Commuter train hits collapsed wall near Barcelona, killing driver, injuring dozens

A Rodalies commuter train derailed after colliding with a retaining wall that had collapsed onto the line between Gelida and Sant Sadurní, about 35 kilometres west of Barcelona, killing the train driver and injuring dozens of passengers. The accident occurred on the evening of January 20 as heavy rainfall swept the region, and it came days after a separate, much deadlier derailment in Andalusia that prompted national mourning.

Regional authorities and Spain’s railway infrastructure operator ADIF said the retaining, or containment, wall had fallen onto the tracks and the train struck the debris. ADIF attributed the likely cause of the collapse to the period of heavy rain that affected northeastern Spain that week. Commuter services on the route were cancelled and emergency teams secured the site and inspected the train for further victims.

Reports from emergency services evolved during the response. The train driver was the only confirmed fatality. Injury counts varied in initial briefings, with early figures of at least 14–15 injured rising in later tallies to 37 people treated for injuries. Authorities described between four and five people as seriously injured in the higher counts. Emergency crews removed trapped passengers and conducted searches of the carriages; Catalonia’s fire service later said its teams had performed a sweep and confirmed "no one remained inside" after the rescues.

Ambulance and firefighting deployments also varied over the course of the operation. Early emergency logs showed around 11 ambulances at the scene, while later summaries listed approximately 20. Fire and rescue units numbered in the mid-30s, with combined teams described as "dozens" of personnel working to free and triage passengers. Injured people were transported to nearby hospitals, including Moisès Broggi, Bellvitge and Vilafranca.

The Gelida crash adds to an acute national reckoning over rail safety. Two days earlier, a derailment in Andalusia killed scores of people and left many more injured; authorities announced several days of national mourning and senior officials visited the hardest-hit communities. That earlier disaster registered a reported death toll of roughly 40 to 42 and some 159 people injured, with 41 admitted to hospital and about a dozen in intensive care at one stage.

Officials announced that investigations would follow to determine whether infrastructure failure, maintenance lapses, slope drainage or extreme weather were to blame. ADIF and Catalan emergency authorities said their immediate focus was on site safety, victim care and restoring services once the area is declared secure. The dual incidents will increase scrutiny of rail infrastructure resilience and emergency preparedness, particularly as climate scientists and meteorologists warn that more frequent intense rainfall can magnify landslide and washout risks on vulnerable sections of track.

Beyond the human toll, the accidents are likely to shape policy debates over investment priorities for Spain’s transport network. Lawmakers and regulators will face pressure to accelerate inspections of embankments, retaining structures and drainage systems, and to consider whether current maintenance budgets and engineering standards adequately reflect evolving climate risks. In the short term, ADIF and regional authorities must reconcile conflicting casualty figures, confirm the identity of the deceased, and provide transparent updates on the causes and any operational failings revealed by the investigations.