Spain's Prime Minister Faces Rail Safety Crisis Before Election

A high-speed train collision in central Spain killed 68 people on Wednesday, marking the second fatal accident on the country's rail network in less than six months. The crash occurred in the Toledo province, where one train struck another from behind, sending shockwaves through the national government four weeks before the next general election.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the site in Urda after regional authorities confirmed the high death toll. He pledged a full investigation and promised improvements to the system, which carried 45 million passengers last year. Sánchez stated that it is not acceptable for Spain to suffer two high-speed accidents in the same year.

The Spanish rail network is the second largest in the world by track mileage, trailing only China. It had operated without a deadly crash for over three decades until January, when a derailment in southern Spain killed 46 people. That incident involved a train leaving the tracks and hitting another train traveling in the opposite direction.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente identified human error at the central command center as the cause of the Wednesday crash. He reported that a security system covering a 63-kilometer stretch of track failed at 8:30 a.m. due to a computer malfunction. This failure caused all trains on the line to stop. An IRYO train came to a halt near Urda, while a state-owned RENFE train stopped 25 kilometers behind it.

Puente said that minutes later, the central command instructed the RENFE train to resume movement without speed restrictions. The moving train collided with the stationary IRYO train at 8:53 a.m. The minister noted that the line still had an active stop signal, and the moving train should have been told to proceed at reduced speed if it was allowed to move at all.

The government declared three days of national mourning beginning Thursday. Both fatal accidents this year involved a RENFE train and an IRYO train. Spain opened its high-speed rail market to private operators in 2021, with IRYO, an Italian company, beginning service the following year.

The timing of the crash complicates the political landscape for Sánchez, whose Socialist party faces an uphill battle in the first national election since 2023. Polls suggest his party is trailing, and the disaster adds to concerns about public services. Sánchez had called for early elections this month, partly to capitalize on voter discontent over housing costs and high rents.

Political rivals quickly weighed in. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the conservative Popular Party, demanded a full investigation and canceled his party's campaign events for the day to respect the victims. He said Spaniards are asking tough questions that require answers.

Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, was more critical. He called the government a criminal organization and pledged to work until it faces a courtroom. Abascal expressed rage over what he described as the despair and betrayal felt by Spaniards.

Emergency workers, firefighters, police, and soldiers worked throughout Wednesday to rescue survivors and recover bodies. Cranes were used late in the day to remove damaged sections of the trains from the track.