Where did the Spain crash train happen? Early details of the accident in Toledo
The Renfe train struck an Iryo service that was stationary on the tracks about 81 miles south of Madrid
Just before 9 a.m. on Wednesday, a high-speed train operated by Renfe, Spain’s state-owned rail company, collided with an Iryo high-speed train that was stationary on the tracks at kilometer 118 of the Madrid-Andalusia line. Several carriages derailed: at least three from the Iryo train and one from the Renfe service plunged down an embankment. The crash killed at least 68 people and injured dozens more.
At 9 a.m., the train was shown as stationary on the public train-tracking system available on Renfe’s website. It was about 81 miles (130 kilometers) south of Madrid, from where it had departed shortly after 8 a.m., and roughly five miles (eight kilometers) from the town of Urda, where temporary treatment areas are being set up for emergency crews to treat the injured.
A total of 544 people were travelling on the two trains, according to Esther Padilla, spokesperson for the regional government of Castile-La Mancha. The Iryo 6076 service was carrying 147 passengers, including a baby, while the Renfe AVE 2080 service had 397 passengers on board.
Images from the scene, including the one below by Ismael Herrero of EFE, show at least three carriages off the tracks.
Initial findings point to a signal passed at danger (SPAD): the AVE train is believed to have passed a signal instructing it to stop, similar to running a red light. According to those same, as-yet-unconfirmed reports, the control center had authorized the train to continue.
Unauthorized SPADs are subject to mandatory reporting, and European railway regulations classify them as “precursors to accidents,” meaning incidents that could potentially result in an accident.
In Spain, accidents caused by a SPAD, including those that do not involve a collision, accounted for 23% of all accident precursors in 2024. The number remained broadly stable for 15 years but has risen steadily since 2022, reaching 168 cases in 2024, the highest figure on record. The increase coincides with the growth in rail traffic following the entry of private operators such as Ouigo and Iryo into the Spanish market.
Pending confirmation of the final casualty figures, this morning’s crash could rank among Spain’s deadliest rail disasters since the 1970s.
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