The driver of the Iryo train involved in the crash reported in a call to the Atocha control centre that he had experienced “a snag” near Adamuz, in Cordoba. In a second call, he warned that the train had derailed and was encroaching onto an adjacent track, and urged that traffic on the lines be stopped “urgently”.
According to audio published by Cordópolis/eldiario.es captures the driver explaining in the first call that the train was “bloqued” and could not move, adding that he needed to “assess” the situation. The recording also reveals the Atocha operator asking him to lower the pantographs—the mechanism that draws electricity from the overhead line— to which the driver replied: “They can’t go any lower.”
In a subsequent call, the driver said it was essential to halt traffic on the lines immediately. The operator responded that “there is no train approaching”, according to the cited media outlet. Speaking calmly, the driver reported a fire in one of the carriages, saying he needed to leave the cab to check. He also requested that emergency services, firefighters, and ambulances be dispatched, as there were injured people on board.
The conversation does not make clear whether it took place before or after the collision with the Alvia train, and at no point does the driver mention the presence of the Alvia.