Spain's biggest train conductors' union has announced a three-day national strike demanding better safety standards for workers and passengers in the wake of three rail accidents in four days.
The railway accident in Córdoba/PHOTO: X @Sandra Romandia
At least 43 people died and dozens were injured after two trains collided on Sunday near the city of Adamuz, Córdoba province.
Two days later, a conductor died and 37 people were injured after a train derailed due to the collapse of a retaining wall near Gelida, Catalonia.
A commuter train crashed into a construction crane in southeastern Spain on Thursday, injuring several people, including one seriously.
The accidents at Adamuz and Gelida prompted the Spanish trade union Semaf to announce industrial action. The strike also brought regional rail services in Catalonia to a halt, affecting around 400,000 passengers, The Guardian writes.
The union said the strike would take place between February 9 and 11 and stated that it represents “the only legal avenue left for workers to demand the restoration of safety standards in the rail system and thereby guarantee the safety of both rail professionals and passengers”.
Semaf called on the relevant authorities to ensure that people are protected by addressing “the many reports” regarding the precarious condition of the railway lines, which, according to the union, remained “unresolved and inactive for months or even years”.
The union also said: “The serious accidents at Adamuz and Gelida, both resulting in loss of life, represent a turning point in the demand to take all necessary measures to guarantee the safety of railway operations.”
Spain's transport minister, Óscar Puente, said he understood the drivers' concerns but hoped the strike could be avoided and stressed that the shutdown of services in Catalonia must end. He said the two accidents were “completely unrelated” and that the Gelida incident was likely caused by heavy rain.
“It's a very difficult week“, he told Catalunya Ràdio on Thursday morning. “We have to stay calm and deal with the situation properly. There have been two terrible incidents in a very short space of time, which is significantly affecting the morale of the drivers. I hope the situation is resolved soon.”
Investigations continue at the site of the Adamuz accident and the wreckage of the two trains. The accident happened on Sunday at 19:40, when a high-speed train traveling from Málaga to Madrid derailed, ending up on the line of a train coming from Madrid to Huelva.
According to the media, investigators are focusing on a 30 cm crack in the line at the site of the accident.
“There is an initial point where the derailment is believed to have occurred”Puente told Cadena Ser on Monday night.
“We need to determine if it was cause or effect. It's not a trivial matter, and it won't be quick or easy. We need to send the line to the lab to determine what happened. At this point, nothing can be ruled out.”
“All Spaniards can see with their own eyes that it is not safe to travel”
The transport minister said tracks were found on the wheels of the first five carriages of the high-speed train and on the wheels of other trains that ran on the same section of line before the derailment.
“The question now is how did those marks appear,” the minister declared for Telecinco. “Was there something on the rails or was the rail itself starting to degrade? No conclusions can be drawn at this point.”
Spain's efforts to commemorate the victims have been marred by political disputes. A spokesman for the far-right Vox party said the Adamuz tragedy proves the decline of the country's rail services.
“All Spaniards can see with their own eyes that it is not safe to travel and the situation is getting worse every day,” said Pepa Millán.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal tried to link the Adamuz crash to corruption allegations plaguing the Socialist-led government: “Corruption destroys trust in institutions. And corruption kills.”
Meanwhile, the People's Party demanded that Minister Puente, present in numerous media shows, provide “total transparency”.
“The minister has a talent for speaking”, said Juan Bravo, PP's infrastructure spokesman. “But it's time to explain and not spend two hours saying nothing.”
Government spokesperson Elma Saiz said Abascal's statements were scandalous: “Considering the two tragic nights we have been through, with dozens of injured still hospitalized and all the bodies not recovered, Abascal's attitude is repulsive. Using tragedy and fear to generate chaos and mistrust is an anti-democratic and inhumane act.”
