EU prosecutors open fraud probe into funds for the Madrid-Seville rail line after Urda crash

EPPO opens its probe

On Friday, 6 November, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) announced that it had opened an investigation into possible fraud involving European Union funds earmarked for renovating the high-speed line between Madrid and Seville. The office said it acted on its own initiative and is carrying out the probe with the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Guardia Civil. According to NEWS 24/7, UCO officers arrived at three public bodies at 09:30 that morning to request documents and data on the railway works. Those bodies are ADIF, the public company that manages Spain's rail infrastructure, the State Agency for Railway Safety (AESF) and Spain's Court of Audit. ADIF has confirmed that EPPO staff visited its headquarters and that it handed over all the information requested, while the AESF and the Court of Audit had not replied immediately to requests for comment. The EPPO has said that no further details will be made public at this stage.

Two fatal crashes in 2026

On 28 October, two high-speed trains collided near Urda in Toledo province, about 150 kilometres south of Madrid, killing 69 people. According to NewsIT, a Renfe train operated by the state company ran into a stationary train run by the private operator Iryo, while traffic in the area had been disrupted by a fault in the LZB safety system. Óscar Puente, who led the transport ministry during both crashes, has attributed the collision to an unexplained order from the control centre after the safety system failed. The Urda collision was the deadliest rail accident in Spain since 2013, when 80 people died in a derailment near Santiago de Compostela. Earlier, on 18 January, two high-speed trains collided near Adamuz in Córdoba province, Andalusia, killing 46 people.

Adamuz, 18 January 202646

Urda, 28 October 202669

Adamuz, 18 January 2026

46 people

Urda, 28 October 2026

69 people

Data from the article text

An earlier probe and a disputed start date

The new investigation follows an earlier EPPO probe into possible fraud in maintenance funding for the same line near Adamuz. Sources give different starting dates for that earlier case: NEWS 24/7 says it began on 30 January, eleven days after the Adamuz crash, while SKAI reports that the EPPO announced it on 20 March. A Romanian report also places the earlier probe in March. SKAI describes that case as focused on maintenance works near Adamuz at kilometre point 318.7 of the Madrid-Seville line, whereas the new probe concerns safety, signalling and communication upgrades. NEWS 24/7 reports that both probes involve a shared amount of EU funding, 111,646,340 euros, approved by the European Union.

Political fallout

Óscar Puente resigned as transport minister on Tuesday, 3 November, having held the post during both crashes. The resignation came three days before the EPPO announced its investigation. The two crashes have increased pressure on the government to explain the conditions in which they happened and its investment in the rail network. Greek outlets described the Urda collision as a shock to Spanish public opinion, which has renewed debate about the country's rail network.

What happens next

The investigation is expected to examine how the European funds were allocated and used, and whether the financed works matched the planned upgrade targets for the line. Investigators have requested documents from three bodies, and ADIF says it has supplied everything asked of it. The AESF and the Court of Audit had not responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting. The EPPO has released no further details about the content of its inquiries.