SPANISH national operator Renfe resumed operating through high-speed services to destinations in the Andalucía region of southern Spain on February 17. This follows completion of repairs to infrastructure damaged by the derailment and subsequent fatal train collision that took place on January 18 at Adamuz, north of Córdoba on the Madrid - Seville high-speed line.
Repairs took longer than expected due to recent adverse weather conditions in Andalucía. Safety testing required before infrastructure manager Adif gave its approval for the line to reopen included testing the signalling system, undertaken by Renfe the previous night.
Renfe high-speed services are operating to their usual timetable once again from Madrid to Seville, Cádiz, Huelva, Granada and Almería via Granada. Open-access operators Iryo and Ouigo Spain have also restored Madrid - Seville services, with Iryo providing seven trains a day in each direction between the two cities.
However, Renfe does not expect to restore through trains to Málaga until the start of March, due to work being undertaken by Adif to repair a damaged retaining wall. The infrastructure manager says the section of high-speed line between Antequera and Málaga is one of four lines in Andalucía that are currently closed in whole or part as result of damage caused by recent bad weather.
From February 18 Renfe will provide a replacement bus service between Antequera and Málaga. Replacement bus services that began operating on January 20 between Villanueva de Córdoba and Córdoba following the accident at Adamuz carried 72,000 passengers, according to Renfe, which says that it was the only operator to provide alternative transport during the line closure.
