New Railway Chaos in Madrid Due to a Suicide Attempt at Atocha Station

Another afternoon of railway chaos in Madrid, something that has become frequent in the Spanish capital in recent months, especially in the Cercanías network under the Ministry of Transport led by Oscar Puente. On this occasion, however, the final trigger was something completely unforeseen: a suicide attempt by an unknown individual threatening to throw himself onto the tracks from one of the internal bridges crossing the facilities of Atocha station, the largest in the country.

Shortly before half-past seven in the evening, the National Police were alerted by ADIF technicians, the public body managing the railway network, about the presence of a suspicious person in an area not authorized for the public at the station. Specifically, he was on one of the upper walkways.

Several officers arrived at the scene who, according to police sources, initially ruled out any attempt of sabotage or even a terrorist attack, leaning more towards a presumed suicide attempt. For this reason, the police requested the railway authorities to halt rail traffic. Shortly after, Renfe sources communicated that they had temporarily suspended AVE, Avlo, and Avant services, as well as the Cercanías lines C3, C4, C5, and C7, which practically meant reducing railway services in the city to a minimum.

"At the request of the Security Forces, the power has been cut at Madrid Puerta de Atocha station due to the presence of a person in an unauthorized access point. High-Speed, Long and Medium Distance, and Cercanías train circulation suspended," stated the railway operator on the X network to justify the activation of the relevant emergency protocol at Atocha station and its surroundings.

Renfe sources confirmed an hour later that "trains are experiencing delays and prolonged stops," although they did not specify their duration. They also did not provide forecasts on the possible resumption of service, as there were still "several people" in the access area to the tracks and the walkway, including the officers themselves monitoring the unknown individual. The railway company confirmed that the individual had "threatened to throw himself onto the tracks."

In parallel, Renfe had communicated a few hours earlier that traffic in the AVE tunnel connecting Atocha and Chamartín stations had been interrupted by a partial derailment, which caused at least one of the rear carriages of a convoy to almost come off the track after hitting the wall of a tunnel.