Driver dies in Spanish train accident just days following high-speed collision

A train operator lost their life and at least 37 individuals sustained injuries, five of them seriously, following the derailment and collision of a commuter train near Barcelona, occurring just days after a fatal collision of two trains in southern Spain on Sunday.

Local authorities reported that on Tuesday evening, the Rodalies train hit a retaining wall that collapsed onto the tracks between Gelida and Sant Sadurní.

Inspector Claudi Gallardo from the Catalonia fire department stated that all travelers had been evacuated from the train.

The incident took place amid severe storms affecting north-eastern Spain, with coastal regions in the east and north-west under significant weather alerts.

Emergency services revealed that eleven ambulances were deployed to Gelida, Catalonia – approximately 35km (21.7 miles) to the west of Barcelona – attending to the injured.

The local fire brigade indicated that 35 teams had been dispatched to the scene and one passenger who was trapped inside the train had been rescued.

A subsequent update stated that no one was left inside and that crews were performing a sweep of the area to ensure there were no additional victims.

Emergency personnel noted that some of the injured had been taken to nearby hospitals, including Moisès Broggi, Bellvitge, and Vila Franca.

Among the five critically injured individuals, six were reported to be in a less serious state and 26 were classified as having “mild” injuries, according to emergency medical services.

Another train in the Barcelona commuter system also experienced a derailment on Tuesday.

“A rock dislodged by the storm impacted the axle,” Adif, Spain’s railway network operator, commented in a statement.

This train was operating between Blanes and Maçanet-Massanes, situated to the north-east of Barcelona.

No injuries have been recorded, and train services have been suspended.

Approximately 400,000 commuters are anticipated to lack train services on Wednesday morning, reported the Spanish newspaper El Pais.

All services across the Rodalies commuter rail system have been fully suspended while safety evaluations are undertaken.

Railway operators are expected to hold discussions with officials following the inspections.

The incidents in Catalonia happened just two days after two high-speed trains collided in Adamuz, Andalusia, marking one of the most severe train disasters in Spain in over a decade.

At least 42 fatalities have been reported following the derailment of carriages from a Madrid-bound train that crossed into opposing tracks and subsequently collided with an oncoming high-speed train.