Ten months after the train accident near Adamuz in the province of Córdoba key evidence from the infrastructure has still not undergone forensic analysis. It consists of sections of rail with welded joints, whose condition is likely to be crucial to establishing the cause of the accident. According to consistent reports, legal restrictions, outstanding questions about the preservation of evidence and organisational responsibilities are preventing a swift laboratory analysis.
The Guardia Civil according to a memorandum that came to light in February, pointed out that employees of the infrastructure operator Adif may have removed or altered material at the accident site after the disaster without prior judicial authorisation. As a result, the investigating judge in charge restricted further interference with material evidence and made its use subject to court approval. According to the news agency EFE since then, the infrastructure and the handling of evidence have been under close scrutiny, while judicial requirements imposed on Adif continue to be clarified.
At the same time, technical bodies are pressing for access to the same samples. The state Commission for the Investigation of Railway Accidents (CIAF) has requested metallurgical, microscopic and mechanical tests to assess the hypothesis of a fracture in a weld. However, while the material samples remain subject to strict evidence-preservation requirements in the judicial proceedings and have not been released, these analyses remain blocked or incomplete. The transport department in Madrid, now known as the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility , is involved in coordination between the criminal investigation, Adif and the CIAF.
The consequences of the delays are significant. Without standardised laboratory findings on the rail sections, the cause, responsibilities and technical recommendations can only be discussed provisionally. In addition to the welds, analyses of on-board data recorders and wheel marks are also still awaiting completion in some cases, according to consistent accounts. Representatives of those affected point to the strain caused by the unresolved findings and are calling for priority to be given to investigations that will stand up in court.
The derailment of an Iryotrain near Adamuz on 18 January 2026 drew nationwide attention to the condition of individual sections of track and the interfaces between the justice system, the administration and independent accident analysis. Whether a weakness in the material at a joint, external damage or a combination of factors caused the accident can only be established once the secured samples have been tested under controlled conditions and the results documented transparently.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).