Another Train Crash in Spain Kills 1 and Hurts 37, Officials Say

Train service in the Catalonia region will be suspended until it is safe to resume rail traffic, the local operator said.Emergency crews responded on Tuesday after a commuter train derailed when a retaining wall collapsed onto the tracks in Gelida, near Barcelona, Spain.Credit...Joan Mateu Parra/Associated PressJan. 20, 2026, 7:23 p.m. ETA train crash in the Catalonia area of Spain killed one person and injured 37 more on Tuesday night, and train service on the regional rail system has been suspended until Wednesday morning, according to regional authorities.Of the injured, five were in serious condition, according to the Catalonian Emergency Medical Services. In all, 17 people were taken to local hospitals, regional authorities said.According to the Spanish newspaper EL PAÍS, the person who was killed was an employee of the train company.The crash happened when a retaining wall fell onto the tracks of the Rodalies Catalunya R4 line in Gelida, a town outside Barcelona. One person had to be rescued from the train, according to the Catalonian Fire Department.All service on the train line has been suspended because of damage to infrastructure from a storm in the area, according to the Adif train authority. The region has had five consecutive days of rain, according to the Catalonian Meteorological Service.The Central Airport and Public Transport Area, which is responsible for investigating railway accidents, is on the scene, according to the Catalonian Police. Over 70 firefighters were responding, according to the Catalonian Fire Department.Catalonia is a coastal, autonomous region in northeastern Spain that includes Barcelona and is bordered by France to the north. In 2017, the region tried to secede from Spain, setting off days of protests and escalating longstanding friction with the country’s central government.Both the train and the collapsed wall have been stabilized and the train has been emptied, firefighters said. A support center has been opened for the relatives of those who were on the train, the local government said.Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain said on social media that he was aware of the crash.“All my love and sympathy with the victims and their families,” Mr. Sánchez wrote.On Sunday evening, a high-speed collision between two trains in southern Spain killed at least 41 people and injured dozens more. As of Monday evening, at least 12 of the 41 people hospitalized remained in intensive care, the authorities said.The cause of that crash, which is the country’s worst railway disaster since 2013, remains under investigation.Rylee Kirk reports on breaking news, trending topics and major developing stories for The Times.SKIP Site IndexNewsHome PageU.S.WorldPoliticsNew YorkEducationSportsBusinessTechScienceWeatherThe Great ReadObituariesHeadwayVisual InvestigationsThe MagazineArtsBook ReviewBest Sellers Book ListDanceMoviesMusicPop CultureTelevisionTheaterVisual ArtsLifestyleHealthWellFoodRestaurant ReviewsLoveTravelStyleFashionReal EstateT MagazineOpinionToday's OpinionColumnistsEditorialsGuest EssaysOp-DocsLettersSunday OpinionOpinion VideoOpinion AudioMoreAudioGamesCookingWirecutterThe AthleticJobsVideoGraphicsTrendingLive EventsCorrectionsReader CenterTimesMachineThe Learning NetworkSchool of The NYTinEducationAccountSubscribeManage My AccountHome DeliveryGift SubscriptionsGroup SubscriptionsGift ArticlesEmail NewslettersNYT LicensingReplica EditionTimes Store