The first explanations from the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, about the rail accident in Urda (Toledo) have placed possible human error among the hypotheses of the investigation. The head of Transport has described as "inexplicable" that the resumption of the movement of an AVE was authorized when there was a red signal that prevented continuing due to the occupation of the track.
During his appearance this Wednesday, Puente explained that an incident in the LZB system caused the stoppage of several trains and that subsequently the procedures provided for to resume circulation were used. He has also avoided addressing his eventual resignation: "At this moment I am not thinking about myself and I do not want to talk about us", he responded when asked about his continuity.
The explanations from the Ministry coincide with an open debate among engineers and railway professionals about the safety barriers that must prevent a rear-end collision, even when a human mistake occurs. Several of these warnings were made during the morning, before the minister's appearance. The subsequent political reactions have also included demands for accountability.
Engineers question that a human error by itself explains the collision
The president of the Association of Civil Engineers, Canals and Ports and of Civil Engineering, José Trigueros, has held the Minister of Transport responsible for the situation of the railway infrastructure.
"I hold the minister responsible", he stated in declarations to Europa Press.
Trigueros has questioned that a possible mistake by an operator can constitute a sufficient explanation for an accident of these characteristics.
"If that failure is based on the possible human error, that protocol is badly done", he warned.
The engineer maintains that the protection systems of a high-speed line must prevent a train from accessing a section occupied by another convoy. For this reason, he has called for examining the functioning of the automatic devices and the procedures applied after the signaling incident.
He has also criticized the maintenance and control of the infrastructure, although his statements do not constitute an official conclusion on the causes of the accident.
In similar terms, Martín Perea, civil engineer specialized in transport and director of the Master's in Renewable Energies at the European University, has spoken out.
Perea has recalled that the high-speed network has different safety systems designed to act in a complementary manner. Among them, he cited the LZB, the ASFA and the driving monitoring devices.
"For one high-speed train to catch up with another was something totally unthinkable until now", he told Europa Press.
The specialist considers it necessary to check what protections were available and how they worked. His hypothesis is that several safety barriers may have failed, although he has acknowledged that the necessary information is not yet available to determine this.
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The president of the Road Engineers blames Óscar Puente for the railway accident
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The Railway Union calls for an audit of more than 700 million invested
The Railway Union has broadened the technical debate to the state of the Madrid-Seville line and the investments made for its renovation.
Its general secretary, Rafael Escudero, explained on Onda Cero that the organization had been calling for an audit of the actions carried out on this infrastructure since the Adamuz accident.
"We already said it when the unfortunate Adamuz accident happened: an audit of the renovation that was carried out on that line had to be done, because many things did not add up for us", he pointed out.
Escudero has asked to verify how the more than 700 million euros that, according to his statements, the minister had attributed to the renovation of the line were used.
The union representative has also called for determining why the protection mechanisms did not prevent the collision between both trains.
"Something has failed, but an opportunity must be given to the investigation to see exactly what has failed", he stated.
His statements do not certify any specific maintenance deficiency or establish a link between the investments and the accident. The audit he requests would make it possible to examine the actions carried out and the state of the facilities.
The victims of the Alvia reject that everything is attributed to human error
The Plataforma Víctimas Alvia 04155 has also questioned the initial explanations that pointed to a possible human mistake.
Its spokesperson, Jesús Domínguez, has described as "supreme ignorance" going back to attributing a high-speed accident to human error without examining the functioning of the protection systems.
Domínguez has called for the resignation of Óscar Puente and has linked his criticisms to the investigations carried out after the Angrois accident, in 2013.
The spokesperson maintains that the lack of an adequate investigation and of accountability can make it difficult to correct safety problems. This is the association’s position, not a conclusion about the origin of the Urda accident.
These statements were made during the day, in the context of the first reports on the accident, and should not be confused with a later response to the ministerial appearance.
UGT and CSIF call for an independent investigation and accountability
The national trade union organizations have asked for the causes of the accident to be clarified and for railway safety conditions to be reviewed.
UGT has called for the investigation to be carried out with rigor and transparency and for, where appropriate, the corresponding responsibilities to be established.
The union has recalled that this is the second major railway tragedy of this year, after Adamuz, and has defended the need to maintain the investments, maintenance, and staffing necessary to guarantee safety.
For its part, CSIF has demanded an "urgent, rigorous, independent and transparent" investigation.
The organization considers it premature to establish the causes, but it calls for explanations and the adoption of measures that make it possible to avoid similar accidents. It has also expressed its support for Renfe and Iryo workers and for emergency teams.
Abascal, after Puente's explanations: "We are not going to believe any of this Government's explanations"
The most explicit later political reaction that appears in the sources consulted comes from the president of Vox, Santiago Abascal, who intervened this Wednesday at a pre-campaign event in Santander.
Abascal has questioned the credibility of the Executive's explanations and has linked the accident to his criticism of the management of public infrastructure.
"I can already tell you that we are not going to believe any of the explanations of this Government, which has not yet given explanations either for Adamuz, or for the blackout, or for many other tragedies", he stated.
The Vox leader has also directly criticized Puente and has defended his party maintaining the planned election events, in contrast to the suspension of campaign activity announced by other parties.
Abascal maintains that continuing with his agenda makes it possible to denounce what he considers a deterioration of public services and infrastructure. These are political assessments by the president of Vox, without the technical cause of the accident having yet been established.
Feijóo calls for caution and suspends the PP campaign
The known position of the president of the Partido Popular, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has been different.
The opposition leader has conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims and has asked that priority be given to attending to those affected.
"The priority now is to attend to the victims and support their families," he said.
Feijóo has been in contact with the president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, and with the mayor of Urda, Manuel Galán. The PP has suspended its campaign agenda and has asked for "prudence and respect" while information about the accident is gathered.
These statements were made before Puente's appearance. No specific later response from Feijóo to the minister's explanation about the possible human error or to his statements about a possible resignation is yet on record.
The investigation will have to distinguish between operational error and protection systems
The statements of engineers, unions and political representatives raise different questions.
The first consists of determining whether a circulation authorization incompatible with the occupation of the track by the Iryo was transmitted.
The second requires checking which protection systems were operational and what measures were applied during the signaling incident.
The third refers to the maintenance of the infrastructure and the execution of the investments intended for its renewal, issues on which different professionals have called for additional checks.
The existence of a possible human error does not in itself determine that that was the sole cause of the accident, just as the doubts expressed about maintenance do not prove that a deficiency in the infrastructure caused the collision.
The reconstruction of the control center records, the traffic communications and the data of both trains will have to make it possible to establish the sequence of events and the responsibilities that, where applicable, correspond.