Toledo high-speed train collision: AVE hits a stationary iryo train, 69 dead
30 October 2026 | Natalia, Trainradar24 editorial team
On Wednesday 28 October at 8:54, on the Madrid – Seville high-speed line in the province of Toledo, a Renfe AVE ran at high speed into an iryo train standing ahead of it. The official toll is 69 dead and more than 179 injured. It is the second disaster this year on Spain's high-speed network, after Adamuz in January.
What happened
Both trains were running from Madrid Puerta de Atocha to Seville Santa Justa. iryo 6076 left at 7:54 with 147 people on board; AVE 2080 followed six minutes later with 397. The collision happened near kilometre 118, between Mora and Los Yébenes (some sources name nearby Urda). According to Spanish media, up to four coaches derailed and two fell down the embankment.
Why was the AVE allowed onto an occupied track?
So far there are only preliminary accounts, not findings of the accident investigators:
- Transport minister Óscar Puente said an IT failure stopped six trains over about 63 km, and that Adif's control centre at Atocha then let the AVE continue although the iryo train was still standing ahead. The AVE travelled about 25 km more. The minister called the decision "inexplicable" and "wrong".
- According to recordings published by Cadena SER radio, the controller told the driver to reset the LZB train protection system and carry on in degraded mode.
- The Sindicato Ferroviario union says it is too early to blame one person and points to how the track is maintained.
A court in Toledo has sealed the proceedings, secured both trains' data recorders and set a two-kilometre exclusion zone. The causes will be established by Spain's rail accident investigation body, CIAF.
Casualties
- 69 dead in the latest official count; about 70 missing-person reports have been filed, so the figure may still change.
- More than 179 injured according to Civil Protection. On 30 October 50 people were still in hospital, 15 in intensive care, according to the Castilla-La Mancha government.
- The Guardia Civil warns of fake text messages about identifying victims: families are informed only in person.
- Spain declared three days of official mourning, from 29 to 31 October.
Travelling to Andalusia now
- Renfe suspended all high-speed trains between Madrid and Andalusia on 29 October and announced an alternative plan from Friday 30 October.
- Meanwhile an Avant runs on the conventional line Madrid – Ciudad Real – Puertollano, with a much longer journey time.
- iryo cancelled its services from Madrid to the south; OUIGO suspended Madrid – Andalusia until at least Monday 2 November.
- Renfe has blocked ticket sales on the route until 13 December. That is a precaution, not an announcement that the line will be closed until then.
- Helplines: Renfe +34 900 10 10 20, iryo +34 900 001 403.
What Trainradar24 data shows
On Thursday 29 October around 12:15, the board for Córdoba showed 17 of 31 Renfe departures in the next three hours as cancelled (excluding Cercanías commuter trains); Madrid Puerta de Atocha 11 of 22 and Seville Santa Justa 7 of 16. Trains to Barcelona and the Mediterranean coast, which do not use the closed section, were still running.
Please note: we only have iryo's timetable, as it does not publish live data, so its trains may appear as scheduled even when cancelled. Always check with the operator.
Second disaster this year
On 18 January at Adamuz (Córdoba), on the same line, a high-speed train derailed and collided with another; 45 people died. CIAF's preliminary report named a broken rail as the likely cause. Two days later at Gelida near Barcelona, a commuter train hit a retaining wall that had collapsed onto the track after heavy rain, killing the driver.
As of 30 October 2026. Figures are provisional and may change; follow Renfe, iryo, OUIGO and Adif announcements.
Sources: Vozpópuli, El Español, Infobae, elDiario.es; Adamuz: The Olive Press; station boards: Trainradar24 data (Renfe Operadora, CC BY 4.0).
