Madrid–Andalucía reopening set for reduced services after Urda crash

The Madrid–Andalucía high-speed line will reopen about 10 days after a judge authorises repair work, but with fewer services than before the 28 October Urda crash that killed 69 people. Renfe, Iryo and Ouigo will operate under a reduced timetable while infrastructure manager Adif rebuilds 400 metres of track and prepares ERTMS signalling, Transport Minister Óscar Puente said on Tuesday.

Adif has finished removing the trains and applied to the Urda judge for an order to rebuild the track, Puente said after a Cabinet meeting. Direct damage covered about 40 metres of track; the ministry chose to extend repairs to 400 metres.

Puente said Adif will temporarily reduce services to increase safety margins during modernisation. He did not specify the number of trains to cancel, affected timetables, seat reductions or how cuts would fall across Renfe, Iryo and Ouigo.

What changes for passengers?

Passengers face fewer trains, not an immediate return to the pre-crash timetable. The announcement provides no revised train count or seat figure, so it does not quantify the capacity loss on one of Spain’s main railway lines.

Traffic on the corridor has grown considerably since passenger transport liberalisation and the arrival of new operators. The proposed reopening also remains conditional on the judge’s approval, with the Urda investigation still confidential.

What does the Madrid–Barcelona decision change?

The ministry has opted to keep Madrid–Barcelona open during modernisation works scheduled for 2027. Puente said on Friday that a full closure could shorten a five-year project to 12 or 24 months, but passengers would lose rail service throughout that period.

Last Friday, he had raised the German model of suspending services during major refurbishments, admitted that the government was considering service cuts and warned of a backlash. By Tuesday, he said the route would remain open, though longer completion times and weaker punctuality could follow.

Final plans for the work remain pending. The Catalan regional government opposed closure; its president, Salvador Illa, said the refurbishment must meet the highest safety standards while affecting service “as little as possible”.

Puente had already qualified his Friday remarks in a television interview: the government had taken no decision, and any cut would not come immediately. He also called the issue unrelated to safety, describing it as a question of comfort, punctuality and incidents.

How has safety changed the timetable?

The service-reduction decision came six days after the Urda accident and nine and a half months after the Adamuz crash, which killed 46 people. The two disasters on the Madrid–Seville line have placed rail safety at the centre of the ministry’s concerns.

“We must recognise, and we do recognise, the seriousness of the situation,” Puente said. He also promised to work tirelessly to restore the public’s confidence in high-speed rail.

When will ERTMS enter service?

Restoring full Madrid–Andalucía services depends on two separate jobs: rebuilding the damaged section at Urda and commissioning level 2 ERTMS. The ministry now expects ERTMS to enter operation in early 2027.

A report approved in May 2024 by the national commission for markets and competition had scheduled replacement of LZB with ERTMS on the southern corridor for 2025–2026. The ministry had planned the modernisation for years before the latest tragedy.

In December 2021, Thales announced two contracts worth about €98 million to upgrade signalling and safety systems on the Madrid–Seville line; the main contract allowed 52 months for completion.

Puente said physical ERTMS installation had finished in June, but tests, technical checks and authorisations remain pending. The early-2027 entry date is therefore a projection; the supplier’s contract schedule does not establish commissioning.

What does the crash investigation show?

At 8.53am on 28 October, a Renfe AVE train collided from behind with an Iryo train that had stopped at the entry signal at Urda after an LZB fault. The Renfe train resumed service after authorisation from the Atocha control centre.

The technical investigation provisionally estimated the impact speed at 160–200 km/h. Onboard recordings and data from facilities should allow investigators to reconstruct the sequence of events, while the judge oversees confidential inquiries at the collision site.

Over the weekend, the judge told the crane company hired by Adif and Renfe to ensure sufficient staffing for wreck removal and the search for debris. Overnight work had stopped because the company lacked staff.

The next test is whether the judge authorises Adif’s repair application, the 400-metre rebuild proceeds and ERTMS clears its remaining tests; until then, passengers have no firm cancellation or seat-availability figures.