EU prosecutors investigate possible fraud in Spanish rail funding after fatal crash
The European Public Prosecutor's Office searched Spanish rail agencies over EU funds for the Madrid-Seville high-speed line following a deadly October collision.
At a glance
- The European Public Prosecutor's Office searched Spanish rail agencies over possible fraud in EU funds for the Madrid-Seville high-speed line.
- The probe follows an October 28 train crash in Urda that killed at least 69 people, the second fatal crash in Spain this year.
- Transport Minister Oscar Puente and ADIF's president resigned, and the EU transport commissioner called the two crashes 'very worrying.'
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) launched an investigation into possible fraud in the financing of Spain's rail network, conducting searches at the headquarters of the railway infrastructure manager ADIF, the State Railway Safety Agency (AESF), and the Court of Auditors on Friday. The probe follows a high-speed train crash on October 28 in Urda, Toledo province, that killed at least 69 passengers.
EPPO said the investigation concerns possible fraud affecting EU funds allocated to the renovation and upgrading of safety, signaling and communications systems on the Madrid-Seville high-speed railway line. ADIF confirmed the visit and said it complied with the search. The other two agencies did not respond to requests for comment.
The Urda collision was the second fatal crash in Spain this year, after a January crash in Adamuz that killed 46 passengers. That earlier crash also prompted an EPPO probe in March into how EU funds for track maintenance were used. The two accidents led to the resignation of Transport Minister Oscar Puente on Tuesday and ADIF President Luis Pedro Marco de la Pena the next day. Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo will assume the transport portfolio until elections later this month.
EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas called the proximity of the two fatal accidents "very worrying" and said Spain had requested assistance from the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) for the national investigation.
Survivors from Spain's three deadliest modern crashes — Angrois (2013), Adamuz (January 2026) and Urda (October 2026) — gathered in late October to demand better safety procedures and greater investment in network maintenance. Survivor Cristobal Gonzalez told Al Jazeera that the crashes will continue unless authorities act, citing speed, track problems and possible human error and control system failures.
The 2013 Angrois disaster, which killed 79 people, remains Spain's deadliest rail crash in modern times.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- What is the European Public Prosecutor's Office investigating in Spain?
- The EPPO is investigating possible fraud affecting EU funds allocated to the renovation and upgrading of safety, signaling and communications systems on the Madrid-Seville high-speed railway line.
- How many people died in the recent Spanish train crashes?
- At least 69 passengers died in the October 28 crash in Urda, and 46 died in a January crash in Adamuz.
- Why did Spain's transport minister resign?
- Oscar Puente resigned as transport minister following the second fatal train crash this year, citing a matter of political dignity.
