European prosecutors have launched an investigation into the possible misuse of European Union funds intended for the upgrade of the Spanish railway line on which 69 people died in a train collision last week. The investigation is being carried out at the offices of the railway infrastructure authority Adif and the railway safety agency AESF, and is being conducted by prosecutors with the support of a special unit of the Spanish Guardia Civil.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) announced on Friday that it had opened investigative proceedings at Spanish railway bodies following the opening of an investigation into possible fraud concerning EU funds allocated for the renovation and upgrade of safety, signalling and communication systems on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line. The EPPO highlighted the significant public interest in the case but stated that further details would not be published. The judge in charge of the case must ensure that the investigation complies with legal protective measures, including authorising actions such as home searches or phone tapping.
This is the second investigation into fraud involving EU funds in the Spanish railway sector this year, after 46 people died on the same line near Adamuz in January. The accident in Urda, about 130 kilometres south of Madrid, occurred on 28 October when a train operated by the state carrier Renfe struck the rear of a stationary train operated by the private Spanish company Iryo. The LZB communication system, which tracks the position of trains, was interrupted, and the Renfe train received a green light to travel at normal speed even though the Iryo train ahead of it could not resume movement.
The two accidents within a nine-month period on the same line have claimed 115 lives, and dozens of people have been injured. The accident in Urda has damaged the reputation of the socialist government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez ahead of the general election on 29 November, and the party is trailing the conservative People's Party (PP) in most polls. Sánchez's close ally Óscar Puente resigned this week as transport minister following two fatal accidents during his tenure. The PP and the far-right Vox have stated that Puente's resignation is not enough and are demanding Sánchez's resignation as well.
Many Spaniards have become wary of travelling by train, amid reports of numerous cancellations and empty platforms. Puente's successor Carlos Cuerpo pledged to take all necessary measures to "restore Spaniards' confidence in our high-speed railway". Cuerpo met on Friday with survivors of the January accident in Adamuz, who handed him a list of 11 requests for improving safety on Spanish railways. A funeral for the 69 victims from Urda will be held on Tuesday in the cathedral in Toledo, in the same province where the accident occurred.
