Lorraine Williamson
The judicial investigation into the Adamuz train crash is about to move into one of its most crucial phases. A judge in Montoro (Córdoba) has authorised the extraction and analysis of the trains’ black box data, scheduled for Thursday, 5 March, a step investigators believe could clarify the exact sequence of events moments before the derailment and collision.
At the same time, fresh reporting has sharpened focus on what happened after the crash — not just on the tracks, but in the paperwork. Spain’s rail accident investigation body, the CIAF, has raised concerns about inconsistencies and potential alterations in welding documentation linked to the section of line under scrutiny.
What the judge has ordered
According to court-linked reporting, the judge has approved the “dumping” and analysis of the recorders from the two trains involved, with the work taking place at the CIAF’s facilities. Investigators from the Guardia Civil are expected to use the data to test different hypotheses about what triggered the catastrophic failure.
The move follows weeks of technical investigation and witness gathering, including accounts from drivers who passed through the area before the crash.
Why welding reports are now central
The CIAF has warned that it found multiple versions and post-accident modifications in documentation relating to welding inspections in the area of interest. One of the most serious issues flagged is that some documents appear to rely on scanned or manipulable signatures, rather than secure electronic or handwritten validation.
The Guardia Civil has asked the CIAF for further details on the “incongruities” detected in the engineering documentation, as investigators try to determine whether the fracture originated in a weld, in the rail itself, or in a combination of factors.
Chain of custody questions over evidence handling
Alongside the document concerns, the investigation has also examined whether rail fragments were removed before explicit judicial authorisation was granted. The judge has reportedly issued warnings about further intervention in evidence without court approval, as scrutiny grows over the chain of custody.
Was anything altered after the disaster?
Thursday’s black box analysis is likely to feed into the next stage of the inquiry, helping investigators verify speed, braking, alarms, and system behaviour in the seconds before the crash. But the parallel track — what the documentation shows, when it was produced, and whether anything was altered after the event — may become just as significant.
For families and the public, the question is no longer only what failed on the line, but whether the investigation has had full, reliable access to the evidence needed to reach a definitive conclusion.