Six people sustained minor injuries on Thursday when a commuter train struck a construction crane near Cartagena in Murcia. The train, operating on the narrow-gauge Cartagena–Los Nietos line, remained upright and on the tracks, with no derailment reported. Two of the injured were taken to hospital for assessment.
Emergency crews, including firefighters and medical personnel, quickly responded to the scene and treated the passengers for light bruising. According to Spanish rail operator Adif, the crane was not part of the railway infrastructure and temporarily blocked the line, prompting a brief service interruption.
Renfe said the accident occurred near El Abrevadero station on a narrow-gauge commuter train that left Cartagena at 11.40 and was due to arrive in Los Nietos at 12.13. During the journey, the arm of a crane lorry not operated by Renfe or Adif extended into the railway safety zone and struck the side of the train, breaking several windows.
The regional Government Delegation reported that the incident happened at kilometre point 6.6, between Alumbres and La Esperanza. Sixteen passengers were on board and were given alternative transport, while Renfe confirmed that a temporary bus service will operate until normal rail services are restored.
Spain continues to come to terms with Sunday’s deadly high-speed rail crash in the southern region of Andalusia, in which at least 43 people lost their lives. Just two days later, heavy rain caused a retaining wall to collapse onto the tracks near Barcelona, derailing a commuter train and killing the driver while leaving four passengers seriously injured; later that same Tuesday, a further collision in north-east Catalonia prompted the country’s main train drivers’ union to announce a nationwide strike over safety concerns.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances of Thursday’s collision, but initial reports suggest the crane’s presence on the track was accidental.