potholes, bumps, and imbalances in overhead power lines were causing frequent breakdowns and damaging the trains on several of the network's high-speed lines.

"We do not share (the view) that a general strike is the best approach," Puente told reporters, adding that he would meet with unions.

He ruled out the Adamuz accident being triggered by a human factor but said the technical cause has not been yet determined and appeared to be very complex.

He said small marks were found on the front bogies of the derailed train and some earlier trains, but said it would be premature to link them directly to infrastructure defects...