Seville-Madrid high-speed rail resumes services more than ten hours after fallen power cable sparks fire

Rail transport

The fall of an electrical cable caused serious damage to the overhead power lines and a fire, affecting high-speed, medium-distance and commuter trains in Andalucía

Miguel G. Casallo and Salvador Vallejo

The fall of a high-voltage power line caused a major disruption to Spain's rail infrastructure and suspended overnight services on the high-speed line between Seville and Madrid on Tuesday. Services returned to normal more than ten hours after the incident.

According to sources, the cable does not belong to Adif (Spain's rail infrastructure company).

The incident occurred at 7.47pm on Tuesday and caused a loss of traction power to the overhead line equipment (the catenary) between sections of the line near Seville.

According to Adif, the incident also sparked a fire, forcing the suspension of rail traffic. As a result, numerous services were cancelled or delayed, affecting both high-speed, medium-distance and commuter trains.

Public energy company Endesa and Adif worked together to remove the cable "in the shortest possible time".

Cancelled or delayed connections

The disruption impacted the Seville-Madrid, Seville-Malaga and Seville-Cordoba connections, as well as regional trains and the commuter rail service in the Seville area.

Private operator Iryo also reported delays due to a power outage between Seville and Majarabique.

Adif has stated that all trains in service were able to reach nearby stations, with the exception of one train whose passengers had to be evacuated via a transfer on the tracks.

Given the complexity of the breakdown and the estimated duration of the repairs, the rail operator decided to suspend the last services scheduled for Tuesday.

State rail operator Renfe enabled free changes and cancellations for passengers with train tickets for the Madrid-Seville high-speed line.

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