Major travel disruptions on Spain’s high-speed rail after ‘coordinated’ cable theft

OVIEDO, Spain

Tens of thousands of people saw their travel disrupted Sunday evening and Monday morning after a cable theft threw Spain’s high-speed rail network into chaos.

Cables were stolen at four locations along the rail line connecting Madrid with Seville, stranding many travelers heading south from Madrid after a long weekend and Spanish Mother’s Day.

“The economic gain from an operation like this is negligible compared to the damage it causes. I wouldn’t call it theft – I’d rather call it sabotage,” Transport Minister Oscar Puente told broadcaster Cadena Ser on Monday morning.

“Four cable thefts of very little value at four different locations. It's quite a coordinated action. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing because it’s an area with no cameras,” he added.

The head of Spain’s rail operator Renfe posted on X that on top of the cable theft, another train experienced a “snag” that dragged down the overhead power line supplying electricity to the train.

Renfe asked passengers heading to Toledo, Puertollano and Andalusia not to go to Madrid’s Atocha station until after 8 am local time (0600GMT) due to the delays.

Later, the company said affected trains would gradually resume service from 9.30 am -- more than 15 hours after they ground to a halt.

Renfe said around 30 trains carrying 10,700 passengers were stranded between destinations.

Jesus Navarro, a reporter for Spanish broadcaster RNE, was among those affected. He said he spent 15 hours on the train.

“To get the train moving, a diesel locomotive had to come and tow it to a point where it could once again receive electricity,” he said, calling it a “tremendous morning.”

Thousands more travelers saw their trains canceled or severely delayed, as service remains irregular.

The incident came less than a week after Spain suffered a near-nationwide blackout, which also severely disrupted rail traffic.​​​​​​​