The Government has given the go-ahead for a plan aimed at improving the safety of high-speed rail services in Spain. This plan is a response to recent accidents on the Madrid-Seville corridor and seeks to strengthen the national railway system and its operational protocols for exceptional circumstances. Both ADIF and the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility have committed to working towards system improvement and restoring public confidence in High-Speed Rail.
The plan encompasses eight sections, with a strong focus on technological innovation. New software for control centers will be developed, featuring automatic alerts, electronic logbooks, validation checklists, and improved visual ergonomics to better understand train locations and track conditions. Additionally, an Artificial Intelligence agent and a digital twin of the network will be created to supervise the system, anticipate scenarios, detect anomalies, and monitor communications between drivers and controllers, aiming to minimize human error.
The full deployment of ERTMS N2 on the Madrid-Seville line will be completed, along with an extraordinary security systems audit by the State Agency for Railway Safety. Until these tasks are finished, expected by early 2027, frequencies on this line will be reduced. Control management protocols will also be modified to introduce cross-validation mechanisms, ensuring that decisions made during 'degraded' circulation periods are supervised and validated by at least a second human controller. The State Agency for Railway Safety will review system regulations and operations, and a technical study with independent experts will assess the implementation of additional passive safety measures in train cars.
In terms of human resources, the plan includes improving working conditions for controllers and reinforcing staffing levels, in line with recent years' direction and agreements with trade unions. Article 38 of the RDSOIF will be amended to adapt the rest periods for traffic regulators, aligning them with peak demand periods, and fatigue control protocols (currently advanced for train drivers) will be extended to other critical profiles such as railway construction site safety personnel. Furthermore, continuous training mechanisms for controllers will be expanded, incorporating mentorships, new certifications, and regular simulations to train for managing non-standard situations.
