Board a Spanish high-speed train in the aftermath of the system's latest catastrophe

Amid shaken confidence after two deadly high-speed train crashes in nine months, passengers continued traveling on Spain’s Ave network despite cancellations and public anxiety. In Zamora, days after a collision in central Spain killed 69 people, an Associated Press journalist spoke with travelers choosing trains as their only practical option. Economist Carla Fuentes, 37, boarded in Madrid for Alicante despite her own service being canceled Thursday due to a worker strike demanding improved rail safety. Authorities acknowledged trust in rail service is “broken,” with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez saying the government must identify what went wrong and offer solutions. The recent Toledo-area crash came nine months after another collision on the Madrid–Seville line that killed 49 when a train jumped tracks and struck an oncoming service. Spain has laid 3,900 kilometers of high-speed track since 1992.