Spain: control centre recordings shed light on Toledo train collision

Spanish media have published recordings of conversations between a traffic control centre and the drivers of two high-speed trains that collided in Toledo province. According to Polish media reports citing the newspaper El País, the recordings point to human error. The collision happened on 28 October 2026, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared three days of national mourning.

What the recordings show

Transport minister Óscar Puente said that at around 8.30am the LZB automatic train control system failed. The Adif control centre, run by Spain's state rail infrastructure manager, then took over.

In one recording, from 8.36am, a control centre employee allows the driver of a Renfe AVE train to resume travel at normal speed. On this stretch that can reach 200 km/h. The clearance was given even though the LZB system was still not working and the signal showed red.

Other extracts indicate that, at the same time, the driver of an Iryo train reported that her train was still standing on the same track. She explained that the train would not let her check the LZB system, so she had stopped before the entry signal. The centre acknowledged the message. According to Polish media, she reported this twice.

Time to react

El País stresses that after the driver's report the centre had about five minutes to change its decision. The paper wrote that in that time the AVE train covered about 25 kilometres. Minister Puente called the control centre employee's decision "inexplicable". He noted that some minutes passed between the clearance and the collision.

The AVE train hit the back of the Iryo train. Several carriages derailed and fell down an embankment. According to the government, the collision happened at 8.53am. Iryo gives an earlier time, 8.48am.

What is known so far

The circumstances described come from recordings published by the media and from the minister's statements. The official investigation into the causes is continuing. The prime minister promised a thorough inquiry.

After the crash, services on the high-speed line between Madrid, Ciudad Real and Andalusia were suspended. Helplines were set up for relatives of passengers by the operators and the emergency services.

What this means for you

The news mainly affects people travelling by rail in Spain. Before travelling on the Madrid–Andalusia route, check the current timetable and notices from Renfe and Iryo, as services were suspended in the first days after the crash. The sources do not say how far services have been restored since.