On board a Spanish high-speed train in the aftermath of the system's latest catastrophe

For decades, Spaniards have been avid users of the country’s touted high-speed trains, choosing the Ave, Spanish for “bird,” over driving or flying for work trips or holidays each year.

But two devastating collisions in nine months that killed more than 100 people have shaken confidence in a rail network long hailed for its speed and safety.

Two days after a train collision in central Spain killed 69 people and stunned the nation with horrific images of shredded carriages and bloodied survivors, an Associated Press journalist spoke to travelers who had decided to keep traveling by train.

“I have to travel for work and am taking the train because I don’t have another option, but I have colleagues who are going by car and won’t take another train until something really changes,” Carla Fuentes, a 37-year-old economist, said before boarding in Madrid for Alicante, in southern Spain.

Fuentes' train was canceled on Thursday due to a strike by train workers to demand improved rail safety.

“It is understandable,” she said about the strike. “Many lives were lost and there are a lot of people who are angry.”

The catastrophe was impossible to forget once aboard the train from Madrid to Zamora on Friday, even if most of the passengers were philosophical about whizzing along at 300 kph (186 mph).

Once the train started after a 50-minute delay, the train conductor made an announcement to thank those who had stuck with the Ave.

“I only have words of thanks for your patience and admiration for your decision to continue traveling by train at this time,” he told the passengers.

Authorities admit trust in the railways is shattered

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who faces an election in four weeks, acknowledged Friday at the crash site that authorities must work hard to restore the reputation of the rail service.

“Trust in our high-speed railway has been broken, and the job of this government is to not only understand what went wrong but to offer the solutions so that a tragedy of this magnitude never happens again,” Sánchez said.

The crash in the province of Toledo came just nine months after another collision further south on the same Madrid-Seville line killed 49 people when one train jumped the track and slammed into another coming from the opposite direction.

“I have spent a long time traveling in high-speed trains, but now my confidence has been hurt a bit,” 56-year-old traveler María Rodríguez said on the train to Zamora. “Two accidents in one year, with a lot of casualties. That is serious.”

The train rules in Spain

High-speed trains have transformed Spain, sharply reducing commutes between Madrid in central Spain and major cities, many of them located on the coast.

Since opening its first high-speed line in 1992, Spain has laid 3,900 kilometers (2,400 miles) of high-speed track for its 49 million residents. Only China — with 45,000 kilometers (28,000 miles) for its 1.4 billion people — has more high-speed track, according to the International Union of Railways. The union defines high-speed trains as those traveling at more than 250 kph (155 mph).

It is now the most common mode of travel for both business and pleasure.

Nine million of the 13 million trips made between Madrid and Barcelona in 2024 were made by high-speed rail, according to the Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission. Rail travel is growing: The number of high-speed train passengers in Spain doubled between 2019 and 2025.

On an old, slow train, the 600-kilometer (385-mile) journey between Madrid and Barcelona used to take around seven hours, meaning many business travelers opted to take a plane. Now that trip can be done in 2 ½ hours.

Shorter travel times have made day trips between many Spanish cities possible.

But Spain’s enormous investment in building high-speed rail has come at the expense of slower commuter services, while train workers' unions argue that the administration has not spent enough on maintaining the network.

Adrián Blaya, a 29-year-old data analyst traveling on the Zamora-Madrid line, echoed the common complaint that the service has worsened in recent years with delays and breakdowns becoming habitual.

Ironically, he felt safer than usual following the deadly crash.

“The safest time to travel in Ave is after a tragedy because this is when they are extra careful,” he said. “Today I feel safer traveling because I know they will be focused."

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Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.