Investigations have begun into the collision between two high-speed trains near Toledo that killed at least 64 people on Wednesday 28 October, Transport Minister Óscar Puente has confirmed. It is the second fatal accident on the Madrid to Andalusia high-speed corridor this year, after an earlier fatal accident at Adamuz.

What is known about the trains

The collision happened shortly before 9am local time on the Madrid to Córdoba high-speed line between Los Yébenes and Urda. The trains were Renfe's AVE 02080, the 8am service from Madrid Atocha to Sevilla Santa Justa carrying 397 passengers, and Iryo service 6076 with 147 people on board, the 7.54 service between the same two stations. The AVE train rear-ended the Iryo train, causing several carriages to derail. Puente confirmed at least 64 fatal casualties and 50 injured, a provisional toll that may still change as rescue and recovery work continues. Earlier in the day the regional president, Emiliano García-Page, had put the provisional figure at at least 30.

What the inquiry must establish

Rail infrastructure manager Adif suspended high-speed services between Madrid and Andalusia, and Renfe offered free ticket changes and cancellations for affected passengers. The cause has not been established: an early official explanation pointing to a computer communication issue in the train control system should be treated as an early account, not a completed investigation, and unconfirmed reports about signalling work must not be treated as findings. The investigation will need to establish why one train was stopped on the line and how the following service came to approach it.

Sources: Railway Gazette International and EU Today.