The fire and the single-track period

On Monday, 12 October, at 16:05, one of the leading power units of a high-speed train caught fire at kilometre point 256.2 on track I, the line toward Barcelona, near Ricla in Zaragoza province. Traffic on both tracks was suspended at first, and after four hours it resumed on a single track between Ricla and Plasencia de Jalón. Since then trains have run on one line at 80 km/h across a 25-kilometre stretch between Calatayud and Zaragoza. The speed limits have caused delays on high-speed trips between Madrid and Barcelona over the past week. Iryo has suspended two services between the two capitals, and Renfe has regrouped its frequencies on the trains still available.

Removal of the train and repairs

Renfe assessed the damaged train before crews began removing its usable parts to a siding in Zaragoza. From the night of 15 October, the burned section was cut apart with a large industrial shear. Adif supplied diesel locomotives, a flatbed platform to carry the fragments, cutting torches, an excavator, lighting, and electrification and track maintenance staff. On the catenary, about 1.2 kilometres of contact wire were replaced, a damaged support was repaired, the wire was retensioned, and pendulum, adjustment and geometric checks were completed. Track crews cleaned debris from the platform, reviewed welds, inspected the rail, replaced damaged supports and reinstalled a balise that had been removed to ease the work. Adif also carried out ultrasonic inspections and geometric checks, and 24 operators and technicians took part, mostly during the nightly maintenance window of five to six hours.

Monday, 19 October reopening

Adif says it expects to make the infrastructure available to operators during Monday, 19 October, so they can restore frequencies, commercial offers and journey times. In its own words, the management company stated:

“After the work carried out, the forecast is to restore double-track circulation during Monday's session and make it available to rail operators so they can restore their commercial service offer.”

Passengers should wait for Renfe, Iryo and Ouigo to announce any changes to their schedules. Adif's plan depends on the final checks running as planned, and the second track would only be handed back to operators if they do. Iryo's two suspended Madrid-Barcelona services are set to stay off until Thursday, 22 October, although that could be reversed before then.