- The measures include technological improvements with new software for the control centers, the use of Artificial Intelligence to monitor the operation of the system and the completion of the deployment of the ERTMS N2 on the Madrid – Seville line.
- The protocols of the control centers will be modified, the operation of the system by the State Railway Safety Agency will be reviewed and the implementation of additional passive safety measures within the train will be studied.
- In terms of human resources, it is planned to improve the working conditions of the controllers and strengthen the staff, as well as to expand the mechanisms of continuous training.
The government approves a plan to optimize high-speed security
03/11/2026
The Council of Ministers today approved a plan for the optimization of high-speed safety. The accidents in the Madrid-Seville corridor oblige to strengthen the Spanish railway system and improve its protocols for action in exceptional circumstances.
Madrid.- The Council of Ministers today approved a plan for the optimization of high-speed safety. The accidents in the Madrid-Seville corridor oblige to strengthen the Spanish railway system and improve its protocols for action in exceptional circumstances.
Both ADIF and the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility are committed to working tirelessly to achieve the improvement of the system and regain the confidence of the citizens in High Speed. To this end, a plan of measures to be deployed has been approved in eight sections:
Technological innovation
1. Creation of new software for the control centers that has automatic alerts, electronic telephone books, validation checklist, and improved visual ergonomics that allows you to understand more easily the location of trains and the situation of the tracks.
2. Creation of an Artificial Intelligence agent and a digital twin of the network that will be responsible for supervising the operation of the system, anticipating scenarios, detecting anomalies, and monitoring conversations between drivers and controllers, facilitating the work of employees and minimizing the possibility of human failure.
3. Completion of the total deployment of the ERTMS N2 on the Madrid-Seville line, in accordance with the established planning, and extraordinary and immediate audit of its safety systems by the State Railway Safety Agency, to update the one already carried out in November 2025. Until both works are completed (predictably, early 2027) the frequencies on this line will be reduced.
Control and security protocols
4. Modification of management protocols to introduce cross-validation mechanisms. From now on, all decisions made in a control center in times of “degraded” circulation (i.e. when the assistance of automatic blocking systems is not available) will be supervised and will have to be validated by at least a second human controller.
5. Review of the regulation and operation of the system by the State Railway Safety Agency.
6. Elaboration of a technical study with independent experts to assess the implementation of additional passive safety measures in wagons, such as the redesign of luggage spaces to turn them into closed compartments that avoid projections in case of sudden braking or impacts.
Human resources
7. Improvement of the working conditions of the controllers and reinforcement of the staff following the direction of the last years and the plans agreed with the union agents. Among other improvements, Article 38 of the RDSOIF will be modified to adapt the development of the breaks of traffic regulators, adapting them to the most demanding peaks, and the fatigue control protocols (currently advanced for train drivers) will be extended to other critical profiles such as safety personnel in railway works (workers and pilots).
8. Expansion of the mechanisms of continuous training of controllers, with the introduction of mentoring, new accreditations, and regular simulations to train the management of unusual situations.