The railway corridor through Toledo and southern Madrid recorded at least 20 incidents this year before Wednesday’s fatal collision near Urda, it has emerged.
A review by Diario de Sevilla, which examined previous reporting and Adif’s public notices, counted four signalling faults, at least six incidents involving trains, four cable thefts and two fires beside the tracks, alongside problems affecting overhead power equipment and infrastructure.
Eight incidents were recorded in July alone, including a succession of cable thefts early in the month.
A train driver also told the newspaper that a system fault had brought his service to a stop at around 8.30pm on Tuesday at the same kilometre point as Wednesday’s collision.
Adif has previously argued that the La Sagra–Toledo area should not be considered more problematic than other sections of the network.
However, it acknowledges the heavy traffic on the Madrid-Puertollano-Cordoba corridor, particularly between La Sagra and Mora, through which services between Madrid and Andalucia pass.
Additional frequencies introduced through competition between operators have increased use of the route. A higher volume of trains can also concentrate the number of reported breakdowns and disruptions.
The line, which opened for the 1992 Sevilla Expo, is undergoing a modernisation programme costing around €650million.
Work began in late 2021 and includes installing the European ERTMS train-protection system, with completion scheduled for 2026, according to the report.
A separate €37.5 million contract covers replacement railway points between La Sagra and Majarabique, as well as at Puertollano.
Transport Minister Oscar Puente has previously defended carrying out upgrades while keeping services running, arguing that modernisation work can itself cause disruption.
The newspaper also documented around 30 incidents between La Sagra and Mora from 2021 to 2024. Some were unrelated to the condition of the railway, including flooding and nearby fires.
Investigators must now establish whether any infrastructure, signalling or operational failure contributed to the Urda collision.
