Edition: 326
It looks as though last week’s train crash in Albacete was caused by human error, according to information obtained during the investigation into the collision. The driver of the Talgo train from Madrid had been asked to make an unscheduled stop at Chinchilla station to collect a document about speed limits, and while the train was at the station the chief of rail traffic there apparently left the signal light on green. Normally, the train drivers would not leave a station before receiving a further green signal, but on this occasion it seems that the Talgo had continued on its journey before the second signal was given. Tragically, a cargo train had just left Navajuelos station, 2½ kms away, and was travelling along the same line in the opposite direction. Nothing could be done to avoid the collision, as both trains were travelling at about 100 kilometres per hour. This was the worst rail crash in Spain for 30 years, but there have been a further eleven accidents so far this year and this raises questions about safety levels on railways. The Minister of Public Works, Francisco Álvarez Cascos, answered criticism from opposition politicians last week by saying that Spain has to work with its existing railway network, and that it is impossible to change things overnight. 9,000 of the more than 11,800 kilometres of railway lines are single track, but according to the Minister, the existing system can be run correctly and the government has invested considerable sums of money in maintaining the railway network to keep it in line with European high standards.
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