A new report from the Judicial Police of the Civil Guard, sent to the Montoro Court of First Instance, details that the order to remove rail sections and other components, such as sleepers or parts of a switch frog, was issued by Adif's Presidency via telephone. This action took place just hours after the last bodies were recovered from the accident site, which occurred on January 18, and without proper judicial oversight, a circumstance that the investigating judge would later criticize.
The head of the Hornachuelos Maintenance Base Station, which oversees Adamuz, revealed this information in his statement, accessed by ABC. This senior technician confirmed that the order arrived on January 22, 2026, first by phone to his Area Chief, who was at the accident site, and he verbally transmitted it to the work team present. He also admitted that there is no documentary record of the transfer of these pieces.
“"The order was given once all bodies were located in the area, on Thursday, January 22, 2026. At that moment, the order was received, and those rail sections were transferred to the Hornachuelos AVE Maintenance Station."
The relocation occurred on the night of January 22 and throughout January 23. Subsequently, on February 3, at the request of a CIAF member, a 2.32-meter rail section was moved from the accident site to Hornachuelos. On the same day, Civil Guard agents arrived at the facility and sealed the collection of rail sections.
Investigators are seeking to clarify why material was removed from the tracks between January 22 and February 5 without judicial authorization. The head of the Hornachuelos Base explained that the removal was due to adverse weather conditions and the anticipated arrival of heavy machinery, with the aim of safeguarding the material. However, the testimony adds that Adif Construcción's department conducted “non-destructive in situ tests” on the rail sections to check their hardness, and that security and access to the depot are controlled.
