Spain weighs closing Madrid-Barcelona high-speed line during renovation works

Closure under consideration

Transport Minister Óscar Puente said on Friday, 30 October, that the government is weighing whether to halt traffic on the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed line while renovation works already scheduled last year are carried out. No closure date has been set. Puente cited Germany as the model in which service is suspended during track renewals, so the works finish sooner while passengers go without trains for that period. He acknowledged that users would lose the service during that time. Spain usually does the reverse, carrying out upgrades while trains keep running, typically in hours without traffic or with brief cuts, which keeps service going but stretches the works out. Puente said closing the line could reduce a project that would take five years under maintenance conditions to between 12 and 24 months under normal conditions. He added:

“It is something we have to consider.”

Safety, punctuality and the Madrid-Sevilla line

Puente denied that safety was the reason for the possible closure, saying the issue is punctuality, which he linked to the larger investment now going into the rail network. He also pointed to two accidents in nine months on the Madrid-Sevilla line and said decisions must be taken. Puente said he did not know whether cutting service was the most prudent formula under these circumstances. He acknowledged that following the German model would draw opposition, but said that in the current circumstances it could be the most prudent option.

The Urda collision and the control centre

The collision happened on the morning of Wednesday, 28 October, near Urda (Toledo), between an AVE high-speed train and an Iryo train. The first report from the independent investigation body AITAT puts the speed at impact between 160 and 200 km/h, pending data from the onboard juridical recorder. Puente said the LZB signalling system that failed in the accident had gone down 170 times this year on the Madrid-Sevilla line, a figure he described as within normal range. He also spoke of a 'failure at the Adif control centre' rather than human error, a term earlier government sources had used. He rejected that phrasing outright:

“I have never used the expression human error, I have not used those labels.”

Puente ruled out resigning and said his obligation is to solve the problem and clarify what happened. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez does not appear to have asked for his resignation.

Renovation already under way

Adif brought forward the renovation of the Madrid-Barcelona corridor after the Adamuz accident in January. According to ABC, works have started on the first section, between Mejorada del Campo and Calatayud, where more than 680,000 sleepers will be installed at a cost of 112.76 million euros. The project aims to raise design speed from 300 to 350 km/h while reducing vibration and improving reliability. El Periódico reports that wear has forced speed limits of 160 km/h at certain points. Puente said the Madrid-Calatayud renewal is about to begin, describing that stretch as in clearly improvable condition.