Unions have condemned the “constant deterioration of the railways” after a major accident in southern Spain left at least 43 people dead and dozens injured.
Spain’s largest train drivers’ union has called for a nationwide strike for safety after three derailments this week left dozens dead and injured.
“We will pursue criminal charges against those responsible for ensuring the safety of railway infrastructure,” railway operator union SEMAF said in a statement on Wednesday.
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The union stated, “This situation, where the railway continues to deteriorate, is unacceptable.”
The strike call came days after two high-speed trains collided in the southern state of Cordoba on Sunday, killing at least 43 people, the country’s worst train accident in more than a decade.
In another accident late Tuesday, a commuter train crashed into a retaining wall and onto the tracks in Guerrida, near Barcelona, killing the train driver and injuring 37 others, regional authorities said.
A train derailment caused by a falling rock was also reported on Tuesday on Barcelona’s regional network, but no injuries were reported, rail network operator ADIF said.
Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the government would “have a long discussion” with trade unions to avoid a strike, and said the move was motivated by “the mental state that train drivers are currently experiencing following the deaths of two of their colleagues.”
But the incident has raised questions about the safety of Spain’s rail network, as well as increased criticism from opposition politicians and commuters.
Larca Maria Pasca, a 45-year-old waitress, said she had noticed that the high-speed train was “shaking lately.”
“That’s how I felt, too. They need to solve the problem,” she told AFP at a train station in the southern city of Cordoba.
Spain’s main conservative opposition party, the People’s Party, is also demanding an “immediate explanation” about the current state of the country’s railways. “This is too much,” party leader Alberto Nuñez Feijó wrote about X.
speed limit imposed
Spanish authorities have not ruled out the possibility that more victims may be found in the wreckage of Sunday’s high-speed crash.
Three days of national mourning are being held while an investigation into the cause is underway.
ADIF said the rear end of a train carrying 289 passengers from Malaga to the capital Madrid derailed and collided with a train heading from Madrid to Huelva, another southern city.
The crash occurred near the town of Adams, and local authorities said a body was found several hundred meters from the crash site.
Authorities continued their search Wednesday and found a 43rd victim. Regional officials said 37 more people were hospitalized as of Wednesday morning, and 86 had been treated and released.
Meanwhile, Catalonia’s main commuter rail network has been completely suspended while safety inspections are carried out, with authorities saying they will not reopen until the lines are deemed safe.
ADIF temporarily imposed a speed limit of 160 km/h (100 mph) on part of the high-speed line between Madrid and Barcelona after a train driver reported the collision.
Trains traveling between Madrid and the eastern city of Valencia have also been ordered to impose speed limits on a 1.8 km (1 mile) section of the route, the network operator said on Wednesday.
In August, SEMAF (the railway operator’s association) wrote to ADIF asking it to investigate deficiencies on rail lines across the country due to increased usage and to reduce speeds at certain points until the tracks are fully repaired.
The union told The Associated Press the advisory was made for high-speed rail lines, including the line where Sunday’s accident occurred.
