Thousands of people were left trapped on trains or stranded overnight after the theft of copper cables halted high-speed services between Madrid and southern Spain’s Andalusia region.
Authorities opened an investigation on Monday after Sunday’s theft, which Transport Minister Óscar Puente called a “serious act of sabotage”.
He added that the cable theft took place at five locations, all within a few kilometers of each other on the high-speed line. On Monday morning, Puente said train operations were being “fully restored”.
This travel disruption comes a week after Spain and Portugal suffered a blackout, which similarly saw trains come to a standstill. The cause is still unknown.
“All of a sudden, in the last two weeks – what is going on?” Kevin, a tourist from the US, told Reuters news agency as he waited at Madrid’s Atocha station, where thousands were stranded.
More than 10,000 passengers were affected between Madrid, Seville, Malaga, Valencia and Granada, and at least 30 trains.
The disruption came after a long weekend in Madrid and ahead of the week-long Feria festival in Seville, which sees an influx of travelers to the city.
Source: My Joy Online