Second fatal train crash hits Spain weeks before national vote

A high-speed train collided with another from behind in central Spain on Wednesday, killing 68 people and raising urgent questions about rail safety ahead of a national election in four weeks. The accident occurred in the Toledo province, transforming a quiet section of track surrounded by olive groves into a major disaster site.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez traveled to the crash site after regional officials confirmed that more than 60 people had died. Dozens of injured passengers were transported to local hospitals for treatment. The collision marks the second deadly incident on Spain’s high-speed rail network in 2026.

Spain’s rail system is the second largest in the world by track mileage, trailing only China. For over three decades, the network operated without a fatal crash until January of this year. In that earlier incident, a train derailed and struck another moving in the opposite direction in southern Spain, killing 46 people.

Sánchez declared three days of national mourning beginning Thursday. He stated that the government would launch an investigation into the Toledo crash. "It is clear that we need to reinforce the safety of our train service to rebuild the trust in our high-speed rail," Sánchez said. He added that enduring two high-speed train accidents in the same year is not acceptable for a country like Spain.

The rail network carried 45 million passengers last year, a figure that includes millions of international tourists. Both fatal crashes this year involved trains operated by state-owned Renfe and the private operator IRYO. Spain opened its high-speed rail market to private competition in 2021, with IRYO beginning service the following year.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente said human error at a central command center caused the Wednesday collision. He described the incident as the result of an inexplicable order issued after a security system failed. Puente stated that the train engineers were not at fault.

According to Puente, a computer malfunction stopped the security system on a 63-kilometer stretch of track at 8:30 a.m. This forced all trains in that section to halt. The IRYO train stopped near the town of Urda, while the Renfe train remained 25 kilometers behind it. Minutes later, the central command ordered the Renfe train to resume travel without speed restrictions. The moving train struck the stationary IRYO train at 8:53 a.m.

Puente noted that the Renfe train should have remained stopped because a stop signal was still active on the line. He argued that if the train were to move, it should have been instructed to travel at a reduced speed. Emergency workers, firefighters, police, and soldiers worked through Wednesday to rescue survivors and recover bodies. Cranes were used late in the day to move damaged sections of the trains.

The crash occurred one day after Sánchez posted on social media that there were many reasons to be optimistic about the country. The accident complicates his election campaign as he seeks reelection in Spain’s first national vote since 2023. Polls indicate he faces a challenging contest. Right-wing parties have already criticized his government over migration policies and corruption allegations, which Sánchez and his wife have denied.

Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo demanded a full investigation and canceled his party’s campaign events for the day to honor the victims. Far-right leader Santiago Abascal was less restrained, calling the government a criminal organization and promising to work until its members face a courtroom. The Socialist party had hoped to capitalize on voter discontent over housing costs when calling for early elections earlier this month.