Lorraine Williamson
Spain’s Adamuz train crash memorial is taking place today, Thursday 29 January 2026 — but the main ceremony is in Huelva, not in Adamuz itself. The city is hosting a large public funeral mass at 6.00 pm in the Palacio de Deportes Carolina Marín, with the country’s most senior figures attending alongside grieving families.
For many in Huelva, it is less a political moment than a collective reckoning. A tragedy that happened in Córdoba province has left its deepest scar further west, in the towns and neighbourhoods where many of the victims lived.
Where the memorial is being held — and who is expected
The service is being presided over by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, who are expected to meet relatives before the ceremony begins.
Among those confirmed to attend are:
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María Jesús Montero (First Vice President and Finance Minister), leading the Government’s representation
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Juanma Moreno
(President of the Junta de Andalucia) -
Alberto Núñez Feijóo (PP leader)
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Ministers Ángel Víctor Torres and Luis Planas, also attending
Spanish public broadcaster RTVE reports 28 of the 45 people who died were from municipalities in Huelva province, which helps explain why this memorial has landed here — and why it is expected to draw a large public turnout.
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Why Huelva — not Adamuz
The crash happened near Adamuz (Córdoba) on 18 January 2026. But Huelva became the emotional centre of the aftermath because so many victims were connected to the province.
There has also been institutional sensitivity around how — and when — Spain should honour the dead. A state tribute initially planned for 31 January in Huelva was postponed, after opposition from families and concerns over the tone and format of an official ceremony.
A second ceremony in Madrid — and a widening political edge
Today also brings a separate memorial mass in Madrid’s Almudena Cathedral, promoted by Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso — an initiative that has sparked criticism and accusations of politicising grief.
The split ceremonies underline the difficulty of staging public mourning in a hyper-polarised climate: how to keep attention on families, while political symbolism pulls in the opposite direction.
What investigators are looking at
The official investigation is ongoing. Reporting this week points to a track failure linked to a rail weld
RTVE has also reported planning assumptions for restoring the Madrid–Sevilla high-speed service around early February, subject to authorisations and conditions on the ground.
Whether Spain returns to the idea of a formal state tribute remains unresolved. For now, the Adamuz train crash memorial in Huelva is the focal point — a public act of mourning shaped as much by who is absent as by who arrives.
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