Private operator Iryo has contradicted the Spanish government's account of the high-speed train crash that killed at least 69 people, saying its driver was not ordered to resume movement after a safety system failed. Leaked recordings, if accurate, suggest a control centre official instructed the driver of the Renfe train to resume “normal operations” before it slammed into the stationary Iryo train near Urda. Political arguments are clouding the debate ahead of Spain's November 29 election, with union leaders calling for Transport Minister Óscar Puente to resign.
Transport Minister Puente had said the Renfe train was instructed to resume without speed restrictions and that the engineers were not to blame.
According to leaked recordings, the control centre official told the Renfe driver to resume “normal operations” after a signalling malfunction halted eight trains. The driver asked “Normal operations?” and the controller replied “Yes.” Normal operations could involve speeds of up to 200km/h.
The Iryo driver reported being stopped at the Urda entrance signal due to a failure to restart the safety system. “I have had a loss of transmission and I am stopped at the Urda entrance signal,” she told the control centre at 8:41am, according to the RTVE transcript. The control centre told her to keep trying to resume normal operation; minutes later, the controller asked her to begin moving as soon as she could and said “if you have a problem, call us.” At 8:53am the Renfe train struck the stationary Iryo train.
The crash killed at least 69 people and injured at least 80, making it Spain's deadliest rail disaster since 2013. The Castilla-La Mancha regional government warned the toll could still rise. A total of 544 passengers were on board the two trains.
The disaster has become a flashpoint in the campaign for the November 29 general election. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who declared three days of national mourning, said "If there have been failures in the security system, we will respond decisively." Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said "Spain has the right to know what is happening with its infrastructure."
Union leaders are calling for Puente’s resignation. Spain’s train workers’ union spokesperson Joan Rodríguez argued that increased traffic from rail liberalisation had not been matched by maintenance. “We are not convinced that the liberalization of the high-speed passenger rail service was matched by the necessary upkeep of the lines,” he told TVE.
There has been no word on former employment minister Fátima Báñez since the crash; she was known to be on the Iryo train. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is not aware of any Australians involved.
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Analysis
Why This Matters
The crash exposes potential safety gaps in one of the world's largest high-speed rail networks, raising questions about infrastructure investment and the impact of privatisation.
With a national election days away, the disaster has become a central political issue that could shift voter sentiment and shape government accountability.
The conflicting accounts between the government and operator may delay a clear understanding of what went wrong, affecting public confidence in rail travel.
Background
Spain's high-speed rail network is the second largest in the world after China's, carrying about 25 million passengers in 2024. The country has suffered two fatal high-speed crashes this year: the January derailment at Adamuz that killed 46, and Wednesday's collision near Urda. Both involved state-owned Renfe and private operator Iryo, which began services in Spain in 2022 after the network was opened to competition. The safety system that failed, LZB, monitors train speeds and relays traffic instructions; a computer malfunction caused it to go down on the morning of the crash.
Key Perspectives
Transport Minister Óscar Puente: The crash was caused by an "inexplicable" order from the central command centre after a security system failed. The train engineers were not to blame.
Iryo: Its driver did not receive an order to resume movement after the system failure, contradicting the government's account.
Joan Rodríguez (train workers' union): Called for Puente's resignation and said the liberalisation of high-speed services was not matched by necessary maintenance.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo (People's Party leader): "Spain has the right to know what is happening with its infrastructure."
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez: Promised a full investigation and said safety would be strengthened to restore confidence.
What to Watch
The November 29 general election and whether the crash reshapes the campaign debate.
The outcome of the official investigation into the LZB failure and the command centre's decisions.
Potential reforms to Spain's rail safety protocols and maintenance funding.
12 claims in this story checked against 4 sources: 3 supported.
Show each claim
SupportedIryo contradicted the government’s account of the crash.Just In: “A private rail operator and the Spanish government have offered conflicting accounts of what caused Europe's deadliest train collision since 2013, according to local reports.”
SupportedIryo said its driver was not told to resume the journey.Just In: “Iryo maintains that it never received such an order and therefore kept the train stopped, El Mundo said.”
Partly supportedUnion leaders are calling for Transport Minister Óscar Puente to resign.Just In: “Spain's Minister of Transport, Oscar Puente said an automatic control system had interfered with rail operations just before the crash. (Reuters: Juan Barbosa)”
SupportedThe crash killed at least 69 people.BBC News: “Audio recordings published in Spanish media reveal conversations between train drivers and a railway control centre in the minutes leading up to a deadly train crash that killed at least 69 people”
Not in the sourcesThe Iryo driver said, “I have had a loss of transmission and I am stopped at the Urda entrance signal,” at 8:41am, according to an RTVE transcript.BBC News: “The driver of the other train - operated by Iryo - says in another audio recording that communication with the train-control system has been lost and it is not moving. The train "is stationary in front of the entry signal at Urda", the driver tells the control centre operator.”
Not in the sourcesThe controller told the Iryo driver, “if you have a problem, call us.”BBC News: “After a series of exchanges, the driver is then told to "resume the journey" normally.”
Not in the sourcesPedro Sánchez said, “If there have been failures in the security system, we will respond decisively.”Politico Europe: ““We are going to get to the bottom of this, and if there has been negligence, it will be revealed, and if there have been failures in the system, we will act decisively.””
Not in the sourcesAlberto Núñez Feijóo said, “Spain has the right to know what is happening with its infrastructure.”
Sources say otherwiseThere has been no word on Fátima Báñez since the crash.BBC News: “The death of former employment minister Fátima Báñez, 59, was confirmed by the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE), which she chaired.”
Not in the sourcesBáñez was known to be on the Iryo train.Politico Europe: “Within hours of the crash, authorities said the former minister was traveling in one of the carriages most affected by the collision, but were unable to confirm she was among the dead until Thursday.”
Not in the sourcesSpain’s train workers’ union spokesperson Joan Rodríguez said liberalisation was not matched by necessary upkeep.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The Spanish train drivers’ union, SEMAF, said that it does not want to speculate on the cause of the crash.”
Not in the sourcesThe Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is not aware of any Australians involved.
Correction
An earlier version of this story presented unsupported wording as a direct quotation from Pedro Sánchez. He promised an investigation and action on any failures. It also included unsupported passenger accounts attributed to Roberto Gómez and Eduarda, which have been removed.