Spaniards call deadly train crash 'a tragedy,' demand stronger rail safety

China

Spaniards call deadly train crash 'a tragedy,' demand stronger rail safety

2026-11-01 16:58 Last Updated At：19:10

Spaniards are mourning a fatal high-speed train crash as "a tragedy," with many saying the disaster has shaken their confidence in the country's railways and calling for stricter safety standards and regular, system-wide inspections.

At least 69 people were killed and dozens more injured when two trains collided on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line on the morning of October 28. The crash occurred near Toledo, south of the capital, on the line linking Madrid with the southern region of Andalusia.

China Global Television Network (CGTN) stringers spoke with residents and passengers in Madrid, where grief over the disaster is mingling with unease among those who ride the same routes every week.

"A tragedy. There is no other way to describe it," one resident said.

"Well, to be honest, I was shocked because I had a Madrid-Seville train to catch today. So, obviously, it hits hard. A couple of friends and I live in Zaragoza, and we are from Andalusia, so we make that trip quite often. And just yesterday, a friend was going to take a later train, so you see it up close and think, 'That could have easily happened to me.' It is a tragedy and a real pity," said a frequent rail passenger.

That sense of proximity is feeding a broader anxiety. Asked whether they still feel safe on Spain's trains, passengers said the crash has changed how they view a journey many can hardly avoid.

"I feel unsafe on commuter trains. I have to take them because I have no other choice. For long and medium distance trains, I think twice about it. I prefer to drive my car rather than take the train right now," said a local resident. "In fact, I took the Zaragoza-Madrid train, and just the simple fact of taking a train this morning made me more nervous, because you see what has happened in such a short period of time — the Adamuz incident happened in January — and it's true that you feel unsafe because of the condition of the tracks or even the maintenance of the trains themselves," said the frequent rail passenger.

For some, the answer lies in far more rigorous oversight of the network.

"There should be greater safety on trains, and they should be thoroughly inspected regularly. I don't know if that means every day, maybe once a week, but across the whole system," said a local resident.

"Maintenance, above all. All the tracks need to be inspected. Everything that needs to be checked should be checked," said another resident.

Share of clean energy installed capacity in high-altitude regions hits 52.9 pct in China: data

The share of renewable energy installed capacity in high-altitude regions has risen from an average of 28.5 percent to 52.9 percent over the past five years, exceeding the national average by 4.4 percentage points, according to the China Electricity Council.

By the end of September 2026, the installed capacity for new energy power generation in China's high-altitude regions stood at 528 million kilowatts, accounting for 25.6 percent of the nation's total, the council said.

Wind power capacity totaled 197 million kilowatts, accounting for 28.1 percent of the national total, while solar power capacity reached 327 million kilowatts, representing 24.9 percent. Solar thermal power generation capacity stood at 2.12 million kilowatts, it added.

Jiang Debin, deputy director of the Statistics and Digital Intelligence Department of the China Electricity Council, said clean energy development at high-altitude regions are gathering pace in recent years.

"In terms of the installed capacity, development of new energy in high-altitude provinces and regions is gathering pace, with wind and solar power now constituting the bulk of installed capacity. Over the past five years, the installed capacity of new energy in seven provinces and regions with an average altitude of 1,500 meters or higher increased from 144 million kilowatts to 476 million kilowatts, logging an average annual growth rate of 34.8 percent," he said.