As the days go by, investigators of last Sunday's accident are narrowing down the circle around the rail breakage in Adamuz as the main cause of the tragedy that has claimed 43 lives. Just yesterday, Minister Óscar Puente confirmed the exclusive report by the newspaper EL MUNDO which revealed the discovery of notches on the wheels of the first cars of the Iryo, the ones that did not derail. These marks were caused by a welding fault on the rail, which worsened as the Italian company's train passed over it. A growing erosion that eventually led to the complete collapse of a section of over 30 centimeters of the track, causing the rear cars of the Iryo 6189 to derail, invading the opposite track and becoming a deadly obstacle for the RenfeAlvia train that, unfortunately, was traveling towards Huelva on the opposite track almost at the same moment.
However, the deterioration of the track did not occur suddenly, but it was already present on the route before the Iryo 6189 passed over it. In fact, after confirming the rail breakage, comparing it with the train's metal wheels, and confirming their relationship, technicians from the Commission of Railway Accidents Investigation (CIAF) who will prepare the report on the accident requested access to trains that had previously traveled on the same track section. With Ouigo out of service after unexpectedly deciding on January 8 to temporarily withdraw its trains from the Madrid-Andalucía corridor, the affected vehicles could only belong to Renfe and Iryo, which keep their vehicles at the Santa Catalina workshops in Madrid.
Although initial reports suggested that the focus of the investigation was on the rail breakage and that this breakage had left marks on the train wheels as evidence of a possible derailment, the Ministry of Transport initially denied it. Minister Óscar Puente, who on Monday stated that the theory advanced by this newspaper was mere "speculation", admitted yesterday in a press conference, three days after the accident, that these marks were also found on trains that had preceded the Iryo 6189 and that it is an "undeniable possibility" that the marks were caused by a rail defect.
Among the trains analyzed, investigators discovered that a Talgo train that had previously traveled on the same section that same afternoon had notches on its wheels, due to rail defects. According to sources familiar with the process, these marks are similar to those seen by CIAF technicians on the wheels of a previous Iryo before the accident. This verification was carried out live at the Renfe workshops in Puente de Vallecas, Madrid. These are deep abrasions, the size of a 50-cent coin, which have become crucial evidence pointing towards the track as the main reason for the derailment. Two Iryos and a Talgo have them, without ruling out that they may appear on other trains that passed through a point now marked in the dark history of transportation in Spain that fateful Sunday afternoon.
The fact that the investigation is increasingly focusing on the poor state of the track, above a possible mechanical failure in the trains or a rail breakage due to the dragging of a piece or obstacle - a possibility that was losing strength yesterday - is causing great concern in the railway world. There is still time to know the CIAF report, but if confirmed, it will be a blow to the image of Spanish high-speed rail, an infrastructure that is exported in the form of construction and maintenance contracts by multinational groups.
But for now, all stakeholders in the business are looking towards Adif for explanations and safety guarantees on the tracks. "Something very dangerous has happened, and we don't know if it could happen again," say industry sources. The question they are already asking, raising their voices more and more, is whether that rail fault in Adamuz could appear at another point in the Spanish network. Are there more welding faults?
Puente ruled out an audit of the 4,070 kilometers of the network yesterday, although the high-speed limits have been reduced on the Madrid-Barcelona and Valencia corridors since Tuesday while problematic sections, such as Adamuz, are being reviewed. So far, the guarantees seemed maximum and sufficient, even with four checkpoints at each joint of a new track installed, but this inexplicable breakage for now is sparking fear among engineers, manufacturers, operators, and users. "Those welds cannot dissolve by magic or by train use. Either they were done incorrectly, or the controls were not rigorous. That is what needs to be investigated now," comment sources from the accident investigation that has so far claimed 43 lives in the town of Córdoba.