Eight years of the largest railway tragedy: The Alvia train accident was an announced homicide

Carla is sitting on her car, take off the phone to take some pictures of the landscape and shoot one that would not mean anything if she kept alive, but that to

Eight years of the largest railway tragedy: The Alvia train accident was an announced homicide

Carla is sitting on her car, take off the phone to take some pictures of the landscape and shoot one that would not mean anything if she kept alive, but that today says everything.

It is the backing of the front seat to yours.

His, his seat, the place where minutes after Carla revolt careaga will die hit by the irons of an interrupted train in pieces at 179 km / h in a curve where he had to go to 80, an accordion of wagon wagons on highways Spanish speed

On the night of this Saturday, the relatives of the victims will meet so that no one forgets that eight years of the alvia accident are celebrated at the Angrois curve of Santiago de Compostela that left 80 dead and 145 wounded in 10 seconds of derailment, impact, Right, fire and drag.

"That train worked badly from the first day, everything depended on a human being that at a time cough, the ear is scratched or receives the call from a boss who must be answered, although the Route book says no. There are many irresponsibles In the layout and security of the line, names and surnames that skipped the safety of travelers ".

It is Pilar Careaga, a philologist, linguist, professor of Spanish and translator that has an entire convoy of words to tell this story.

Because Pilar is Carla's mother.

- You have a folder that puts homicide and judgment. Pilar, who killed Carla?

- My daughter did not die. My daughter killed her. She was very good health and she did not run any risk, she did not do balconing, or crazy. She that day she was working in Madrid and not tired with the car to Galicia, she decided to go by train. They killed her. It was not a murder, but it was a homicide. That accident was an announced homicide. Because the machinists had been announced and nobody ignored them. My daughter did not die, they killed me. They did not go to her for her, but they put all the conditions to happen. And she touched her and another 79 people that day. They could have been others, but she touched them.

That day.

July 24, 2013.

The Alvia train 04145/04155 has left Madrid to Pontevedra and Ferrol at three o'clock in the afternoon, and after eight and a half flies to Santiago, almost 200 kilometers per hour. It has 218 passengers and six crew members, including a machinist who has relieved his teammate in Orense half an hour earlier. Because the trains have not been copilot for a long time. Only one driver. The last stretch is called Francisco José Garzón and has made this tour 62 times since November 2012.

But always with ERTMS deactivated ...

The European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is installed in the tracks and trains and supervises the speed at all times, warns the machinist, imposes the obligation to stop and, ultimately, stops the train automatically. But, as the indispensable Angrois says. O Ave in Anacos (David Reiner), in the stretches prior to the accident curve "The ERTMS system has been disconnected for more than a year" by technical problems. Instead governs the signal announcement and automatic braking (asfa), designed in 1970 and that it is not in itself a security system, but of driving support, because it gives punctual information to the engineer and emergency brake only if the Train exceeds 200 km / h. That is, a less advanced and complete system than ERMTS.

Four days after the accident, the president of Adif will say that if the stretch of Angrois "had had ERTMS and the machine had taken the system on board, something that Renfe decides, the train would have been braked automatically."

Adif (railway infrastructure manager), a public entity that depends on the Ministry of Development, decides which security system is used in each section.

RENFE (National Network of Spanish Railways), a public company integrated in the same ministry, adapts trains to systems installed on railway lines.

Pilar Careaga knows all those initials well: "I wonder why they lifted the Ertms, which produced mistakes, but also delays. And that Renfe did not want to bear it. An individual came that system that took out that system because we said we were not high European speed but Spanish , And so we were faster. Who was it? By the way, the ERTMS set the following week to the accident. "

Does it remove and put? The platform victims Alvia 04155 talks about political responsibilities and points to Ministers of PSOE and PP since 2011 so far. Above all, José Blanco (PSOE) and Ana Pastor (PP). To the first because, newly lost the socialist government and before giving the relay to his popular successor, he opened the Orense-Santiago line withdrawing from the original plan some things, including the ertms of the road, Adif competition. And to the second because, already as Minister of the PP, he is responsible for the RenFE disconnecting the ERTMS of the trains.

But the judges never saw political responsibility in the accident.

The accident...

- Pilar, did he talk to his daughter that day?

- Yes. He called me from the train. I told her that she was going to buy me a tablet and she told me that she did not buy, that she would do photos to several models and that night she would advise me. She told me that they were arriving at Orense late. It was our last conversation.

At 20: 39.06 hours a phone rings in the cabin of Alvia. It is the mobile (it does not wear without hands) of the machinist, which lets the tuning of Paquito sound the Chocolatier nine seconds. It is a call from the train auditor and Garzón answers. It goes to 199 km / h. It is eight kilometers from Santiago and six from Angrois, just where the machinists begin to reduce speed to tackle the curve, which must be taken at 80 km / h and that tonight is going to change so many lives forever.

- Pilar, are the machinists noticed the danger of that curve?

- Of course! And with emails. When Renfe removed the cabin assistant, the unions protested, but there was agreement: the machinist gave him more money and the unions accepted. The machinists are good people and when they start going on that train they said: God, what is happening here? Any day we will have a misfortune. They sent emails to the ministry and Renfe asking that this danger will be fixed. In Santiago they entered the beast and passed what happened.

- What was the last message of Carla WhatsApp?

- One to his friend Ana, who was going to pick her up Santiago. They were arriving and Carla asked where she was going to be, in case they were lost. And Ana, who is a horny, put him: that you come to Santiago, not to New York. And there, for the time of the message, it was the accident.

The machinist talks with his auditor for 100 seconds. A minute and 40 seconds in which he forgets to stop and nothing slows his train. At 20: 40.59 the Alvia leaves the tunnel of O'Eixo and Garzón realizes that he goes very quickly.

It is 400 meters away and seven seconds of the tragedy.

It activates three brakes, but it barely reduces speed until 179 km / h with which the 350 tons of Alvia take the curve.

It's 20: 41.06.

The diesel generating car derailed, drag those of passengers and beat the front tractor head.

The car 4 goes back against a wall, flies and jumps to a street.

The cars 3 and 5 are broken under a bridge after colliding with a retaining wall.

The car 6 dies crossed on the road.

The car 7, cafeteria, rises vertically and falls above the 6.

The cars preferably fall on their sides.

The tail generator explodes and pushes those of preferential.

The tail tractor head empotered to the van, which is burned after its explosion.

It's 20: 41.16.

There is a moment of silence, perhaps discussed by the sound they have the flames. And they immediately begin to hear cries of fear and pain. The world has exploited.

- Pilar, do you know if Carla suffered?

- Fortunately, he did not suffer absolutely anything. He died instantly. When they told me that she was from the first and that it had been for severe trauma, I relieved. Another girl had been all night under some irons, could not take her out and she died in the hospital. How can I not stay calm knowing that she has died with a smile reading Ana's message? ... she mans to think that they just put a blanket because she was very cool.

Carla revolt careaga, 37 years old. Machinery and TV director. A reference behind the cameras in mythical series such as seven lives or adds. Pianist, translator, hiker, swimmer. Ironic, Saltimbanqui traveler around the world, antithesis of stinging. Ordered and conscientious since girl.

And he got angry and was wrong, like everyone else.

Talking about her is the only thing that disarms Pilar, who refunds her face between her hands and stirring orange and short hair.

Carla was also Braulio and Delia, who returned from Madrid after visiting his son sick of cancer. And Celtia and Eve, who were going to be in Santiago with his Erasmus colleagues. And Elena, a civil guard who premiered vacation. And Lidia and her daughter, Daniela, two years old. And Antonio, who went to the wedding of his brother. And Rosa, Esperanza, Antonio, Tomás, Elisa, Ana ... and José Luis and Leonor, who changed a plane ticket for the saddest Alvia in our history.

Eight years and two closures and judicial reappearances later, the instruction has been closed. And, beforeyer, Judge Andrés Lago has ordered the opening of oral trial for 2022.

The world will see two people on the bench: Francisco José Garzón, machinist of that train, and Andrés Cortabitarte, Adif Security Director that day. They are accused of 80 crimes of homicide and 145 of injuries for "serious professional imprudence". Garzón, because he starred a "reckless negligence". And cut out because he was responsible for "the special risk of derailment was not perceived or served by Adif".

As Natalia Puga told the world, the fixed judge for both bail of 57,686,635 million, which will respond by QBE INSURANCE and Allianz Global Corporate, as direct civilians, and public entities Renfe Operator and Adif, as responsible Subsidiary civilians.

The prosecution asks for four years in prison and disqualification. For Garzón for "Ignore the minimum attention of the professional duties of it." And to cut you because "infringed the duty to mitigate the risks of excess speed not covered by the line protection system and the train".

The defense of Cortabitte argues that the train "belongs to the rolling stock subsystem, which is the competence of Renfe operator, not of the infrastructure manager (ADIF)".

Garzon's defense says that instruction has been closed with a "repetition of arousative writings".

The victims have a joy at halfsty. They accept the prompt of Garzón and Cortabitarte, but they continue asking for "the whole truth". Because the Congress Commission never issued its conclusions and because even the EU it said that the report of the Railway Accident Commission, who spoke only of "Human Error", was not independent, because in it they are Adif and Renfe. And therefore, Europe asks for its composition to be changed.

- Pilar, how many questions do you still have?

- I want to know what happened with the Machinists' emails, who took off the Ertms, who, knowing that the line was dangerous and shuck, did not take care of it and did not put an assistant in the cabin. And I want to know how far the anxiety of money and power arrives as to risk the life of so many people every day. It was an accident produced by money. I have a theory: the advisors of the Administration Councils are responsible for what happens. The ADIF and RENFE should be disabled. Like the administration advice distribute Bonus, which in this case distribute malus. It is Angrois-Carla theory.

- What will Carla tell you today?

- We'll talk, because I got Carla to tell everything. She sometimes answers me and sometimes she tells me: Oh, mom, leave it. I have a lawyer because I want Carla's voice in the trial. She would not be a great cause activist, but I think she will want to go tell her story. As one more. She is not my girl, they are 80. With the same value and the same pain.

Date Of Update: 25 July 2021, 03:54