Spain Train Crash: Audio Reveals Control Centre-Drivers Exchange
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Audio recordings, published in Spanish media, reveal conversations between train drivers and a railway control centre in the moments leading up to a deadly train crash in Spain, which claimed at least 68 lives and injured dozens.
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Figure caption: Chaotic scenes at the site of Spain's deadly train crash
By
Harry Sekulich
Published
October 29, 2026, 03:51 GMT
Updated 5 minutes ago
Investigations into the cause of the disaster are ongoing, which occurred when a train travelling from Madrid to Seville collided with a stationary train on Wednesday morning.
Three audio recordings between the Madrid control centre and two train drivers appear to show that one high-speed train was permitted to proceed even though another, 25km (15 miles) ahead, had stalled due to a computer failure.
The recordings, obtained by Spanish news outlets including El Pais and RTVE, shed light on the final exchanges:
- In one recording, a control centre operator instructs the driver of the Renfe train to resume its journey at normal speed after some technical issues.
"Continue your journey and then proceed under [Lateral Signalling Block] at normal speed with normal operation."
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The driver asks, "At normal speed?" to which the controller confirms, "Yes."
-
Later, the driver of the stationary Iryo train reports a loss of communication with the control system and states, "The train won't allow me to control the [security] system. That's why I am still stopped in front of the entry signal."
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The recording suggests the control centre was aware of the stationary Iryo train as the Renfe train approached.
Spain begins three days of national mourning for the victims of this tragic rail disaster, considered one of the worst in Europe's modern history.