New details have emerged about the moments leading up to the deadly train crash near Adamuz after investigators analysed the black boxes from the two trains involved.
Spain’s Railway Accident Investigation Commission (CIAF) released preliminary findings showing how the disaster unfolded on the evening of January 18. The crash killed 46 people and left more than 120 injured.
According to the early analysis, the Alvia 2384 train was travelling at 204 km/hr at the moment its data recorder stopped registering information – a point investigators believe likely coincides with the collision.
The data from the trains’ recorders and the internal CCTV system of the Iryo 6189 train were extracted on March 5 at CIAF facilities in the presence of judicial officials and investigators.
Authorities also created multiple copies of the data for judicial analysis.
Investigators have now been able to reconstruct a preliminary timeline of events.
Timeline of crash so far
At 19:43:20, the Iryo train travelling from Malaga to Madrid entered a track circuit where investigators later found a fractured rail.
Nine seconds later, at 19:43:29, the train experienced an electrical disruption when its circuit breaker opened while travelling at 205km/hr.
Investigators believe this may have been the first sign of a derailment, possibly caused by electrical disturbances or a loss of contact between the pantograph and the overhead power line.
Just four seconds later, the Alvia train travelling from Madrid to Huelva entered the same section of track from the opposite line.
At the same moment, the Iryo train triggered a temperature alarm in the axle boxes of one of its carriages – a signal investigators say is consistent with the train already being derailed.
This alarm automatically activated the train’s braking system.
Seconds later, railway infrastructure sensors detected damage to a track switch, likely caused by the derailed Iryo carriages.
As a safety measure, the signal protecting the other track immediately changed from white to red.
That sudden signal change triggered an automatic emergency braking command in the Alvia train, which was travelling at 216km/hr at the time.
At 19:43:43, the driver of the Iryo train pressed the emergency brake button as the train slowed to 141km/hr.
One second later, at 19:43:44, the Alvia’s black box stopped recording data while the train was still travelling at around 204 km/hr.
Investigators believe this moment likely corresponds to the impact between the two trains.
The CIAF report also notes that the Alvia data shows no visible action from its driver before the collision.
Video footage from inside the Iryo train has also been reviewed and captures the initial moments of the derailment, though it does not show the entire sequence of events.
Despite the new information, investigators stress that these findings are preliminary.
The commission says the investigation remains ongoing and the final conclusions will only be presented in the official report once all evidence has been analysed.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
