Train derailments and explosions and chemical spills

[Tristan]

This may well be due to a lack of maintenance of the railway infrastructure. But it is odd that all this should happen in such a short period of time.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2013946275930972350

Translation: "Since the terrible train accident in Spain, there have been thousands of comments from Israelis celebrating the deaths of Spaniards.

Meanwhile, the patriots Ayuso and Abascal continue to be submissive to the genocidal regime."

 

[Joe]

This may well be due to a lack of maintenance of the railway infrastructure.

Except this section of track had a 50 million renovation last year, as part of an overall 700 million maintenance project.

 

[OrangeScorpion]

So yeah, "bad luck". Seems to me that the improbability of it being an accident is matched by the improbability of it being sabotage.

“Bad luck” would also be the description some have used for the commuter train accident in Barcelona. The retaining wall collapsed just as the train was passing underneath it. Officially, the cause of the collapse was heavy rain, but perhaps the vibrations from the approaching train precipitated the collapse of the already weakened wall? However, I think one can also speculate that it could be a coordinated attack.

There were two other train accidents that went largely unnoticed by the media because there were no fatalities or injuries.

One occurred on Saturday in Tortosa, Tarragona:

La hipótesis de las explosiones en la estación de Tortosa apunta a un cortocircuito de la catenaria

El suministro eléctrico se ha reparado entre la noche de ayer y la madrugada de hoy. Ello ha permitido que los trenes puedan llegar o salir de la capital del Baix Ebre con normalidad este domingo

www.diaridetarragona.com

[...] a series of explosions caused by a fallen overhead wire hitting the roof of an empty train car.

Another on Tuesday, the same night as the two accidents in Catalonia, the roof of a tram was on fire in Valencia:

Un chispazo prende el techo de un tranvía y obliga a cortar la circulación en la avenida de Tarongers

Las autoridades competentes descartan un posible fallo en la catenaria como origen del incendio

www.levante-emv.com

A spark ignites the roof of a tram and forces traffic to be cut off on Tarongers Avenue. […] The competent authorities rule out a possible fault in the catenary as the cause of the fire

In summary, five incidents in four days.

It is true that there is talk of significant investment and care being taken with the rail network, but at the same time, for years there have also been numerous complaints from users and train drivers denouncing the poor state of the infrastructure (delays, power cuts, derailments, rattling trains).

If we add to this the fact that the Ministry of Transport is involved in several cases of government corruption, the feeling among many Spaniards is that the money is not being invested wisely and is being squandered, and that those in charge are incompetent. Just a few names:

-The former Minister of Transport (Ábalos) is in prison.
-The former president of ADIF (Railway Infrastructure Administrator) is charged with five crimes.
-Koldo, a security guard by profession and Ábalos's alleged “fixer”, was appointed as an advisor to RENFE (Spanish National Railway Network). He is now in prison.
-Jéssica, Ábalos's escort, was appointed as deputy director of ADIF (Railway Infrastructure Administrator).

Many people had a feeling that something bad was going to happen with the trains.

If someone wanted to attack the Spanish government, the Spanish railway network was its weakest link. Except for leftists, everyone will point to the government as the culprit. OSIT

 

[Seppo Ilmarinen]

if a track has joint separation it "opens" the track circuit and no train can pass there as that section would have been seen as occupied by the traffic control systems.

Just to clarify, it's also possible that there were axle counters being used, instead of track circuit, which doesn't detect broken rail. However the 2025 renewed track was apparently also inspected as recently as in last month:

In its official statement, Adif stressed that on November 5, 2025, its experts personally inspected a four-kilometer stretch of rail near Adamuz. The inspection found no irregularities. Moreover, two additional technical checks were conducted on the Madrid-Seville line—of which the ill-fated section is a part—during the autumn: a geometric test using a special train on October 3, and a dynamic assessment on November 21, in which the rail response was evaluated while the train was in motion.

The situation raises questions: if inspections were carried out regularly and the equipment didn’t detect any problems, why did such a serious accident occur just two months after the last check? Concerns about the quality of oversight and the true condition of the infrastructure are intensifying. Nevertheless, Adif officials insist that all procedures were strictly followed according to regulations and any deviations should have been identified and corrected.

 

[loreta]

Another train accident today at Alumbres, Cartagena,

Train smashes into crane in Spain leaving several injured.​

In French we say "Jamais deux sans trois". That means never 2 without 3.

But I think that, from what I've heard, there have always been small train accidents, only we didn't talk about them, but now we have to talk about them, it sells news, it allows us to talk about this instead of talking about corruption, it gives people anxiety, etc.

I also have my own opinion; there's a lack of focus, perhaps even fatigue due to the injections. But maybe I'm completely off base.