Freight Train Derails Near Zarzalejo, Cutting Madrid-Ávila Rail Line
A Captrain freight train derailed at Zarzalejo early Sunday, injuring its driver and suspending Madrid-Ávila trains. Buses replace the cut section.
A freight train came off the rails early on Sunday, Nov. 15, on the line between Madrid and Ávila near Zarzalejo, a town in the west of the Comunidad de Madrid (Madrid region). Its driver was slightly hurt, and passenger trains between Robledo de Chavela and Zarzalejo are suspended.
Renfe (Spain’s state train operator) and Adif (the public company that manages Spain’s rail network) announced the closure on X. The cut affects Media Distancia (regional medium-distance) trains linking Madrid and Ávila, and buses are covering the closed stretch.
What it means for passengers between Madrid and Ávila
Anyone travelling between the capital and Ávila on Sunday faces a change of vehicle partway through the trip. Adif said it had set up an alternative road transport plan so passengers can keep moving. El Confidencial reported that delays were also building on the line.
Reports differ on where the replacement buses run. El Confidencial said they operate between Robledo de Chavela and Zarzalejo, the two points where traffic is stopped. El Debate said Renfe put on buses between El Escorial and Robledo de Chavela. Renfe’s travel information account, @inforenfe, is where the operator has been posting updates.
Neither Renfe nor Adif had said by Sunday morning when trains would run again through the section.
How the derailment happened and who was hurt
The train belongs to Captrain, a freight rail company, according to railway sources quoted by the news agency Efe. It left the track during the night, and El Debate put the time at about 03:48.
SUMMA 112, the emergency medical service of the Comunidad de Madrid, said its teams treated the driver at around that time. He had back pain and was taken to Puerta de Hierro hospital, and the regional emergency service said his condition was not serious.
The cause of the derailment was not disclosed. No other injuries were reported, and none of the sources said what the freight train was carrying.
What is known so far
The facts confirmed by the emergency services, the rail operators and the press on Sunday morning are limited:
- The derailed train was a Captrain freight service, not a passenger train.
- It left the track on the Madrid to Ávila line at the height of Zarzalejo.
- The only reported casualty is the driver, who has back pain and is in Puerta de Hierro hospital.
- Rail traffic between Robledo de Chavela and Zarzalejo is suspended, and buses are filling the gap.
El Debate described the incident as another blow to the Spanish rail system, though it did not list earlier cases. Passengers with tickets on Media Distancia trains between Madrid and Ávila will have a bus transfer on the closed section until Renfe announces that trains are running again.
Sources: 20minutos, El Confidencial, El Debate
