Train collision in Spain: Can multiple operators on train tracks cause accidents?

Too easy a culprit? After the railway tragedy which left at least 69 dead and around a hundred injured this Wednesday near Urda, south of Toledo, in Spain, voices are being raised to question the share of responsibility for the proliferation of private operators since the opening to competition in this accident. Especially since this is the second train accident in Spain in the space of a few months, after the tragedy of January 18, 2026, in Andalusia, which left 46 dead in the derailment of an Iryo train, the same company involved in the accident this Wednesday.

An “impossible” accident in France?

“It would be tempting to take this shortcut, but in fact, no,” Philippe Lorand of the International Union of Railways (UIC) told 20 Minutes. We must of course wait for the results of the investigation, and I understand that this could be a human error. The European security model is harmonized even if the countries retain their specificities. I don’t think there is any connection to be made,” says the specialist.

Earlier this Thursday, the former Minister of Transport in the Barnier government, François Durovray, told BFM TV “that in France, this type of accident is impossible, even very improbable. Firstly because we have security at several levels. In the event of a failure to signal one train, all the others stop and even in the event of loss of location signal, the electrical signals on the rails will continue to indicate the position of the train,” explained the short-lived minister, who also added that in France “when a train leaves, it is necessarily visually and at low speed, around 40 km/h”. A restart protocol which also concerns Spain, specifies Philippe Lorand, and which does not seem to have been respected in the tragedy of this Wednesday.

The arrival of “competition puts pressure on the network”

For Cédric Gimenez, PACA CGT-Cheminot general secretary, “we should not draw a parallel between France and Spain. But there is clearly a lack of maintenance since the opening to competition. New operators have arrived. On the Marseille-Nice line, with the arrival of Transdev and Sud Azur, this represents 14 more trains per day. This is very good for users, but it puts pressure on the network and private operators who, if they pay a toll, do not contribute to the infrastructure maintenance and investment fund.”

Also, the trade unionist points out a difference between high-speed lines, on which we put a lot of resources, and the TER and everyday trains. “There is no longer any inspection of the tracks, for example,” recalls Cédric Gimenez, while a TER train providing the Rouen-Caen connection derailed on September 11 after encountering an obstacle on the track.