Train hits crane near Cartagena in Spain’s fourth rail incident in a week

A commuter train has collided with a construction crane arm near Cartagena in the Murcia region, lightly injuring several passengers and adding a fresh scare to an already grim week for Spain’s railways. The crash comes just days after the deadly high-speed disaster in Andalusia and a fatal derailment near Barcelona, fuelling fears that the country is facing a wider rail safety crisis.

What happened near Cartagena?

The latest incident occurred on Thursday 22 January 2026 on a Cercanías commuter service running between Cartagena and Murcia. According to rail operator Renfe and local authorities, the train struck the arm of a construction crane that had swung into the rail corridor close to the town of Alumbres, a few kilometres outside Cartagena. The impact shattered windows on at least one carriage and sent glass flying through the passenger compartment.

Emergency services reported several people with cuts and minor injuries, while at least one passenger was taken to hospital for further checks as a precaution. The train remained upright and did not derail, but traffic on the line was suspended for inspections and recovery work before services could gradually resume.

Fourth rail crash in less than a week

This crane collision is the latest in a string of serious rail incidents that have shaken public confidence in Spain’s network. On Sunday, a high-speed train crash near Adamuz in Córdoba, Andalusia, left more than 40 people dead and hundreds injured in one of the country’s worst rail disasters in decades. Earlier this week, a Rodalies commuter train derailed near Gelida, north of Barcelona, after a retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks, killing the driver and injuring dozens of passengers.

News of the Murcia crash has quickly been framed as Spain’s third or fourth major rail incident in under a week, depending on how minor derailments are counted. The cluster of accidents is intensifying scrutiny of infrastructure maintenance, worksite safety and coordination between rail operators and construction contractors working near active lines.

Safety questions and political fallout

Although the Cartagena-area collision appears to have been caused by a crane intruding into the safety envelope of the tracks, rather than a technical failure of the train itself, the optics are deeply damaging for Spain’s rail sector. Images of shattered windows and shaken commuters come on top of the devastating scenes from Andalusia and Catalonia, reinforcing the perception that something is fundamentally wrong with how the network is being managed and protected.

National and regional authorities have promised a full investigation into how the crane was able to encroach on the line, and whether safety protocols at the construction site were properly followed. At the same time, opposition parties are using the sequence of crashes to demand urgent audits of infrastructure, stricter oversight of works near railway tracks, and greater investment in monitoring and maintenance.

Unions warn of a rail safety crisis

Rail unions, already angered by the high-speed disaster and the Gelida derailment, say the Murcia crash underlines their warnings that Spain’s network is under growing pressure. Driver representatives argue that staffing levels, fatigue, ageing infrastructure and tight schedules are combining with external risks such as construction works to create unsafe conditions on some routes.

Calls for strike action and tougher safety guarantees are likely to intensify in the coming days, as commuters digest yet another incident and families continue to mourn the victims of the earlier crashes. For passengers in Murcia, Catalonia and across Spain, the priority now is clear: swift answers on what went wrong, and visible measures to ensure that getting on a train does not feel like taking an unnecessary risk.