A Spanish high-speed train traveling nearly 120 mph crashed into the back of a stopped train on the same track near Toledo, in an Oct. 28 rail disaster that killed at least 69 people. This comes on the heels of a Jan. 18, 2026, derailment and crash on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line, which left 46 dead.

Spain has the world’s second-largest high-speed rail network, with nearly 4,000 km (2,500 miles) of track, and also has world-class engineering capabilities in that field. China is far and away the world leader, with more than 50,000 km of high-speed rail lines.

The latest disaster is being used by opposition forces in Spain and abroad to attack both the rail program and the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The Spanish leader recently called snap elections for November, to try to stop destabilization operations against his government over the housing crisis, migrant issues in Ceuta, and other matters. As the New York Times reported, “Sánchez wanted to campaign on inequality and housing, but the second major rail accident this year has put his government’s competence on trial.” Both Sánchez and his transportation minister, Óscar Puente, have blamed the “inexplicable” negligence of traffic-control operators for the train crash. Puente stated: “It is unacceptable for a country like Spain, with a high-speed system as powerful as the one we have, to suffer two accidents of this nature and magnitude in a single year. What we are going to do is not only investigate the causes of what took place but also provide solutions to further strengthen the high-speed rail network.”

Sánchez has been on London, Tel Aviv and Washington’s political enemies list, because of his vocal opposition to the Gaza genocide and his search for a humane solution to the migrant crisis.