An Ouigo high-speed train has become entangled with the catenary (the overhead wire system that supplies power to the locomotives) and is blocking the tracks in a tunnel near Aranjuez, on the stretch between Valdemoro and Villarrubia de Santiago.
This situation is causing serious delays in traffic between Madrid and the Valencian Community (as well as the Region of Murcia). Fortunately, there were no injuries in the incident, and efforts to rescue the 454 trapped passengers are already underway.
Added to this incident are the delays and cancellations resulting from the train drivers’ strike called for today, in which they are protesting a lack of safety protocols and breaches of agreements with Renfe and Adif.
More than three hours of delays and suspended connections
This combination of factors is resulting in significant delays in arrivals at Joaquín Sorolla Station:
- Train Iryo 06132, which was scheduled to arrive from Madrid-Chamartín at 3:24 p.m., is now expected to arrive more than four hours late, around 7:57 p.m.
- The iryo 06142, coming from Madrid-Chamartín, is also running more than two hours late and is expected to arrive at 7:57 p.m. (it was scheduled to arrive at 5:09 p.m.).
- The AVE 05170 departing from León will arrive about 45 minutes late, around 8:11 p.m.
Trains originating in Valencia and Alicante are experiencing a similar situation upon their arrival at the Madrid-Chamartín station:
- The iryo 06143, which was scheduled to arrive from Valencia at 3:53 p.m., will finally arrive at 7:07 p.m., nearly two hours late.
- The AVE 05093 from Alicante is also running more than an hour late and is expected to arrive at 6:23 p.m. (it was scheduled to arrive at 5:08 p.m.).
The rest of the trains between these two destinations are expected to experience delays as a result of this situation.
The train involved in the collision—an Ouigo operating the Murcia–Madrid–Valladolid route—remains stopped in the El Regajal tunnel, and the company has dispatched another train to pick up the stranded passengers and take them to the Madrid-Chamartín station. However, train connections between Madrid and Valladolid have been canceled, and passengers will complete the journey by bus.
An incident with no personal injuries, but one that further exacerbates one of the worst weeks in the history of rail travel in Spain following the tragic accident in which at least 69 people lost their lives yesterday in Toledo.
