Barcelona train crash: Driver killed, several injured after retaining wall falls onto the tracks as heavy rain and storms batter north-eastern Spain; here’s what we know so far

Barcelona Train Crash: A train driver was killed, and at least 37 others sustained injuries after a Barcelona commuter train crashed on Tuesday (January 20, 2026), BBC reported. Spanish regional authorities said that after a retaining wall fell onto the tracks. Five among the wounded sustained serious injuries.

The commuter train crashed near the town of Gelida, in Catalonia, in northeastern Spain. located about 35 minutes outside of Barcelona. Spain's railway operator ADIF said the containment wall likely collapsed due to heavy rainfall that swept across the northeastern Spanish region this week.

The crash in northeastern Spain came just two days after a separate train collision which claimed lives of at least 42 people in the country's south and injured dozens more.


According to Catalonia regional fire inspector Claudi Gallardo, all passengers were removed from the train, BBC reported. The incident occurred following heavy storms that pummeled northeastern Spain. Coastal areas in the east and northwest of Spain are on high alert due to the weather.

Ambulances were on the scene

Emergency services said that at least eleven ambulances were on the scene in Gelida, Catalonia, around 35 km (21.7 miles) west of Barcelona treating those who sustained wounds. The local fire service stated that 35 crews were sent to the area, and one passenger trapped inside the train had been rescued.

An update pertaining to the train crash surfaced later stating that no one remained inside and that its crews were carrying out a sweep of the area to rule out any further victims.

Emergency services said they had evacuated some of the injured to nearby Moisès Broggi, Bellvitge, and Vila Franca hospitals, according to BBC. As well as the five seriously injured people, six were in a less serious condition and 26 were in a "mild" condition, emergency medical services said. The crash came two days after two high-speed trains collided in Adamuz, Andalusia, in one of the worst Spanish rail accidents in over a decade.