MadridIt was meant to be temporary, but it will end up lasting longer than anticipated. Adif has decided to maintain the temporary speed limit on the high-speed section from Barcelona to Madrid following a train driver’s complaint, despite the fact that early this Wednesday it had announced that it was restoring almost the entire route to the usual pace. However, this is not the only section affected after the accident in Adamuz, where the eye is on the state of the tracks as the cause of the accident: sources in Moncloa have reported that the speed will also be limited on the route from Valencia to Madrid due to the claims of another train driver.
In the case of Barcelona, the speed will be limited to 160 kilometers in a section between kilometer points 100 and 178, between Madrid and Zaragoza, of a total route of 667. This was decided after a Renfe train driver “reported the alleged poor condition of several points on the track”.
Whereas in the case of Valencia the impact is less: it affects 1.8 kilometers of the road. According to Moncloa sources, a train driver has complained about the following defects: a “hard blow” at the Villarubia diversion; a “train shake” at one point on the track, as well as several “sudden movements”. Tonight, as has been done previously on the Barcelona-Madrid route, the track will be checked to try to assess the “damages”.
In an interview with Telecinco, the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, has justified the first temporary speed limitation because yesterday train drivers reported 25 incidents on the section between Madrid and Barcelona, which he attributed to the “state of mind” of the railway workers after the death of the driver of the Alvia train in Adamuz and also the driver of Rodalies on Tuesday night due to the detachment of a wall that invaded the track.
In the case of the high speed, Puente has clarified that following these warnings a control of the road has been carried out and that it has been found that of these 25 there are four that need a “revision”. Sources from the Ministry of Transport have specified that practically all the incidents reported are from the same driver. This worker reported 21 of the 25 on Tuesday and 13 on Wednesday morning. In addition, the ministry adds that previously there had been almost no complaints.
On the other hand, the minister has also justified himself for the announcement he made two and a half months ago in which he said that the AVE would go to 350 kilometers soon, which the PP has already criticized. Puente has said that he ensured this as part of the complete renovation that will be done on the line soon.
