The driver of a packed suburban passenger train has died in a rail accident in the Barcelona metropolitan area. The tragedy took place at Sant Boi de Llobregat (Baix Llobregat), about 10km south-west of Barcelona city on an FGC line. A total of 85 passengers were affected by the impact, with nine of these requiring hospitalization although none of their lives are endangered, and the remaining 76 people being able to leave after treatment at the scene.
For reasons that are still being investigated, a wagon from a goods train derailed and crashed into a train full of passengers on the Llobregat-Anoia line of the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) and the driver was trapped in his compartment, as ElCaso.cat ascertained. The derailment was on a curve at the exit of the station heading towards Barcelona and, therefore, the driver could not see the goods train. The third wagon of the oncoming train left the rails and crashed into the cab of the passenger train, where the driver was.
The incident took place between the Molí Nou and Sant Boi stations, near the FGC station in the Sant Boi municipality, in Baix Llobregat county. The emergency services were alerted at 6:10pm, and two Medical Emergency System (SEM) ground units were immediately deployed, as well as a helicopter to rescue possible victims.
Derailment at Sant Boi
A tweet from the FGC rail service announced that "The train services are running from Plaça Espanya to Cornellà Riera and from Colònia Güell to Igualada and Manresa due to the derailment of a freight train at Sant Boi station." Between these two stretches of line where the services was operating, an alternative road service was in use, from Cornellà Riera to Colònia Güell.
Firefighters, civil protection, the SEM medical services and Mossos d'Esquadra police all attended the scene. In total, there were 14 SEM ground units, two psychologist units, and two medical helicopters from the Medical Emergency System, 10 units from the Generalitat Fire fighters and 12 Mossos d'Esquadra police patrols assisted at the scene.
The vice president of Catalonia, Jordi Puigneró, also went to the scene. Civil Protection put into action the Ferrocat, the emergency plan for rail passenger transport. The driver who died had been an railway employee for the Generalitat since 2019. At the moment, the causes of the accident are unknown, and are being investigated by the Metropolitan Transport Safety Area (ASTMET) of the Mossos d'Esquadra police.