29.10.2026 11:35
According to the audio recording of the conversations that took place during the train crash in Spain, in which 68 people lost their lives and more than 50 passengers were injured, the technician at the main station reported that one of the trains could not move, yet instructed the other high-speed train to continue at normal speed, and the terrible crash occurred.
Details of the accident that occurred yesterday at 08:54 local time in Spain when two high-speed trains collided have begun to emerge.
El País, one of Spain's most important newspapers, shared the recordings of conversations between the train drivers and the Madrid Atocha Main Station unit supervisor during the accident, in which 68 people died and more than 50 passengers were injured, 15 of them seriously.
SYSTEM FAILURE OCCURRED AT URDA STATION Accordingly, a system failure occurred at Urda Train Station, one of the control points on the Madrid-Andalusia line. Thereupon, all trains on the railway along the route stopped. Due to the system failure, the Madrid Atocha Main Control Center took over the duties of Urda Train Station.
INSTRUCTION FOR THE FOLLOWING TRAIN TO PROCEED AT NORMAL SPEED According to the audio recordings, two conversations took place between the driver of the stationary Iryo train and the control operator in Atocha, and one conversation between the driver of the following AVE train and the same control operator. The responsible technician in Atocha ordered the AVE train, located 25 kilometers behind the Iryo train, to resume 'normal running' rather than 'within sight distance' with a speed limit of 40 kilometers per hour, as specified in the protocol. He did this without checking whether there was another train blocking the line ahead. The Iryo train driver also received the order to continue 'normal driving', but seven minutes later reported that he was still stopped because he could not restart the train. Nevertheless, the AVE train was instructed to continue at normal speed. Because no warning was given in the 5 minutes between the notification that the Iryo driver was still stopped and the moment of collision, the terrible accident occurred.
ANSWER 'YES' TO THE DRIVER'S QUESTION 'AT NORMAL SPEED?' The transcript of the conversations in El País newspaper was given as follows.
Conversation between AVE Driver and Atocha Center:
-Yes
-At 08:36.
-Yes
-Driver of train number 2080. Turn LZB off and on again. Continue driving. Then continue driving at normal speed under BSL protection.
-At normal speed?
-Yes.
IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE TRAIN AHEAD HAD STOPPED Conversation between Iryo and Atocha Center:
08:41: First conversation with Iryo
-Good morning, Atocha. I lost the signal while traveling on the BSL. The vehicle ahead of me is moving at a speed over 200 on track number 113. However, I could not receive the signal. I am stopped. At the entrance to Urda.
STATEMENTS TAKEN FROM STAFF AT THE CONTROL CENTER Statements were taken from all employees on duty at the ADIF railway main control center at the Atocha train station in Madrid, where serious negligence was revealed in the train accident near Toledo, Spain.
SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS ARE STILL ONGOING As one day has passed since the train accident near Toledo, Spain, search and rescue operations continued throughout the night.
Heavy machinery and nearly a thousand personnel searched for bodies and injured people in the train cars in the illuminated accident area.
While all resources, including helicopters, drones, and search dogs, were used, it was announced that the driver who lost his life in the AVE high-speed train was Antanio Acedo Meneses. It was stated that the 36-year-old driver's grandfather and father were also railway workers, and that he therefore chose to become a driver. It was stated that trainee driver David Cabanas died in the accident.
Contact centers for families were set up in the accident area and in the city of Toledo. However, relatives of the accident victims who are outside Spain or far from the accident area are calling on social media to reach people they know.
Renfe, one of the companies involved in the accident, has stopped ticket sales for Madrid-Andalusia train services until December.