EU prosecutors open second fraud probe into Spanish high-speed rail

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating possible fraud involving EU funds for safety, signaling and communications upgrades on Spain’s rail network following a fatal train crash last month. The EPPO has launched a probe on Spain’s Madrid-Seville high-speed railway line, where 69 people were killed in a collision near Urda, in Toledo province, on Oct. 28.

Óscar Puente, who has since resigned as transport minister, said a computer failure followed by human error caused the crash. Investigators for the EPPO carried out on Friday searches at Adif, the state rail infrastructure manager, the State Railway Safety Agency and the Spanish Court of Auditors, with support from national authorities. The EPPO did not clarify what investigators are looking for or whether any money was misspent, and no findings have been made public.

It added that no further details would be released at this stage. A first probe , opened in March after the Adamuz crash that killed 46 people, covered EU funds for track maintenance on the same line. There has been no public update on its progress.