Audio Released from Before Spain's Deadly Train Crash: Clearance to Move Despite a Stalled Train Ahead

Audio recordings published in Spanish media reveal conversations between train drivers and a railway control centre in the minutes before a deadly train crash that killed at least 69 people and injured dozens.

The disaster occurred on Wednesday morning when a train travelling from Madrid to Seville ran into a stationary train on the same line. Officials are investigating the cause.

Three audio recordings between the control centre in Madrid and two drivers appear to show that one high-speed train was given clearance to move even though another train some 25 kilometres (15 miles) ahead had stalled.

The train run by state-owned operator Renfe had 397 passengers on board. Ahead of it on the same line was a train run by private operator Iryo, with 147 passengers.

A reported computer failure in the automatic signalling system had forced all trains to halt on the affected stretch. But later the Renfe train was ordered to proceed, which Spain's transport minister described as an ‘error’.

In one recording published by Spanish outlets including El Pais and RTVE, a control centre operator tells the Renfe driver: ‘Continue your journey and then proceed under Lateral Signalling Block, at normal speed with normal operation.’ The driver replies, ‘At normal speed?’ The controller says, ‘Yes.’ The Lateral Signalling Block is a back-up system used when the automatic signalling or data transmission system fails.

In another recording, the Iryo driver says communication with the train-control system has been lost and the train is not moving. The driver tells the control centre the train ‘is stationary in front of the entry signal at Urda’. After a series of exchanges, that driver is also told to resume the journey normally.

In a later recording, the Iryo driver contacts the control centre again saying they cannot start the train: ‘The train won't allow me to control the security system. That's why I am still stopped in front of the entry signal.’ This recording suggests the controller had been notified that the Iryo train remained stationary as the Renfe train approached.

Iryo said its train was ‘struck from behind’ by the other train. Spain's transport minister Óscar Puente said on Wednesday that the decision to instruct the trains to move again, without any speed restrictions, was ‘inexplicable’.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who travelled to the crash area, said authorities were working ‘day and night’ not only to support victims' families but also to establish every last detail of the tragedy and strengthen safety measures so it never happens again. Spain has begun three days of national mourning for what is described as one of the worst rail disasters in Europe's modern history.

The leaking of the recordings has been criticised by some Spanish politicians. Alberto Ibáñez, a Congress member for the left-wing Sumar platform, described the leaks on X as ‘despicable’. Irene Montero, prime ministerial candidate for the left-wing Podemos party, said responsibility should not be placed on one worker, adding that drivers and experts have warned for years against liberalisation of the railway sector.

On Wednesday night around 1,500 people gathered outside the Transport Ministry building in Madrid, according to Spanish broadcaster TVE, largely calling for the resignations of Sánchez and Puente. Police used tear gas to disperse crowds after protesters hurled bottles and flares; no injuries or arrests were reported.

Rail drivers went ahead with a planned strike on Thursday, with the Spanish Union of Railway Drivers (Semaf) saying the action was held ‘in defence of railway safety’. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the main opposition People's Party, said: ‘Spain has the right to know what is happening with its infrastructure.’

At the crash site, emergency crews worked through the night under floodlights cutting open metal carriages in search of victims, with many of those killed still to be identified. The interior ministry said hundreds of personnel have been deployed, with drones and helicopters in use. A Civil Guard spokesperson told the BBC more than 900 people from specialist departments have been deployed and the priority now is identifying remains. The Civil Guard has set up bureaus in Madrid, Toledo, Seville and Córdoba for reports of missing persons.

Wednesday's crash is Spain's worst since 2013, when 80 people died on the outskirts of Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain.