A commuter train collision with a construction crane in the southeastern Spanish city of Cartagena on Thursday has become Spain’s third rail accident in the span of a week, intensifying scrutiny of the country’s transport infrastructure just as millions of residents and visitors rely on its extensive rail network for winter travel.

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Latest crash in Cartagena adds to a grim week on Spain’s rails

The incident in Cartagena occurred on Thursday, January 22, when a passenger service struck a crane that had intruded onto the rail corridor on the approach to the city’s station. State rail infrastructure manager Adif said traffic on the line was suspended after what it described as an “intrusion into the infrastructure gauge by a crane not belonging to the railway operation,” an indication that the machinery was associated with nearby construction work rather than railway maintenance.

Local media and state broadcaster reports said several people were injured, including at least one person seriously, and that emergency services rushed to the site to evacuate passengers and assess structural damage. Images from the scene showed carriages halted near the stricken crane, with firefighters and medical personnel working along the track.

The Cartagena crash followed two earlier accidents that had already shaken public confidence. On Sunday, January 18, Spain’s worst rail disaster in more than a decade unfolded near Adamuz in the southern region of Andalusia, where two high-speed trains collided after one derailed, killing at least 43 people and injuring hundreds more. Two days later, on January 20, a commuter train on the Rodalies network in Catalonia derailed between Gelida and Sant Sadurní d’Anoia after hitting debris from a retaining wall that had collapsed in heavy rain, killing a 27-year-old trainee driver and injuring dozens of passengers.

Although Thursday’s crash in Cartagena did not immediately appear to be as deadly as the earlier tragedies, its timing has amplified a sense of a system under strain. Passenger advocates and unions say the cluster of accidents within one week is unprecedented in recent Spanish rail history and risks undermining a safety record long considered one of the strongest in Europe.

Passengers recount confusion and fear on Cartagena service

Early accounts from travelers on the Cartagena train described scenes of confusion as the train braked sharply before the impact, sending some passengers tumbling in their seats and others striking interior fittings. Several passengers reported hearing a loud metallic grinding sound as the train made contact with the crane structure.

Witnesses said emergency lighting came on inside some carriages while staff moved through the train attempting to calm passengers and check for injuries. The sudden stop left the train partially alongside construction works beside the track, where the crane had apparently been operating before either collapsing or swinging into the train’s path.

Local emergency services reported that most injuries were minor, largely consisting of bruises and shock, but that one person sustained more serious trauma and was transported to a regional hospital. Authorities did not immediately release a complete tally of injured passengers, and investigators were still assessing the full extent of the damage on Thursday evening.

Rail staff unions said the crew’s swift actions limited the scale of the disaster. The driver’s quick braking before impact and coordinated evacuation procedures were credited with preventing carriages from derailing as they had in the earlier Adamuz and Gelida crashes.

Adamuz high-speed disaster casts a long shadow

The Cartagena incident comes as Spain is still reeling from the catastrophic high-speed crash near Adamuz in Córdoba province on Sunday evening. In that accident, an Iryo service traveling from Málaga to Madrid derailed on a straight, recently refurbished section of the Madrid–Seville high-speed line just before 7:45 p.m., leaving the tail end of the train jutting into the path of an oncoming Alvia service from Madrid to Huelva.

The second train slammed into the derailed carriages at high speed, tearing open metal, throwing wagons down an embankment and scattering wreckage and bodies over a wide area. More than 400 passengers were on the two trains combined. Rescue workers described an extremely complex operation, with difficult access to the site on a narrow road and carriages lying twisted on their sides.

By midweek, authorities confirmed at least 43 deaths and close to 300 injuries, including many in critical condition, making the collision Spain’s deadliest rail accident since Santiago de Compostela in 2013 and the fourth worst in the nation’s railway history. The government declared three days of national mourning, flags flew at half-mast and Spain’s prime minister and king traveled to the scene, underscoring the scale of the tragedy.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the crash as “tremendously strange” given that it occurred on a straight line that had been renovated in 2025 and that early indications suggested neither of the trains was exceeding the speed limit. Investigators are examining a damaged section of track and the train’s power systems, among other factors, but officials have cautioned that it may take weeks before they can identify a definitive cause.

Gelida derailment raises questions about infrastructure resilience

Even as Spain was still counting the dead in Adamuz, a second serious rail accident struck on Tuesday night in Catalonia. A Rodalies commuter service on the R4 line between Gelida and Sant Sadurní d’Anoia derailed after colliding with a retaining wall that had collapsed onto the tracks. Heavy rainfall linked to Storm Harry is believed to have triggered a landslide behind the wall, weakening its foundations until it toppled directly into the rail corridor.

The train, carrying several dozen passengers, hit the debris at speed, derailing and leaving some carriages severely damaged. The 27-year-old trainee conductor traveling in the cab was killed, and more than 37 passengers were injured, with a number of them in serious condition. Regional authorities in Catalonia said the death toll might have been higher if the train had been more heavily loaded at the time.

The Gelida crash has focused attention on infrastructure resilience rather than operational error. Experts note that extreme weather, including intense rain events, puts additional stress on slopes, bridges and retaining structures, especially on older parts of the network or on sections where surrounding land use has changed. Questions are being asked about whether risk assessments and inspections fully accounted for the increasing frequency of such weather patterns.

Catalan officials have opened an inquiry into the design and maintenance of the retaining wall, as well as any prior warning signs such as subsidence or minor rockfalls. Adif has begun broader inspections of vulnerable structures on the Rodalies network and on other lines exposed to similar geotechnical conditions.

Safety record under pressure as unions call for accountability

Spain’s rail system has long been held up as a model of safe, efficient transport within Europe, with accident rates significantly lower than on the country’s roads and a high-speed rail network regarded as state of the art. Until this week, Spain had not suffered a deadly crash on its high-speed lines since operations began in 1992.

The succession of three serious accidents in quick succession, however, has put that reputation under intense pressure. The largest train drivers’ union, Semaf, has demanded comprehensive reviews of infrastructure, signaling and maintenance regimes, and has threatened or called for strikes to press for what it describes as overdue investments and better staffing levels in safety-critical roles.

Union representatives argue that recent policy has prioritized expansion, new operators and competitive services on headline high-speed routes while leaving some conventional lines and protective infrastructure under-financed. They point to issues such as aging retaining walls, drainage systems and access roads that, in their view, have not always kept pace with traffic growth and climate-related stress.

Government officials insist that Spain’s railways remain among Europe’s safest and emphasize that the three recent crashes appear, on current evidence, to have very different immediate causes. Nonetheless, the public outcry has prompted the transport ministry to announce an extraordinary safety review across both conventional and high-speed networks, including independent technical audits and accelerated inspection programs in high-risk areas.

Impact on travel and tourism across Spain

Rail is central to domestic and international travel in Spain, particularly for visitors who use high-speed services to connect cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Seville and Valencia, and for cruise passengers embarking or disembarking at Mediterranean ports like Cartagena. The recent accidents have disrupted services along critical corridors and rattled traveler confidence during a period when winter sun destinations in southern Spain typically see a surge in demand.

Following the Adamuz crash, high-speed services between Madrid and Andalusia were temporarily suspended while investigators examined the site and engineers checked adjacent infrastructure. Airlines added extra flights between Madrid and key Andalusian cities, and long-distance bus operators increased capacity to accommodate stranded passengers. Stations such as Madrid-Atocha and Málaga-María Zambrano remained open overnight to shelter travelers waiting for alternative connections.

In Catalonia, the Gelida derailment forced closures and diversions on the R4 commuter line, one of the principal rail links serving towns northwest of Barcelona. Commuters faced delays and crowding as operators rolled out substitute bus services and rerouted some trains. The Cartagena crane collision has now added further localized disruption in the Murcia region, with services suspended or limited around the affected section.

Tourism boards and transport providers are working to reassure international visitors that the risk of a rail accident in Spain remains low, emphasizing that millions of journeys are completed safely each week. However, travel agents are reporting an uptick in questions from clients about rail safety, route alternatives and the robustness of contingency plans should further disruptions occur.

Investigations and potential reforms on the horizon

Spain’s Commission for the Investigation of Railway Accidents, an independent body, is involved in the probes into the Adamuz and Gelida crashes and is expected to play a role in examining the Cartagena collision as well. Investigators will analyze train data recorders, signaling logs, maintenance records and weather data, and will conduct detailed surveys of damaged track, structures and rolling stock.

In Adamuz, key questions include whether a track defect, equipment failure or a combination of mechanical and infrastructural issues caused the initial derailment, and whether any anomalies were detected or reported in the days leading up to the crash. In Gelida, the focus is on the retaining wall’s design standards, drainage and inspection history, along with whether early-warning systems could have detected the landslide risk in time to halt traffic.

The Cartagena case is likely to hinge on how a construction crane came to intrude into the railway’s safety envelope and whether safeguards and communication protocols between construction crews, contractors and rail operators were adequate. Investigators will look at work permits, planning documents and any obligations on contractors to coordinate with Adif and train operators when working near active lines.

Depending on their findings, authorities could introduce new regulations tightening conditions for construction near tracks, updating standards for protective walls and slopes, or enhancing technological monitoring, such as trackside sensors and real-time weather and ground-movement alerts. Political pressure for visible action is mounting, with opposition parties calling for parliamentary hearings and, in some cases, the resignation of senior transport officials.

Balancing perception and reality of rail safety in Spain

For many travelers, the shock of three rail accidents in one week risks overshadowing Spain’s long-term safety record and the statistical rarity of such events. Transport analysts note that rail remains one of the safest ways to travel, both in Spain and across Europe, particularly when compared to road traffic, which accounts for the vast majority of transport-related deaths.

At the same time, experts acknowledge that public perception is a crucial part of a functioning transport system. High-profile disasters can create a psychological hurdle for passengers, especially tourists unfamiliar with the network, and can influence choices between trains, buses and planes for months or years after an event.

In the coming weeks, Spain’s ability to communicate transparently about the causes of the Adamuz, Gelida and Cartagena accidents, and to demonstrate concrete steps to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents, will be central to restoring confidence. Clear messaging about inspections, investment plans and operational safeguards will be watched closely by both domestic travelers and international visitors planning rail journeys through the country.

For now, the image of a third train standing damaged on Spanish tracks in as many incidents within a week has become a powerful symbol in its own right, encapsulating a moment of reckoning for a rail system that has long been one of Europe’s great transport success stories, and raising urgent questions about how it must adapt to new technical and environmental challenges in the years ahead.