Audio obtained by Spanish media of conversations between the operators of the two trains and the control center sheds light on the series of decisions that led to the collision at around 8:53 a.m., near Urda station. NBC News was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the audio.
After the computer system crashed, the control center asked train operator Renfe to resume travel “at normal speed,” according to an audio clip.
“At normal speed? OK,” the operator replied.
“OK, we’ll talk about it later,” the controller said before signing.
A few minutes later, someone from the control center called the Iryo train to authorize it to also continue its normal journey, according to an audio clip.
The driver of the Iryo train, which was ahead of the Renfe train, called back seven minutes later to say that she had been unable to restart the train. “I’m always stopped at the entry signal,” she said, according to the audio clip. The control center then asked her to restart the train as soon as she could and to call back if she had any further problems, according to the audio. A few minutes later, the Renfe train collided with the rear of the Iryo train.
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