The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened a new investigation into possible fraud in the use of European funds intended to renew and modernize the security, signaling and communications systems of the high-speed line Madrid-Seville, where on 28 October of the past year the Urda (Toledo) rail accident occurred, leaving 69 dead.
The proceedings have been initiated ex officio and have the support of the Central Operations Unit (UCO) of the Guardia Civil. The inquiries reach the Administrator of Railway Infrastructures (Adif), the State Railway Safety Agency (AESF) and the Court of Auditors, although the procedural status of these bodies and the specific actions being examined by the investigators have not yet been clarified.
The opening of this investigation comes after the European Public Prosecutor’s Office began, in March, examining possible fraud related to European funds intended for maintaining the track in the vicinity of Adamuz (Córdoba), where another rail accident occurred in January that caused 46 deaths. Those proceedings remain ongoing and also count on the collaboration of the UCO.
Funds earmarked for the modernization of the security systems
The new inquiries focus on European resources allocated to the facilities that allow monitoring and supervision of train traffic. Among them are signaling systems, railway protection and communications, the renewal of which forms part of the works carried out in recent years in the Madrid-Seville corridor.
One of the main modernization projects for this infrastructure is the replacement of the LZB control system with the European ERTMS, the commissioning of which has accumulated delays. The new system was still not operational when the Urda accident occurred, after an LZB breakdown forced traffic management to be handled through alternative procedures.
In September 2021, Adif Alta Velocidad awarded three contracts for a total amount of more than €136 million to renew different installations on the line, including those for signaling, telecommunications, train protection, track circuits and switches. Part of these actions was funded using European funds from NextGenerationEU.
The existence of community funding explains the European Public Prosecutor’s Office’s jurisdiction to investigate possible irregularities in its use. However, it has not yet been confirmed which specific contracts form part of the new inquiries, nor whether the investigators have detected breaches in the execution of the works or in the justification of the expenses.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office was already investigating the maintenance of the road in Adamuz
As DEMÓCRATA reported last October 30, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and the UCO had kept open an investigation into possible embezzlement of funds intended for the maintenance of the Madrid–Seville line, related to the section where the Adamuz accident occurred.
The European body had confirmed on March 20 the opening of those inquiries, focused on community resources intended for maintaining the road near kilometer 318.7. To move forward with the inquiries, it requested from Adif the corresponding contracts and case files for that railway section.
At the end of October, sources from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the investigation remained open, that various inquiries had been carried out, and that they expected significant progress in the coming weeks.
The new action known this Friday examines possible irregularities in funds intended for security systems, signage, and communications. For the moment, it has not been clarified whether these inquiries are processed through an independent case file or have a procedural link with the investigation initiated after Adamuz.
The Court of Auditors’ warnings about European funds
The Court of Auditors had already identified deficiencies in the management and control procedures for the European funds of Adif and Adif Alta Velocidad. In a report approved in December 2025, the auditing body examined actions with an assigned budget of 5,974 million euros and detected problems related to the traceability of certain operations, supervision of personnel, and the processing of internal complaints.
Although the overall assessment of the management and control systems was favorable, the report included recommendations to improve documentation of decisions and strengthen the mechanisms for preventing conflicts of interest.
Subsequently, in April 2026, the Joint Commission of the Congress and the Senate for Relations with the Court of Auditors approved a resolution urging a review of control procedures, contractual amendments and the identification of possible conflicts of interest in the management of community resources.