Else Beekman
More than 10,000 high-speed train passengers were caught in major delays on Sunday after a cable theft and technical fault disrupted AVE services between Madrid and Seville.
At least 30 trains were affected. Cables were stolen at several locations in the province of Toledo. The theft stopped rail traffic during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente called the incident “a serious act of sabotage”. He asked the public to help identify those responsible. The disruption came as many travellers were returning from the May Day holiday.
Renfe said that by 2:30am on Monday, ten stranded trains had resumed their journeys. The Ministry of Transport confirmed the thefts took place in Los Yébenes and Manzaneque. Signal systems were damaged at kilometre points between 92/850 and 102/200.
The problem was first detected at 17:45 on Sunday. It caused delays of around 25 minutes. Passengers felt the impact on Long Distance, AVE and AVANT services, especially between Mora, Orgaz and Urda.
Second incident
The situation worsened due to a second incident. A train run by Iryo became tangled in the overhead power line. It dragged the catenary and forced a halt to traffic.
“This is what halted traffic for a time, even after trains had resumed movement,” said Renfe president Álvaro Fernández de Heredia on X. He added that the cable theft allowed trains to run at reduced speed, with delays of up to 60 minutes. But the Iryo incident made things worse.
Political criticism mounts
Opposition leaders responded with strong criticism. Isabel Díaz Ayuso, President of the Community of Madrid (PP), called the situation “an international embarrassment”. She attacked the government’s handling of transport issues.
Juanma Moreno, President of Andalucía (PP), urged the government to offer “alternatives” and give “maximum priority” to affected travellers. On X he said: “Deeply concerned about the situation affecting thousands of Renfe passengers, especially those on the AVE line connecting Andalusia with Madrid. The government must provide alternatives and give top priority to resolving this issue during such an important period.”
Carmen Fúñez, Deputy Secretary of Organisation for the PP, blamed the Ministry of Transport. She said over 6,300 AVE passengers were left “without any solution”. She criticised the lack of security on the rail network.
As of Monday morning, AVE services between Madrid, Seville and Toledo were running with delays of up to one hour. Repair works are still ongoing. The Guardia Civil is leading the investigation.
AVE high-speed train increasingly popular in Spain