Overview
- Thieves stole signalling cable on the Malagón–Ciudad Real section, which damaged track circuits used to detect trains and forced the southern high‑speed corridor to run with reduced performance.
- InfoAdif reported that long‑ and medium‑distance AVE services on the Madrid–Andalucía route were operating with about 25 minutes of delay while repairs were under way.
- Adif deployed technical crews to replace the stolen cable and repair the damaged track circuits, and normal service was restored after several hours of work when the repairs were completed.
- This incident is the second cable theft affecting the AVE Madrid–Andalucía corridor in roughly ten days, increasing concerns about recurrent thefts that can quickly disrupt a major interregional route.
- Because track circuits and cabling are central to train detection and safety, even short outages can cause knock‑on delays for passengers during peak travel periods and underline the need for stronger protection and faster response measures.