Spain’s railway tragedies have lessons for India’s high-speed train dreams
Two accidents in Spain in a span of a few days – the first one the worst in Spanish records since 2013 – put the spotlight on railway safety.
In the first crash on Sunday in southern Spain, the tail end of a train carrying 289 passengers derailed and crashed into an oncoming train, resulting in 43 fatalities.
In the second accident, a Barcelona commuter train crashed after it hit a retaining wall that had fallen onto the tracks, leading to the death of a trainee driver and injuring 37.
This, even as Spain’s railway network is considered one of the safest in Europe.
According to EU statistics, in 2024 a total of 16 passengers died in accidents on Europe’s railway networks, with only one fatality in Spain.
Yet, in Aug last year the Spanish Union of Railway Drivers had asked Spain’s rail operator to investigate flaws on high-speed train lines due to increased traffic – Spanish authorities should have taken heed. Spain has the longest high-speed rail network in Europe.
In India – which is yet to start its maiden high-speed train – rail safety remains a persistent issue. Per GOI, rail safety in India has dramatically improved with consequential train accidents reducing from 135 in 2014-15 to 31 in 2024-25. But recall that the horrific 2023 Balasore train accident killed 296 people.
Thus, despite investment in track modernisation – Indian Railways completed track renewal over 6,851 km in 2024-25 fiscal – there’s much room for improvement.
For example, operationalisation of the automatic train protection system Kavach has missed several deadlines on the high-density Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes. Note also that average train speeds in India range between 80-90 kmph.
The first Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed train will have a speed of more than 300 kmph, with the first section between Surat and Bilimora to be operationalised in Aug 2027.
As Spain’s tragedies show, you can never be too prepared when it comes to high-speed railway safety.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
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