Train accident in Spain: tachograph recovered

The most likely cause of the serious train accident in Spain has so far been a chain of human errors. Many people ask themselves: How can a train hit a stationary high-speed train? And what happened in the minutes before the accident? The tachographs of the two trains should provide answers to this. They have now been recovered from the wreckage.

The recording devices record important information about the journeys. They are now in the hands of the Guardia Civil police unit, as the independent Accident Investigation Authority (AITAT) announced, according to media reports. The data will be evaluated soon.

In the accident, two high-speed trains collided on Wednesday morning: a train operated by the state railway company Renfe ran into a stationary train operated by the private company Iryo from behind. At least 69 people were killed.

Exact speed still unclear

According to the Accident Investigation Board, the collision occurred at a speed estimated at 160 to 200 kilometers per hour. The exact pace will only be known after the recordings have been evaluated. The investigation is at an early stage. “The results of the investigation will be presented in the final report in due course,” the authority said.

The focus of the investigation is the failure of the older LZB train control system and possible incorrect decisions by the train control center in Madrid. Media published recordings of the radio traffic. Accordingly, the locomotive driver of a train was instructed by a railway control center employee to resume "normal driving" - even though the automatic train protection system was not yet working again and the other train was still on the route.

King Felipe VI wants clarification

The Spanish king demands a thorough investigation and then consequences. “The investigation must clarify why and how this disaster occurred,” said Felipe VI. after a visit to a hospital. Steps would then have to be taken to prevent similar accidents.

The authorities are working “day and night” to “clarify every little detail of this tragedy,” said Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez during a visit to the accident site. He announced that security measures would be strengthened "to ensure that something like this never happens again." The accident occurred a month before early parliamentary elections and could hurt Sánchez's chances of re-election.