On January 18, a shocking train crash took place in Cordoba, Spain. A high speed train derailed and crashed with another train moving in the opposite direction. Until today, 43 people were found dead while almost 300 were injured.
Astonishingly, since then 2 other train accidents took place in Spain, the one near Barcelona in Catalonia resulting in the death of the train driver as a retaining wall collapsed on the tracks.
The state is conducting research on the causes of the accidents, but it has sparked a discussion about privatisation and systematic underinvestment in infrastructure. Already, the railways workers unions have called a strike for next week asking for better maintenance of the railway system.
Today we are speaking to Víctor Egío, a long-time Marxist activist and a councilor in the city of Murcia.
We will ask Victor to unpack not only what is known about the causes of the crash, but also the broader policies and class interests that have shaped Spain’s rail system and public infrastructure more generally.
