Madrid HS train derailment upends weekend services in Spain
Rail services to and from Madrid were completely upended this weekend after a Renfe train derailed and overturned while in a key high-speed tunnel in the Spanish capital. There were no passengers on board at the time, and luckily, no injuries despite two mechanics being onboard. However, the major incident between two of Madrid’s main stations led to the cancellation of 19 AVE trains, with at least 17,000 people affected by the disruption. And that apparently wasn’t the only incident to affect services.
The dramatic derailment took place on Saturday after a manoeuvre reportedly went awry at Chamartín station in Madrid, with the Renfe 114 series train disconnecting from the rail and overturning onto both tracks of a high-speed tunnel that links the terminal with Madrid-Puerta de Atocha. Chamartín and Atocha are the capital’s two main rail stations, both playing a crucial role for regional and long-distance high-speed trains.
Un incidente durante una maniobra ha provocado la suspensión de la circulacion de trenes de alta Velocidad entre Chamartin y Jardin Botanico, afectando a todo el trafico de Madrid con el Este de España.
— INFOAdif (@InfoAdif) October 19, 2024
But even before that, according to online newspaper Murciatoday.com, there were delays around the tunnel after an unauthorised individual was discovered on the upper walkway at Atocha station, forcing rail traffic to be stopped as a precautionary measure. It would, however, be the later accident at around 4:15 pm that led to the suspension of all traffic scheduled to circulate through the high-speed tunnel, with trains upended to Valencia, Alicante, Murcia, and other destinations in the east of Spain, both from Madrid and from other northern Spanish cities.
Drifting in Madrid
Sources at Adif quickly told elEconomista.es that there were no injuries, even though two mechanics were inside the train at the time. All AVE trains departing from Chamartín were switched to leave from Madrid-Puerta de Atocha, while passengers were put on commuter trains that connect both terminals to replace the out-of-service track section.
According to its sources in Spain’s rail sector, elEconomista.es reported that the incident was caused by the vehicle being parked incorrectly, causing it to slide uncontrollably into the tunnel due to a steep slope from the Chamartín tracks. Apparently, there was a transfer of empty material taking place on Saturday morning between the Madrid areas of La Sagra and Fuencarral, and there were already traction problems.
Un tren de Renfe descarrila y vuelca en el túnel entre Chamartín y Atocha https://t.co/U3xnagg48T
— elEconomista.es (@elEconomistaes) October 19, 2024
This led to delays, forcing Adif to limit circulation to a single track through the high-speed tunnel. However, at around 4:15 pm, the tail unit of the train reportedly became uncoupled, first drifting and then overturning onto both of the tunnel’s tracks, as shown in exclusive photos obtained by elEconomista. Altogether, 19 high-speed trains were cancelled over the weekend, most of them between Madrid and the region of Valencia.
Regular schedule resuming
Trains leaving Atocha have gradually resumed operations, but online ticket sales between Madrid and the eastern Spanish region were still suspended on Monday morning, with regular services expected to resume later in the day. Murciatoday.com said things were now relatively calm at stations in Atocha, Valencia, and Murcia, with only minor delays. However, due to the major disruption, Renfe has vowed full refunds for all those affected.
Read more:
