There the accident was caused by illogical placement of different train protection areas. The fast section had a modern high-speed train protection system and where there was a curve, and therefore a slower section, the track was protected by the older Spanish train protection system.
The last piece of information from the high-speed system should of course be “curve ahead, slow down”, but because the crew installing it was looking only at the map of the high-speed section, they failed to notice that where the section ends, there is something immediately beyond. For them it was a straight stretch of railway that then continues “wherever” beyond the “relevant section”.
There was a physical trackside sign warning about the curve, but good luck spotting a trackside sign at a speed of 250 km/h, especially when the in-cab device telling you what speed to drive says “250 km/h until further notice by the in-cab device”.
Of course, where the high-speed section ends and the older section begins, there is a train protection transmission saying “in a couple hundred metres the maximum speed is 80 km/h”, but at point there’s nothing left to do except slow the train down to decrease the magnitude of the disaster.
There the accident was caused by illogical placement of different train protection areas. The fast section had a modern high-speed train protection system and where there was a curve, and therefore a slower section, the track was protected by the older Spanish train protection system.
The last piece of information from the high-speed system should of course be “curve ahead, slow down”, but because the crew installing it was looking only at the map of the high-speed section, they failed to notice that where the section ends, there is something immediately beyond. For them it was a straight stretch of railway that then continues “wherever” beyond the “relevant section”.
There was a physical trackside sign warning about the curve, but good luck spotting a trackside sign at a speed of 250 km/h, especially when the in-cab device telling you what speed to drive says “250 km/h until further notice by the in-cab device”.
Of course, where the high-speed section ends and the older section begins, there is a train protection transmission saying “in a couple hundred metres the maximum speed is 80 km/h”, but at point there’s nothing left to do except slow the train down to decrease the magnitude of the disaster.