The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) announced on Friday that its Madrid office has launched a second investigation into possible fraud involving EU funds for the maintenance and upgrading of Spain's Madrid‑Seville high‑speed railway line, according to Xinhua.
Investigators are conducting measures at the Spanish railway infrastructure manager ADIF, the Spanish Railway Safety Agency (AESF) and the Court of Auditors. The Spanish Civil Guard’s Central Operative Unit (UCO) will support the inquiry, the EPPO said.
The probe is specifically concerned with EU funds allocated to the upgrading of the Madrid‑Seville line, including its safety, signalling and communication systems. A deadly train crash near Urda in the province of Toledo on Oct. 28, and an earlier fatal collision near Adamuz in January that killed 46 people, set the stage for the investigation.
This second investigation was initiated on the EPPO's own initiative. Xinhua noted that the EPPO had exceptionally decided to confirm the opening of the investigation given the high public interest, and that it would not disclose further details at this stage.
The EPPO previously opened an inquiry in March 2026 into potential fraud involving EU funds for railway maintenance near Adamuz. That earlier probe was also sparked by the January accident that claimed 46 lives.
Shortly after the latter incident, the EPPO’s Madrid office began the first investigation; the new probe follows the pattern of expanding scrutiny as further incidents on the line come to light.
