Story updated on Jan. 20, 2026 at 7:30 AM EST.
Rail travel in southern Spain has been disrupted following the collision of two high-speed passenger trains on Sunday, which killed at least 40 people with many more injured. Major delays and cancellations are expected during the coming days.
The collision, which took place near the city of Cordoba, is the country’s deadliest rail disaster in more than a decade.
El Pais is reporting that an Iryo train traveling from Malaga to Madrid derailed shortly after 7:30 PM and fell onto the tracks where an Alvia train was traveling at 125 mph in the opposite direction toward Huelva.
A total of 484 passengers were affected on both trains.
Spain’s Minister of Transport Oscar Puente said during a press conference that the “Iryo train is practically new and the track has also been renovated. Specifically, replacement work on this section was completed in May. The accident is extremely strange, as it happened on a straight line. All the experts we have consulted are extremely baffled.”
All trains running between Madrid and the Andalusian region—Seville, Malaga, Cordoba, Granada, Huelva and Cadiz—have been suspended.
