Lucrezia Ciotti The train tragedy in Spain , which according to preliminary figures has cost the lives of at least 68 people, also raises questions about the safety of high-speed trains in Italy . The comparison between the two countries focuses primarily on the signaling and control systems used to prevent accidents. What are the differences between the two systems, and why, according to expert Andrea Giuricin, could a similar accident not have occurred in Italy?
Spanish trains: audio recordings and a control center error: three Italians missing
Three audio recordings published by El País and the public broadcaster TVE reconstruct communications between train drivers and the control center at Atocha Station in Madrid prior to the collision between the Renfe AVE and Iryo high-speed trains near Urda, in the province of Toledo. Around 8:30 a.m., a failure in three computers reportedly caused the automatic LZB control system to fail, leaving a stretch of approximately 63 kilometers without technological protection and blocking six trains.
At 8:36, the Ave was authorized to restart at normal speed , even though the Iryo was still stopped further ahead on the same track. The driver of the latter had reported problems with the automatic system at 8:41 and, seven minutes later, reiterated that she could not restart: " The train does not allow me to activate the LZB system.
That's why I'm still stopped in front of the Urda entrance sign ." The conductor reportedly replied: " Okay, as soon as you can. And if you have any problems, call us ." According to media reports, the Ave was not given any order to stop, despite it having reached 200 kilometers per hour.
Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente spoke of a computer glitch followed by possible human error . Puente called the authorization to restart the AVE an " inexplicable error ," noting that the Iryo train was still stationary and the signal on the track was red. " There was time to correct the error " at the control center, " but it wasn't done ," he added.
Meanwhile, according to the Foreign Ministry, five Italians involved in the collision have been recovered in stable condition, while a sixth is hospitalized in Toledo. Three other Italian citizens remain missing. Spanish authorities have initiated procedures to identify the victims , while investigations continue to clarify the causes of the tragedy and any possible culpability in rail traffic management.
Train collisions: could they happen in Italy too? An expert on the ERTMS system explains.
The dramatic collision between two high-speed trains in Spain , with a provisional death toll of 68 , has reignited the debate over the safety of European rail links. The tragedy also raises questions in Italy, where high-speed trains are used daily by thousands of passengers, especially on the routes connecting Rome, Milan, Naples, and Turin. According to Andrea Giuricin , professor of transport economics at the University of Milan-Bicocca, an accident of this magnitude could not have occurred on the Italian network thanks to the safety systems in place. " In Italy, a train accident like this on a high-speed line could not have happened ," he told the newspaper La Stampa , specifying that the ongoing investigations make it necessary to remain cautious about the causes of the tragedy.
The expert emphasized that high-speed rail is one of the safest transportation systems in the world, and that an incident of this severity, following another serious accident in Spain in the previous ten months, is a cause for serious concern. Spain has approximately 4.000 kilometers of high-speed lines, a network four times larger than Italy's, the result of significant investments. For this reason, according to Giuricin, it will be important to clarify any liability in infrastructure management, with particular attention to ADIF, the company that manages the Spanish rail network. " In Italy, we have an ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) signaling system that has been adopted at the European level for high-speed rail and is a very safe system , " he explained, reiterating his confidence in the technology used on Italian tracks.