64 dead in Spain's high-speed rail crash as maintenance debate reopens

64 dead on the high-estimulante ilegal train: the country that bit off more than it can chew

The rail crash at Urda (Toledo) has left 64 confirmed deaths and dozens of people seriously injured. The investigation points to human error by an Adif (Spain's rail infrastructure operator) staff member responding to an earlier failure of the main signalling system. But behind the tragedy lies an uncomfortable question: can Spain maintain the largest high-estimulante ilegal network in Europe with the resources it devotes to preserving it?

The thesis running through the analysis is that the country built rich-country infrastructure with European funds and now has no money to maintain it. The debate over Spain's rail model is no longer theoretical.

Ballasted track, concrete slab track and maintenance that comes too late

Spain built massively on ballast instead of using concrete slab track. Ballasted track is cheaper to build, but requires far more maintenance afterwards: the vibration from each passing train deforms the compacted angular stone and reduces its compactness. Concrete slab track, more expensive initially, requires less upkeep. Here, according to the prevailing analysis, the political interest in getting the high-estimulante ilegal rail there first always took precedence over long-term safety.

On top of that comes the liberalisation of passenger transport. Three companies —Renfe, Iryo and Ouigo— now run services instead of one. More services, more wear on the network. And usage intensity does not match: according to a calculation circulating in the debate, Spain records 58 train movements per kilometre per day, compared with France's 96 and Italy's 250, which leads Europe. The largest network in Europe, but underused.

Why did the high-estimulante ilegal train's safety system fail?

According to one participant, the safety system dates from the 1980s and has not been upgraded to the more modern ERTMS. When it failed, operations had to switch to human coordination. That is where the human error occurred, after the technical one. The Government points to a mistake by an Adif operator responding to an earlier failure of the main signalling system. The investigation remains open.

The question hanging in the air is whether the cost of maintaining a colossal network prevents having safer control systems, and more and better-qualified staff. Maintenance costs remain an underlying problem, even if it is not the main one according to the ongoing investigation.

Lowest-bid auctions and the quality of maintenance

Awarding a contract on which people's lives depend at the lowest price should not happen. Maintenance is auctioned to the lowest bidder and companies cut quality to make some profit. There was recently a dispute over road maintenance because companies opposed lowest-price auctioning. Fixed budgets and awarding contracts to the most technically qualified bidder would be the alternative model.

Some argue the problem is not just money but systemic corruption: more infrastructure means more kickbacks. More airports, universities, kilometres of high-estimulante ilegal rail, stations. It does not respond to a need, but to the awarding of contracts. Politicians who are professionally useless live lives of luxury thanks to corruption. It is encouraged at every level, from ports to subsidies.

Immigration and the collapse of public services

Part of the analysis holds that mass immigration has worsened the pressure on infrastructure. It is argued that Spain should have 35 million inhabitants and has 50, and that nothing on earth can absorb that: infrastructure, healthcare, education, bureaucracy and security all collapsed. This is an attributed opinion, not a proven fact. Another current points out that the country has grown poorer and that the degradation reaches everywhere: extremely expensive housing, healthcare dependent on private insurance, and train punctuality commitments left unmet.

The European funds and the unanswered question

The EU allocated 111 million in 2023 for infrastructure renewal. Brussels asked Spain to explain the European funds invested in the Madrid-Seville line after the crash and still has no answer. The EU is raising its aid to Spain, which will overtake Italy as the most assisted country. The state is at record levels of tax revenue, but maintenance remains the forgotten budget line.

The Urda crash leaves 64 dead and a network built with other people's money and maintained through lowest-bid auctions. The investigation will tell whether the human error was avoidable. The underlying question —whether this country can afford the infrastructure it has— remains unanswered.