Spain’s rail infrastructure manager Adif has identified another break in the railway track in the province of Cordoba, around 15km from the city itself.
The Ministry of Transport confirmed on Monday that the incident has led to a temporary speed restriction being imposed on trains passing through the affected section, as a safety precaution while repairs are prepared.
The damage involves a switch component used to guide trains during track changes. Although the fault had already been located and secured, trains are required to slow down until the part can be replaced.
According to Adif, the repair will take time. The component is more than 50 metres long and can only be transported by rail, which means special permits are required.
Installation can also only be carried out overnight, during scheduled maintenance windows.
The Cordoba fault was detected by Adif’s maintenance teams and comes on the same day that the operator also imposed a speed limit on part of the Madrid–Barcelona high-speed line.
In that case, trains have been limited to 80km/hr near L’Espluga de Francolí, after a separate break was found in the track in Tarragona province.
The Transport Ministry has stressed that neither incident poses a risk to passengers and that rail traffic continues to operate safely, albeit at reduced speeds in the affected areas.
The back-to-back faults come at a time of heightened scrutiny of Spain’s rail infrastructure, following Adamuz (Cordoba) disaster that claimed 45 lives.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
