The European Commission considers it concerning that Spanish high-speed rail has suffered two serious accidents in just nine months. It calls for the acceleration of the ERTMS system and offers technical support for the investigation.
The European Commission considers it concerning that Spanish high-speed rail has recorded two serious accidents in just nine months, according to OK Diario. The Commissioner for Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, made these statements this Wednesday at a press conference, referring to the accidents in Adamuz and Urda.
The Commissioner also corrected former minister Óscar Puente and stated that it is still too early to determine the causes of the incidents, as the investigation is ongoing. According to his words:
“Two accidents in a year is definitely something we do not want to see, especially when these accidents involve tragedies with the loss of human lives.”
Tzitzikostas called for the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) to be deployed as soon as possible on all lines. The system, which replaces national signalling with a common standard, aims for its implementation on the nine corridors of the core network by 2030 at the latest.
The Spanish Government requested technical support from the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA), which is already being provided. The body responsible for investigating the accidents is the Independent Administrative Authority for the Technical Investigation of Railway, Maritime, and Civil Aviation Accidents and Incidents (AITAT).
“We are available to Spain to provide assistance.”
The Commission states that it will continue to monitor the application of European safety standards in all member states and expects to learn the reasons for the two accidents that occurred on the line connecting Madrid and Seville.
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