Prosecutors from the European Union have started looking into potential misappropriation of money intended to upgrade the railroad line in Spain, where a train accident last week claimed 69 lives.
The investigation is being carried out in the headquarters of the Adif rail infrastructure authority and the rail safety agency AESF, according to prosecutors supported by a special unit of Spain’s Guardia Civil security police.
Spain Faces Second Rail Tragedy
After 46 people were murdered on the same line at Adamuz in January, this is the second EU fraud investigation involving Spain’s railroads this year.
Outside the hamlet of Urda, some 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Madrid, a train run by the state-owned operator Renfe collided last week with the rear of a halted train controlled by the private Spanish firm Iryo.
Despite the Iryo train ahead of it restarting, the Renfe train was given the all-clear to resume its regular pace when the LZB communication system that tracks train positions went down.
On Friday, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) announced that it had started looking into Spain’s rail authorities “after the opening of an investigation into possible fraud affecting EU funds allocated to the renovation and upgrading of safety, signaling and communications systems on the Madrid-Seville high-speed railroad line.”
The EPPO noted that there was a lot of public interest in the case, but it stated that no more information will be released.
A Spanish judge assigned to the case must make sure the inquiry conforms with legal protections as part of the process, including approving any actions that would entail phone taps or house searches.
Spain Rail Disaster Fuels Political Crisis
Ahead of the general election on November 29, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist-led administration has suffered from the Urda tragedy, and in the majority of opinion polls, the party is behind the conservative People’s Party (PP).
Oscar Puente, a close supporter of Sánchez, resigned this week as minister of transportation after seeing two fatal incidents this year.
Puente’s resignation, according to the PP and far-right Vox, is insufficient, and they have called on Sánchez to step down as well.
Due to reports of several cancelations and deserted station platforms, many people in Spain are now hesitant to take the train.
Spain Vows Rail Safety Reforms After Tragedy
On Tuesday, the Toledo Cathedral in the area where the tragedy occurred will host a burial for the 69 victims of Urda.
Carlos Cuerpo, Puente’s successor, has promised to “restore the confidence of Spaniards in our high-speed rail” by taking all necessary steps.
On Friday, Cuerpo met with survivors of the Adamuz tragedy in January, and they gave him a list of eleven demands for enhancing railroad safety in Spain.
