Madrid-Barcelona high-speed rail link resumes with delays following disrupions due to train fire

State rail operator Renfe anticipates disruptions and delays to the departures and arrivals of some trains throughout the day. Trains are currently running on a single track, subject to a temporary speed restriction of 80 kilometres per hour.

Work continues to clear the tracks and repair the infrastructure.

Renfe has advised passengers to check the status of their train via official channels, where the operator will promply post any updates. Every passenger whose ticket might be impacted by these disruptions will receive a text message or an email.

Renfe has made changes and cancellations available at no cost to passengers.

The accident occurred on Monday at around 4.05pm, near Ricla (Zaragoza), when the rear of the train caught fire. Although there were no injuries, 283 passengers had to evacuate.

For the time being, Renfe has stated that it does not know what caused the fire. The operator has launched an investigation to establish the facts.

In total, more than 17,000 passengers were affected, of whom almost 13,000 were travelling on 32 Renfe trains and a further 4,450 on the eleven trains operated by Iryo. Ouigo stated that the incident had caused delays to two of its trains and the cancellation of another.

Access the broad Spain national news archive