# Spain's rail safety in doubt after second fatal crash

> A high-speed train collision in Toledo kills at least 64 people, the second deadly crash in nine months on Spain's oldest high-speed line.
- Title: Spain's rail safety in doubt after second fatal crash
- Summary: A high-speed train collision in Toledo kills at least 64 people, the second deadly crash in nine months on Spain's oldest high-speed line. At least…
- Keywords: spain, toledo, train collision, renfe, iryo, rail safety, high-speed rail, news, world, Spain's, rail, safety
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/28/analysis-fatal-collision-doubt-over-spain-high-speed-rail
- Published: 2026-10-28T14:29:34+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: spain, toledo, train collision, renfe, iryo, rail safety, high-speed rail, news, world
## Two trains collide near Toledo
At least sixty-four people died on Wednesday morning when a high-speed train struck a stationary train near the city of Toledo. The two trains were carrying five hundred forty-four passengers.
## Signalling fault halted first train
A train operated by private company Iryo had stopped near Toledo because of a signalling fault and on orders from infrastructure manager Adif.A second train operated by state-owned Renfe then struck it at high speed.
## Second crash in nine months
This is the second fatal collision in nine months on Spain's high-speed network.A crash in January killed forty-six people near the town of Adamuz in Andalucía.
## Train drivers union planned strike
Spain's largest train drivers union had planned a twenty-four-hour work stoppage at Renfe for Thursday. The union said its goal was to change the system and make it safer, citing long-standing safety and reliability issues.

> Our goal is to change the system and make it safer.
## Train travel surged forty percent
Train travel grew by forty percent from two thousand nineteen to two thousand twenty-four, coinciding with the opening of Spain's rail network to private companies.
## Maintenance spending lags behind
Spain spends more than any other country on high-speed rail, averaging about one point five billion euros a year from two thousand eighteen to two thousand twenty-two.
## Safety record now in question
Until this year, Spain had among the lowest accident rates in the EU, with just one or fewer fatalities per thousand kilometres of track.
## Key takeaway

At least sixty-four people died when a high-speed train hit a stationary train near Toledo on Wednesday, raising fresh questions about safety on Spain's high-speed network after a second fatal crash in nine months.