Rail services between Spain's capital city Madrid and the country's southern region of Andalusia were suspended on Thursday, with passenger numbers dropping sharply at a major station in the capital one day after a deadly high-speed train collision.
On Wednesday morning, a Renfe-operated AVE train carrying 378 passengers struck the rear of a stationary Iryo train with 147 passengers aboard near Urda station in the province of Toledo in central Spain.
Spain's independent transport accident investigation authority AITAT on Thursday said the death toll of the train collision had reached 69.
At Madrid's Atocha station, one of the country’s busiest railway hubs, a large number of services were cancelled because of the accident. Railway operators were coordinating alternative transport arrangements and providing assistance to the affected passengers.
Although some services continued to operate, the crash has clearly shaken public confidence in the rail network. In stark contrast to the usual bustling crowds, the Atocha station was notably quiet, with fewer passengers in the waiting areas.
"I am genuinely very worried. I have been traveling by high-speed rail in Spain for 15 years, but what has happening in recent years has become increasingly unacceptable. There have been persistent delays, technical failures, and tragic accidents that have claimed many lives. If things continue this way, I suppose we will have no choice but to go back to traveling by car, just as we did 20 years ago," said Diego, a passenger.
"I do feel that the atmosphere was a bit tense when we took the train today, especially as we were sitting in the first carriage, a tray suddenly fell to the floor and gave us all a fright. Other than that, everything was fine," another passenger named Cristina said.
Wednesday's collision marks Spain's second major fatal high-speed rail accident this year, with a crash near Adamuz, in the southern province of Cordoba, claiming 46 lives on Jan 18.
During a visit to the accident site in Urda, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged a thorough investigation into the collision, saying that any negligence or failures in railway safety systems would be addressed.
Rail service partly suspended after Spain's deadly train collision
Rail service partly suspended after Spain's deadly train collision
