A subway train derailment within a tunnel in the Spanish city of Valencia has killed 41 people.
Initial details have been contradictory with some sources claiming a section of the tunnel roof had collapsed and others maintaining one of the wheels on the train had broken causing the derailment on 3 July. Within a week it seemed that the general consensus had changed to blame driver error with recovery of the train’s data recorder showing the train was accelerating at its maximum rate, reaching 80km/h (twice the limit for the section), before it braked sharply on a curved section of the alignment.
The four carriage train was travelling on Valencia’s No. 1 line close to a junction with another line. It derailed between Plaza de Espana and Jesus stations, colliding with the tunnel wall near Jesus station. Spanish media said the train had passed a safety inspection just one week before the tragedy.
