Second Deadly Rail Accident In Spain Leaves Train Driver Dead

A train driver has died and at least 37 people were injured five of them seriously after a commuter train derailed and crashed near Barcelona, marking the second fatal rail incident in Spain within days.

Local authorities said the Rodalies commuter train struck a retaining wall that collapsed onto the tracks between Gelida and Sant Sadurní d’Anoia. Catalonia’s regional fire inspector, Claudi Gallardo, confirmed that all passengers had been safely evacuated from the train.

The crash occurred as severe storms swept across north-eastern Spain, with coastal areas in the east and north-west under weather alerts. Rail officials believe the wall gave way just after 21:00 local time (20:00 GMT) on Tuesday as the train was passing, hitting the driver’s cab first and causing major damage to the first carriage, where most of the injured passengers were seated.

The driver’s identity had not yet been released, as three trainee drivers were also in the cab at the time of the accident. Firefighters said two of the trainees were among those seriously hurt. Rescue teams worked for nearly an hour to free one survivor trapped in the wreckage in Gelida, around 35 kilometres west of Barcelona.

Emergency responders transferred injured passengers to hospitals in Moisès Broggi, Bellvitge and Vilafranca. In the aftermath, all services across Catalonia’s Rodalies commuter rail network were completely suspended while safety inspections are carried out. Officials said trains will not resume until the lines are deemed safe.

The Spanish train drivers’ union, Semaf, announced a strike following the two deadly crashes. Tuesday’s incident near Gelida and Sunday’s collision near Córdoba in Andalusia, where at least 42 people were killed.

“All members of Semaf are devastated and consider this situation of constant deterioration of the railway unacceptable,” the union said in a statement.

Investigators believe heavy rainfall following months of drought weakened the retaining wall, leading to its collapse. On the same day, another commuter train in the Barcelona area also derailed after being struck by a rock loosened by the storm.

“The axle was struck by a rock dislodged by the storm,” Spain’s rail infrastructure operator Adif said.

That train, travelling between Blanes and Maçanet-Massanes in north-eastern Catalonia, was reportedly carrying around 10 passengers. With the entire Rodalies network suspended, Spanish media estimate that about 400,000 commuters across Catalonia will be affected.