Preliminary Investigation Reveals Track Fracture Linked to Deadly Spanish Train Crash

Mon Jan 26 2026 07:49:18 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

An initial report from the CIAF reveals that a critical fracture in the train track contributed to a catastrophic derailment in Spain, marking the country's worst rail disaster in over a decade, resulting in 45 fatalities.

A high-speed train operated by Iryo derailed in Spain, leading to a collision with another train and resulting in 45 deaths. Preliminary findings indicate that a significant fracture in the track occurred before the train's passage, raising serious concerns about railway safety. The CIAF investigation revealed that grooves found on the train's wheels match with prior trains, and a 40cm gap in the track is now under scrutiny. This incident, the worst of its kind in more than ten years, prompts questions about rail maintenance and oversight.

A fracture in a straight section of track occurred prior to the passage of a high-speed train that derailed, causing last Sunday's rail disaster in which 45 people died, an initial report has found.

A train run by private company Iryo derailed last Sunday, causing its rear carriages to cross onto the opposite track into the path of an oncoming train run by state-owned Renfe.

The CIAF rail investigation commission reported that the front carriages of the Iryo train, which remained on track, exhibited notches in their wheels, a condition also present in three earlier trains that had traveled over the same track.

A substantial gap of nearly 40cm (15in) in the track is now the focal point of the investigation into the crash.

The collision occurred at around 19:45 local time about an hour after the Iryo train departed Málaga for Madrid. The train's last three carriages derailed and collided with a Renfe train heading to Huelva. The report concluded that carriage six derailed due to a total discontinuity in the track.

Most of the fatalities and injuries were among passengers in the state-operated train's front carriages.

Earlier this week, Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente confirmed reports that grooves found on the Iryo train's carriage wheels indicated that the track was compromised. The CIAF preliminary report stated that these notches and deformations in the track were compatible with its earlier fracture.

It also noted that the pattern of notches on the wheels of the preceding three trains was similar.

The CIAF has described its current findings as a working hypothesis that requires further verification through detailed analysis.

The Minister added that if the track's fracture was indeed the cause of the crash, it would have occurred in the critical moments before the derailment, making it undetectable in prior inspections.

This incident stands as Spain's most catastrophic rail accident in over a decade, echoing memories of the 2013 train derailment in Galicia, which resulted in 80 deaths.