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INVESTIGATORS are focusing on the heart-stoppingly short interval between which a train heading north from Malaga to Madrid derailed – and smashed into another train heading south to Huelva.
These twenty seconds are the most important figure in the analysis of the deadly accident near Adamuz (Cordoba), which resulted in at least 39 deaths and scores of injuries.
Renfe, Spain’s railway operator, said that the Iryo train derailment was only a few seconds before it was hit by an Alvia service traveling in the opposite directions.
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According to Renfe president Álvaro Fernández Heredia, the Iryo train derailed for reasons still unknown and ended up occupying the adjacent track, leaving the Alvia with almost no time to react before the fatal impact.
He said that determining the cause of derailment may take several days and stressed that the circumstances are “rare” and “difficult to explain”.
Fernández Heredia said the limited time gap meant neither the driver nor the automatic safety systems were able to prevent the collision.
He said that the Alvia was traveling at a speed of more than 205 km/h, which was well within the allowed limit for this stretch of track.
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He said that the safety systems designed to detect an occupied track and signalling did not activate in time before the collision.
Oscar Puente, the Transport Minister, has also echoed that view. He noted that the accident occurred on a straight track section that was renewed in May 2025.
The Iryo, a Frecciarossa model 1000 built in 2022 that was involved in the accident had just undergone routine maintenance a few days prior to the accident.
Investigators will now examine whether a fault with the rolling stock or infrastructure, as well as any other technical factors, caused the initial derailment.
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The Commission for the Investigation of Railway Accidents (under the Transport Ministry of Spain) is in charge of the technical inquiry.
A court in Montoro has launched a parallel investigation.
Fernández Heredia has urged caution against speculation while forensic work continues, saying that only a detailed analysis of data recorders, track conditions and mechanical components will provide reliable answers.
The crash site continues to be a major source of disruption for rail services in the Madrid-Andalucia region.
The Olive Press has more Andalucia News. Click here to read it.
