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"We departed from Madrid about 25 minutes before the catenary sparked and the train suddenly stopped. We are in the middle of nowhere and we are waiting for them to find us another train." This was the story of Héctor, a passenger on the Madrid-Malaga high-speed AVE train that left the Spanish capital's Atocha station at 8.55pm on Sunday and was due to arrive on the Costa del Sol before midnight. Unfortunately, a "serious act of sabotage", as described by minister of transport and sustainable mobility Óscar Puente, prevented the completion of this and multiple other journeys.
Héctor was one of the thousands of passengers who had an unpleasant journey home on Sunday, yet still managed to get to their destination, while others couldn't. Four cable thefts at different points on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line left more than 10,000 passengers without transport. While some were stuck inside trains, the situation found others waiting at the station.
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"We have been told that another train is coming, but we don't know when; we don't have much more information," said Héctor from one of the halted trains last night. According to data from Spain's state railway operator Renfe, there are more than 10,000 passengers affected throughout Spain this morning. There have been 30 trains paralysed or delayed, several of them with departure from or arrival in Malaga. Considering that the sabotage took place at the end of a long holiday weekend, the number of passengers returning home on Sunday evening was considerably higher than usual. "Due to the cable theft in the province of Toledo, trains departing from Andalucía before 8am this Monday will be affected by considerable delays," said Renfe.
As confirmed by the president of Renfe, Álvaro Fernández Heredia, the theft took place on the high-speed line linking Madrid-Seville, somewhere between the towns of Mora and Urda in Toledo. The situation has caused delays and stoppages in high-speed and long- and medium-distance trains, as reported by Renfe and Adif (Spain's state railway infrastructure company) on social media. Many of the trains arrived at Atocha and Santa Justa stations early today. "We are updating information, trying to give time forecasts, distributing food and drink, increasing station staff and working to mobilise the largest number of trains in these degraded circulation conditions," he explained in a message he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Puente assured that the Guardia Civil is already investigating the case. According to the minister, there are four cable thefts at different points within a radius of 10 kilometres. He described these tools as "the security systems of the line". "The effect this will have on the trains that still have to run today is going to be very serious. We will barely have two hours from when we finish today to repair it," he said last night on the social media platform X.
Adif said that "the cable cuts and theft have occurred in the municipalities of Los Yebenes (kilometre points 92/850 and 93/600) and Manzaneque (kilometre points 101/400 and 102/200), affecting the line's signalling installations", which is the reason for the delays in the service.
"If anyone can offer information, all possible collaboration is appreciated. These events are very serious," he reiterated.
Madrid-Seville and Seville-Madrid trains have suffered considerable delays, as they have not been able to run at their usual speed, while others were stopped altogether during the early hours of the morning, waiting to resume running. Through its social media profiles, Renfe said that all trains would arrive at their destination, some early on Monday, "so no alternative transport would be necessary". "We regret the inconvenience caused by this cable theft and thank you for your patience and understanding."
As announced by Renfe, there will be one-hour delays in the departure of the high-speed trains on the Madrid-Seville and Madrid-Toledo lines, in both directions. This measure is necessary for the repair works in the early hours of the morning. In addition, Renfe's president said that the last scheduled high-speed train departures from Atocha station have been cancelled "to make room for the arrival of the backed-up trains".
In addition to the cable theft, an Iryo train "has become snagged in the catenary power cables and needs to be cleared, towed and the catenary reinstated in order to restore circulation". "This is the reason why some trains lost power," said Fernández Heredia, while noting that they are distributing the stock of each train and have warned taxis at the arrival stations. "Having completed the transfer of the Iryo that was halted, we hope that now we can move forward at a faster speed and conclude the operation," read the minister's 3am update. Fernández Heredia stated that Atocha station will remain open and that they were preparing special trains to take affected people to their destinations.
The president of Andalucía's regional government, Juanma Moreno, has demanded that the central government offer alternatives to passengers, especially given that the dates of travel are of high importance. "I am very concerned about the situation that is affecting thousands of Renfe passengers, especially on the AVE train that connect Andalucía with Madrid," he said.
President of Madrid's regional government Isabel Díaz Ayuso - member of the right-wing PP party - blamed the left-leaning central government for the recent "blackouts and breakdowns", calling them "a daily calamity, international embarrassment and damage to the economy". "If the PP were governing, the left would have been setting fire to the streets from day one. But let no one confuse good sense with indifference. Spain is fed up."
Affected services
At least ten high-speed trains between Malaga and Madrid (in both directions) were affected this Monday morning by the double incident that happened last night on the high-speed line (LAV) near Toledo : first, sabotage, with the theft of the cable from the security installations, and then the snagging and dragging of the catenary by a train.
State rail infrastructure company Adif is working on the issue and hopes to restore the track this morning. Hence, the talk of delays, rather than cancellations. In their latest update, it reports that rail service on the Madrid-south of Spain high-speed line is scheduled to resume "around 9.30am," both from Madrid and from the stations in Málaga. Seville and Granada.
Most of those affected are on the route from María Zambrano to Atocha: five Renfe trains and one Iryo train are currently waiting to depart. Pending official figures, based on capacity estimates, taking into account that the carriages are unlikely to be full, it is expected that the impact will affect at least 1,200 passengers. In the opposite direction, from the Spanish capital to the Costa del Sol, four trains are currently blocked: three Renfe and one Iryo, with at least 800 passengers affected. According to SUR sources, the plan is that, once Adif gives the green light, the trains will be filled to capacity and even double trains will be used to try to get the affected passengers to their destination as quickly as possible.
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