Spain’s Rail Safety Questioned After Fourth Train Accident in Days

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

MADRID (Worthy News) – Fresh questions were raised Thursday about the safety of Spain’s railway network after a fourth train-related incident in nearly as many days left several people injured, adding to growing public concern following a deadly high-speed crash earlier this week.

Thursday’s incident occurred in southeastern Spain when a commuter train struck the extended arm of a crane that had swung into its path near the port city of Cartagena in the Murcia region. Spain’s transport ministry said six people suffered minor injuries after the crane arm smashed several windows as the train passed. Rail traffic on the line was briefly disrupted, but the train did not derail, officials said.

The crash came just four days after a catastrophic high-speed train collision in the southern Andalusia region killed at least 43 people, one of the deadliest rail disasters in Spain in decades, according to authorities.

Two days later, on Tuesday, a commuter train derailed near Barcelona after a containment wall collapsed onto the tracks during heavy rainfall. The train’s driver was killed, and four passengers were seriously injured, investigators confirmed.

That same day, a separate, less serious collision was reported elsewhere in northeastern Catalonia.

UNION CALLING FOR A STRIKE

Following the recent incidents, Spain’s main train drivers’ union called a nationwide strike, citing what it described as “deteriorating safety standards” and insufficient infrastructure maintenance across the rail network.

Confirming details of Thursday’s latest accident, Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a street-lighting basket crane had “encroached on public railway land,” allowing its arm to strike a passing metric-gauge train.

Writing on social media platform X, Puente said initial investigations suggested no mechanical failure on the train itself.

Authorities reported that alcohol tests conducted on both the train driver and the crane operator were negative, and officials emphasized that the injuries “were not life-threatening.”

Yet the incidents in recent days intensified scrutiny of Spain’s rail safety oversight, with unions, opposition lawmakers, and passenger groups demanding urgent inspections and reforms to prevent further tragedies.

Latest Worthy News