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 and its rear carriages crossed on to the opposite track into the path of an oncoming train run by state-owned Renfe.
The CIAF rail investigation commission stated that the front carriages of the Iryo train, which remained on the track, had notches in their wheels. Notably, three earlier trains that traveled over the same section of track exhibited similar markers.
A gap of nearly 40cm (15in) in the track is now the focal point of the investigation into the crash.
This tragic collision occurred at approximately 19:45 local time, about an hour after the Iryo train departed from Málaga for Madrid. The final three carriages—carriages six to eight—derailed and collided with the Renfe train heading to Huelva. According to the preliminary findings, Carriage six derailed due to a complete lack of continuity in the track. Most victims were in the front carriages of the state-operated train.
Early this week, Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente confirmed that grooves were identified on the Iryo train's wheels, which had previously traversed the track without incident. These notches and the observed deformation of the track are compatible with the fact that the track was cracked, noted the CIAF report.
The investigation revealed that three trains passed over the track shortly before the accident, all showing similar wheel notches. This suggests significant issues within the rail infrastructure prior to the crash.
The transport minister cautioned that conclusions about the fracture should be seen as a working hypothesis pending further analysis. This incident has raised alarms reminiscent of Spain's most severe rail disaster in 2013, which saw 80 fatalities.
