{
  "id": 17009667,
  "title": "“We could and should do more”: experts call for investment in high-speed rail maintenance",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/podriamos-y-deberiamos-hacer-mas-los-expertos-piden-invertir-en-el",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-29T04:35:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "El Pais Economia",
    "slug": "el-pais-economia",
    "url": "https://elpais.com/economia/2026-10-29/podriamos-y-deberiamos-hacer-mas-los-expertos-piden-invertir-en-el-mantenimiento-de-la-alta-velocidad.html"
  },
  "original_language": "es",
  "account": "The tragic rail accident on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line, marking the second incident of the year, has once again brought attention to the maintenance of Spain's high-speed railway network. With the number of fatalities and injuries still unaccounted for and the circumstances of the incident yet to be fully understood, engineers and academics are calling for a review of the network's management. This network has seen its traffic multiply while upkeep has been pushed to the background: Spain has chosen to build new kilometers of high-speed rail rather than ensure the stability of existing tracks, signaling systems, and systems in operational corridors, agree several consulted experts.\n\nBetween 2018 and 2022, Spain allocated around €240 million per year to maintaining its high-speed network, which represents 16% of its spending on it; the remaining €1,240 million was directed towards new construction, according to the European Commission. In contrast, France and Germany allocate roughly a third of their total spending to maintaining, renovating, and improving existing lines.",
  "summary": "Spain allocates less to maintain the railway network than other European countries, according to data from the European Commission and civil engineers.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}