The Spanish government has approved a plan to improve high-speed safety. It follows accidents on the Madrid–Seville corridor, which the government says require reinforcing the Spanish railway system and improving response protocols for exceptional circumstances. Adif and the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility have committed to improving the system and restoring public confidence in high-speed rail.
The plan is structured in eight sections. The three main areas are technological innovation, control and safety protocols, and human resources.
While most measures will prove effective, some — such as the digital twin, cross-validation, and all those relating to human resources — should have been implemented earlier.
Technological innovation
New software will be created for control centres, featuring automatic alerts, electronic telephone message logs and validation checklists. Visual ergonomics will also be improved to make it easier to view train locations and track status.
In addition, the project will develop an artificial intelligence agent and a digital twin of the network. Their role will be to monitor system operations, anticipate scenarios, and detect anomalies. They will also monitor conversations between drivers and controllers. This technological improvement, which could have been implemented earlier, will facilitate staff work and reduce human error, as the AI-enabled digital twin will make it possible to anticipate the consequences of each decision.
The plan also includes completion of the full deployment of ERTMS Level 2 on the Madrid–Seville line, contracted to Thales (now Hitachi) in 2021. The State Railway Safety Agency (AESF) will carry out an extraordinary, immediate audit of its safety systems, updating the one already carried out in November 2025.
Until both projects are completed, expectedly in early 2027, frequencies on this line will be reduced. The government has not specified whether it will compensate operators for reducing some services included in their business plans.
Control and safety protocols
Management protocols will be modified to incorporate cross-validation mechanisms. From now on, every decision taken in a control centre operating in ‘degraded’ mode (without the assistance of automatic block systems) must be supervised and validated by at least one second human controller. In this way, failures such as the erroneous order that triggered the Urda accident will be easier to avoid.
The AESF will also review the system’s regulations and operating procedures. Independent experts will also prepare a technical study to assess additional passive safety measures for rolling stock.
This includes redesigning luggage areas as enclosed compartments to prevent projections in the event of sudden braking or impacts. Luggage containment was already announced in 2014 as a consequence of the Angrois accident. Renfe announced an investment of €8 million in February of that year.
Human resources
Working conditions for operations staff will be improved and staffing levels reinforced, in line with plans agreed with the trade unions, which have called since 2017 for the recovery of the workforce lost during the 2008 crisis. Article 38 of the RDSOIF will be amended to adapt rest periods for railway traffic controllers to periods of peak workload.
Fatigue management protocols, currently advanced for drivers, will be extended to other critical roles. These include railway works safety staff, such as works supervisors and lookouts.
Finally, continuous training for controllers will be expanded through mentoring, new certifications, and regular simulations to train them to manage unusual situations.