Spanish rail authorities have temporarily reduced the speed limit on part of the high-speed rail line between Madrid and Barcelona after a track defect was discovered, the BBC reported.
Spain’s Transport Minister, Óscar Puente, said a crack was detected on Sunday evening on a section of the line located 110 kilometers west of Barcelona, between Alcover and L’Espluga de Francolí in the Catalonia region.
The decision comes just days after a high-speed rail collision in southern Spain that killed 45 people, and amid serious disruptions to local rail services in the country’s northeast.
The Ministry of Transport stated that the defect does not pose a safety risk to trains currently operating on the line, and that services will continue under reduced speed conditions.
This marks the most significant speed reduction imposed in recent days following the fatal accident in Adamuz, Andalusia, earlier this month.
The maximum speed on the affected section has been reduced to 80 km/h (50 mph) until further notice, a sharp decrease compared to the usual operating speed of up to 300 km/h on the Madrid–Barcelona route, one of Spain’s busiest long-distance rail connections.
Last week, speed limits on other sections of the Madrid–Barcelona line were temporarily reduced to 230 km/h after train drivers reported vibrations and other anomalies, before being restored following technical inspections.
Similarly, parts of the Madrid–Valencia high-speed line also saw temporary speed reductions to 160 km/h and 200 km/h.
