EU fraud probe into Spanish rail funds after Urda crash killed 69
European prosecutors are investigating possible misuse of EU funds for the Madrid-Seville line after two crashes this year killed 115 people.
EU prosecutors target Spanish rail authorities over Madrid-Seville safety funds
European Union prosecutors have opened a fraud investigation into Spain's rail authorities, bbc.com reports, following a train crash near the village of Urda on 28 October that killed 69 people — one of the worst railway disasters in Europe this century.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) confirmed on Friday it had launched investigative measures at Adif, Spain's rail infrastructure authority, and at rail safety agency AESF. The inquiry centres on the possible misuse of EU funds allocated to the renovation and upgrading of safety, signalling and communications systems on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line.
Prosecutors are supported by a specialist unit of Spain's Guardia Civil. A Spanish judge assigned to the case must ensure the investigation complies with legal safeguards, including authorising any measures involving searches or phone-tapping. The EPPO said no further details would be made public, citing high public interest in the case.
The Urda crash occurred when a Renfe train ploughed into the back of a stationary Iryo train around 130km south of Madrid. The LZB communication system used to monitor train positions had failed; the Renfe service was given clearance to run at normal speed even though the Iryo train ahead could not restart.
The disaster is the second EU fraud inquiry opened into Spain's railways this year. In January, 46 people were killed on the same Madrid-Seville line near Adamuz. The two accidents, nine months apart, have together claimed 115 lives and left dozens more injured.
The political fallout has been swift. Transport Minister Óscar Puente, a close ally of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, resigned this week after two fatal accidents occurred under his tenure. The opposition People's Party (PP) and far-right Vox have demanded that Sánchez himself step down, with the governing Socialists trailing the PP in most polls ahead of a 29 November general election.
Public confidence in rail travel has fallen sharply, with widespread cancellations reported and station platforms left largely empty across Spain.
Puente's successor, Carlos Cuerpo, met survivors of the January Adamuz crash on Friday and received a list of 11 demands for improving railway safety. Cuerpo pledged to take all necessary measures to restore the confidence of Spaniards in the country's high-speed rail.
A funeral for the 69 victims of the Urda disaster is scheduled for Tuesday at Toledo cathedral, in the same province where the crash occurred.
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)