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What the January 2026 railway incidents reveal about passenger safety

The railway incidents in Spain in January 2026 show that passenger safety is a socio-technical system, where infrastructure, environment, operation, and software must be managed in an integrated manner, in accordance with European and national regulations.

What happened in January 2026 on the Spanish railway network?

High-speed accident in Adamuz (Córdoba)

On January 18, 2026, an accident on the high-speed line near Adamuz (Córdoba) caused a significant interruption to service.

Initial public reports pointed to a broken weld as the main cause of the derailment.
The Railway Accident Investigation Commission (CIAF) emphasized a non-punitive approach, focused on identifying what went wrong, why, and how it could have been prevented.

Incidents on Rodalies associated with the storm

On January 20, 2026, the Rodalies network (Catalonia) recorded two separate incidents:

Collision of an R4 train after a wall collapsed onto the tracks, linked to the storm.
A wheel came off due to a rock on the track between Tordera and Maçanet-Massanes. No injuries were reported, and evacuation and alternative service were provided.

Software failure at the Barcelona control center

Between January 26 and 27, 2026, Rodalies suffered a service outage attributed to a software failure at the Adif control center at França station.

According to statements released, sabotage, cyberattack, and human error were ruled out, pointing to a design flaw in a system installed a few months earlier.

What is the common thread linking these railway incidents?

These episodes confirm a key idea: railway safety is not an isolated event, but a complex socio-technical system.

Passenger protection depends on the effective coordination of:

Infrastructure and maintenance: welds, tracks, embankments, drainage, walls, and railway surroundings.
Risk management in the face of change: construction, partial renovations, and asset prioritization decisions.
Operation and control: signaling, control centers, communications, and critical software.
Climate and extreme events: storms, landslides, and adaptation to more demanding scenarios.

When one of these elements fails, the impact spreads in a chain reaction.

What regulatory framework "oversees" these cases?

1. Railway safety in the European Union

Directive (EU) 2016/798 establishes clear responsibilities between operators, infrastructure managers, and national authorities.

Its central focus is a systematic approach to safety management and oversight, beyond merely reacting to accidents.

2. Risk management and technical or operational changes

The EU's Common Safety Methods (CSM) require risks to be assessed and controlled when changes are introduced:

Partial infrastructure renovations.
New control systems.
Organizational or operational adjustments.

3. Secure digitization and critical systems

In the railway sector, ERTMS/ETCS acts as the European standard for automatic train protection.

From a cross-cutting perspective, the NIS2 Directive strengthens digital risk management in critical sectors such as transportation.
A software failure, even if it is not a cyberattack, must be treated as a critical risk in design, testing, auditing, and continuity.

4. Sustainability and resilience of transportation

Spain passed Law 9/2025 on Sustainable Mobility, which includes:

Digitization of transportation.
Adaptation to climate change.
Emergency plans for recurring incidents.

This framework aligns with the EU's Green Deal and Fit for 55.
In addition, the CSRD increases operational and climate risk reporting requirements for many companies in the railway ecosystem.

Why do these incidents affect companies beyond logistics?

Railway safety has a direct impact on corporate risk governance.

It is not limited to operational compliance.
It integrates four inseparable dimensions:

Operational safety: infrastructure, maintenance, and human factors.
Advanced digitization: signage, critical software, and control.
Operational resilience: service continuity and safe degradation.
Sustainability and climate: adaptation to extreme events and regulatory reporting.

A single failure can result in evacuations, interruptions, station congestion, and uncertainty for passengers, affecting reputation, trust, and decision-making.

Practical checklist for assessing passenger safety maturity

Organizations that are part of the railway system should consider these key questions:

How is risk assessed and documented when a technical or operational change is introduced?
Is there traceability of the status of critical assets and clear prioritization criteria?
What safe degradation mechanisms exist in the event of control or IT failures?
Is the railway environment managed as a structural and climate safety risk?
Is passenger communication part of the safety and continuity system?

Frequently Asked Questions:

✔️ What can we learn from the train accidents of January 2026?

Passenger safety depends on an integrated system, not on a single technical element.

✔ Can a software failure be considered a railway safety risk?

Yes. Software is a critical component that must be managed with security and continuity criteria.

✔ Which European regulations govern these aspects?

Directive (EU) 2016/798, CSM, ERTMS/ETCS, and the NIS2 Directive.

✔ Why does sustainability influence railway safety?

Because extreme weather and events directly affect infrastructure, operations, and service continuity.

🔗 More information on the European Commission – Railway safety

🔗 More information at the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA)

🔗 More information from the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (Spain)

The world changes rapidly. How you manage risk makes all the difference.

Reflecting today on systems, regulations, and resilience is key to making better decisions tomorrow.

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