Train accident in Spain: tachograph recovered

Train accident in Spain Tachographs recovered from trains As of: October 30, 2026 • 1:32 p.m

The shock after the serious train accident in Spain is followed by the search for the cause: investigators have found the tachographs in the wreckage. The data is now being evaluated - and will hopefully provide answers.

The most likely cause of the serious train accident in Spain has so far been a chain of human errors. Many people ask themselves: How can a train hit a stationary high-speed train? And what happened in the minutes before the accident? The tachographs of the two trains should provide answers to this. They have now been recovered from the wreckage.

The recording devices record important information about the journeys. They are now in the hands of the Guardia Civil police unit, as the independent Accident Investigation Authority (AITAT) announced, according to media reports. The data will be evaluated soon.

In the accident, two high-speed trains collided on Wednesday morning: a train operated by the state railway company Renfe ran into a stationary train operated by the private company Iryo from behind. At least 69 people were killed.

After the train accident: How Spain is dealing with the tragedy Kristina Böker, ARD Madrid, tagesthemen, Das Erste, October 29, 2026 • 10:15 p.m. Exact speed still unclear According to the accident investigation authority, the collision occurred at a speed estimated at 160 to 200 kilometers per hour. The exact pace will only be known after the recordings have been evaluated. The investigation is at an early stage. “The results of the investigation will be presented in the final report in due course,” the authority said.

The focus of the investigation is the failure of the older LZB train control system and possible incorrect decisions by the train control center in Madrid. Media published recordings of the radio traffic. Accordingly, the locomotive driver of a train was instructed by a railway control center employee to resume "normal driving" - even though the automatic train protection system was not yet working again and the other train was still on the route.

Some media published the minutes of the control center's conversations with the locomotive drivers. more

The search for victims at the scene of the accident, around 130 kilometers south of Madrid, has now been ended. Nevertheless, one cannot rule out that the current death toll of 69 will rise, said the head of government of the Castile-La Mancha region, Emiliano García-Page, to journalists.

According to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the dead came from 27 different countries. The government is in contact with all affected consulates to inform them as quickly as possible, said Sánchez at the joint press conference with García-Page. It is still not known whether Germans are among the victims.

Toledo coroners were working to identify the dead as quickly as possible. According to authorities, 48 ​​autopsies have been carried out so far and 13 bodies have been identified. The families of those identified have been informed. Authorities asked close relatives of the missing people to provide DNA samples to speed identification.

A technical defect led to the disaster. And apparently also a misjudgment. more

The Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente has now ruled out a resignation demanded by opposition parties and trade unions. It is his political duty to push forward the investigations with all his might in order to restore trust in the high-speed network, said Puente.

In recent days, unions have complained about increased workloads and increasing errors in the automatic safety systems. According to the ministry, there has been no significant increase in disruptions in the past seven years. The control center staff has also been “significantly increased”.

With information from Julia Macher, ARD Studio Madrid.

This topic in the program: BR24 Radio | News | Oct 30, 2026 | 08:39 Uhrtagesschau.de | Train accident Spain Toledo PK Transport Minister on causes | Oct 30, 2026 | 1 p.m