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Spanish Train Crash Near Adamuz: 41 Dead, Investigation Focuses on Track Defect

Posted on January 20, 2026

Reading time: 7 minutes.

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On 18^th January 2026, two high-speed trains derailed and collided near Adamuz in Córdoba province, resulting in at least 41 confirmed deaths and 292 injuries. The crash is Spain’s worst railway accident since 2013 and has led to three days of national mourning whilst investigations focus on track maintenance and prior warnings about infrastructure deterioration.

What Happened

At 19:45 CET on Sunday evening, an Iryo high-speed train travelling from Málaga to Madrid derailed near Adamuz, a small town about 360 kilometres south of Madrid. Sources vary on passenger numbers, with Spanish reports citing 317 passengers whilst other accounts report 289. The rear carriages of the eight-coach train left the rails on a straight section of track and crossed onto the opposite line, directly into the path of an oncoming Renfe Alvia train heading from Madrid to Huelva with around 200 passengers aboard.

The collision caused substantial damage. The first two carriages of the Renfe train took the impact, knocking them off the track and sending them down a four-metre embankment. According to Andalusian regional president Juan Manuel Moreno, some bodies were found hundreds of metres from the crash site. Among the dead was the 27-year-old driver of the Renfe train. Survivor Ana Garcia Aranda, 26, described the moment of impact to Reuters: “The train tipped to one side, then everything went dark, and all I heard was screams.”

The crash occurred in hilly, olive-growing countryside accessible only by a single-track road, complicating rescue operations. Local residents were among the first responders, bringing blankets and water whilst emergency services mobilised. By Tuesday morning, 39 people remained hospitalised, with 12 in intensive care. Spain’s Civil Guard established DNA collection centres across five cities to help identify victims.

An Unexplained Accident

Transport Minister Óscar Puente called the crash “tremendously strange” and said officials and railway experts were finding it difficult to explain. The derailment occurred on a straight stretch of track where both trains were travelling well below the 250 km/h speed limit. The Iryo train had been manufactured in 2022 and passed its last safety inspection on 15th January 2026, just three days before the crash. The track itself had been completely renovated in May 2025 as part of a €700 million investment programme.

Human error and sabotage have both been ruled out. There was a 20-second interval between the initial derailment and the collision, too short to activate automatic braking systems.

Investigation Focus: Broken Rail Joint

Investigators have found a broken joint on the rails, according to sources briefed on the preliminary investigation. The faulty joint, known as a fishplate, connects sections of rail and appears to have created a gap that widened as trains passed over it. The first carriages of the Iryo train successfully traversed the defect, but the eighth and final carriage derailed, pulling the seventh and sixth carriages with it.

Minister Puente cautioned against premature conclusions, noting that when the train derailed, it produced fractures in the track over approximately 200 metres. “The key is to determine whether this fracture was a cause or a consequence,” he told Onda Cero radio. “That is the crux of this whole thing, knowing what came first.”

Prior Warnings About Track Condition

The crash site was not unknown to railway authorities. In August 2025, train drivers’ union SEMAF wrote to infrastructure operator ADIF warning of rapid track degradation due to increased traffic from new high-speed operators. The letter, seen by Reuters, reported “bumps, warping, and imbalance in the catenary” (overhead power lines) causing abnormal vibrations, instability at full speed and frequent breakdowns.

Drivers reported these concerns daily to ADIF but claimed no action was taken. The union urged speed reductions from 300 km/h to 250 km/h in affected sections and warned of deep wear on rolling stock. One passenger posted video from November 2025 showing excessive vibrations on the Sevilla to Zaragoza route. ADIF reportedly recorded almost a dozen incidents on this section of track, with one report speaking of a crew member being injured by equipment dislodged by jolting.

A Reuters review found that ADIF’s social media account reported infrastructure problems at Adamuz 10 times since 2022, from signalling failures to overhead power line issues. Sky News identified at least 18 incidents on the tracks over the past three years. ADIF has not commented on the union’s allegations.

Historical Context

The crash is significant for Spain’s high-speed rail network, the second longest in the world behind China. With approximately 3,900 kilometres of high-speed track, the network has been operational since 1992 and serves around 100,000 passengers daily.

Spain’s most recent major rail disaster occurred in July 2013, when 79 people died in the Santiago de Compostela derailment. That crash happened when an Alvia high-speed train took a curve at 179 km/h in an 80 km/h zone whilst the driver was on the phone. The 2013 incident occurred on a section of conventional track at the end of a high-speed line where the train had transitioned from high-speed to conventional infrastructure.

The Adamuz collision represents the worst railway accident in Spain since 2013 and the fourth deadliest in Spanish history, after Torre del Bierzo (1944, 79 deaths), El Cuervo (1972, 77 deaths) and Santiago de Compostela (2013, 79 deaths).

Market Liberalisation Context

The crash highlights infrastructure challenges arising from Spain’s recent rail liberalisation. The country opened its high-speed network to private competition in 2020, allowing operators such as Iryo and Ouigo España to compete with state-owned Renfe on major corridors including Madrid-Barcelona, Madrid-Seville and Madrid-Málaga.

Iryo, a joint venture between Italian state railway Ferrovie dello Stato, airline Air Nostrum and Spanish infrastructure fund Globalvia, began operations in November 2022. The company operates Italian-designed Frecciarossa 1000 trains manufactured by Hitachi Rail-Bombardier.

The union’s August 2025 letter specifically cited increased traffic from new operators and heavier axle loads as contributing to track deterioration. Spain’s high-speed network has experienced frequent delays since 2022, with the government criticised over power outages and copper cable thefts from lines crossing remote countryside.

National Response

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cancelled his scheduled appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos to visit the crash site, where he declared three days of national mourning. “This is a day of sorrow for all of Spain, for our entire country,” he told reporters, promising a “thorough and absolutely transparent” investigation.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, who were in Greece for the funeral of Princess Irene, cancelled their schedule and visited the crash site on Tuesday to meet emergency personnel. Flags flew at half-mast across Spain, and television presenters wore black.

The Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line was closed on 19th January and is expected to remain shut until the end of the week at least, according to railway industry sources. ADIF established support centres at stations in Atocha, Seville, Córdoba, Málaga and Huelva for relatives of victims.

Among the victims was the Zamorano Álvarez family from Punta Umbría, who were returning from a weekend in Madrid. A six-year-old girl was the only survivor from her family after the deaths of her parents, brother and cousin.

What Happens Next

The Railway Accident Investigation Commission is conducting a formal investigation examining track integrity, train components and maintenance records. Officials have warned the investigation could take weeks or months to reach definitive conclusions.

The crash raises questions about infrastructure maintenance under Spain’s liberalised rail market, the adequacy of inspection procedures and the response to driver warnings about track conditions. Whether the broken rail joint was cause or consequence of the derailment remains the central question investigators must answer.

Latest updates: Death toll stands at 41 as of 20^th January 2026, though officials warn this may rise as bodies remain trapped in wreckage. Investigations are ongoing.