On Sunday, January 25, Spain experienced the worst rail disaster in over a decade. With numerous people killed, and two destroyed train cars, Spain has a heavy load on their shoulders to fix.

Details on Train Crash

BBC World News reports, “The last three carriages of the Iryo train – carriages six to eight – derailed on a straight stretch of track near Adamuz and crossed into the opposite track.” With around 400 passengers and staff on the two trains, the majority of those killed and injured were in the front carriages of the train. From BBC World News, a severe number of passengers worried about the bumpy journey, “Luggage fell and the lights went out. Then they started to hear noises of pain and screams from the three carriages behind them that had derailed, he said. People were in shock and crying, some experiencing panic attacks.”

Protocols Taken

Having multiple train crashes in Spain during the same week, severe protocols are in the process of being taken care of. AP News informs that, “In a preliminary report, the body said that investigators found uniform notches on several of the wheel treads on the right-hand side of the train that jumped the track, according to the report.”

Experiencing multiple injuries, deaths, and destruction, Spain is taking action, as a whole, to avoid any more crashes. They are doing this by reducing speeds between Madrid and Barcelona, urgent maintenance inspections, suspending regional services, upgrading aging signaling systems, and reviewing infrastructure maintenance for potholes and track imbalances.

Damage Done

According to an article written by US News and World Report, Spain will “pay out 24 million dollars in compensation to the victims of last week’s high-speed train crash that killed 45 people and left more than 150 injured.”

This recent disaster has caused one of the highest death tolls from a train crash in recent European History, and the highest in Spain since 2013.

Additionally, this article reports, “The families of those killed will receive 216,000 euros each within no more than three months, ‌made up of 72,000 euros in tax-exempt aid from the government and an advance insurance payment of 72,000 ‍euros. Another ⁠72,000 euros will be paid from passengers’ mandatory travel insurance.”

Hopefully, Spain will cautiously repair the train rails, and avoid any more train crash incidents in the future.