Normal service restored on the Madrid–Barcelona AVE after a fire

Adif warned throughout the morning of possible delays because of the flames' proximity to the infrastructure. Although trains were able to keep running, the service lost its usual rhythm and some journeys accumulated delays.

The incident was resolved during the afternoon, according to updated information from the railway infrastructure manager. Services returned to normal, although some trains may have retained accumulated delays while scheduled timetables were restored.

The fire broke out at a particularly sensitive point on the rail approach to Madrid. Any disruption on the section between Mejorada del Campo and Alcalá de Henares quickly affects trains connecting the capital with Guadalajara, Zaragoza, Lleida, Tarragona and Barcelona.

The episode comes just six days after another fire in the same area. On 23 July, the flames forced services to be completely suspended for around two hours, leaving several trains stopped in both directions.

The repetition of incidents has once again complicated the plans of people who use high-speed rail for work, holidays or connections with other transport. Delays can also affect onward connections, bookings and commitments planned on arrival.

The Madrid–Barcelona corridor is used by Renfe, Iryo and Ouigo trains and is one of the main alternatives to flying between the two cities. For that reason, any interruption to its approaches has an immediate impact on thousands of passengers.

With the fire now resolved, travellers should check the specific status of their train before going to the station. Although the infrastructure is operating normally again, the full recovery of timetables may take longer after an incident of this kind.