The Zaragoza tramway suffered one of its most serious interruptions in recent years on Wednesday after a garbage truck tore out part of the catenary in the Valdespartera neighborhood, forcing an immediate suspension of service at the start of the day.
According to municipal sources, the accident occurred at number 30, Cantando street in the rain, when the truck was driving with the bucket elevator raised. This mechanism has impacted directly against the overhead power line and has dragged it for approximately 900 meters, causing damage of great magnitude.
Incident paralyzes a key section of the tramway
The impact has caused the total interruption of the service between the Mago de Oz and Romareda stops, one of the busiest sections of the line at rush hour. Zaragoza City Council has confirmed that traffic has been suspended in both directions, although the rest of the route is running normally.
To minimize the inconvenience to users, the Consistory has established a special bus service to cover the affected section while the repair of the cables is in progress.
Complicated repair: up to ten hours of work
The magnitude of the damage has forced the deployment of a large technical team in the area. The operators have explained that the repair of such an extensive stretch of catenary could require between eight and ten hours, due to the need to replace components, tensioners and wiring that have been rendered unusable.
In the meantime, the area around Cantando Street in the rain continues to deploy an extensive traffic and security system.
Traffic shutdown and police action
The Zaragoza Local Police, quoted by Heraldo de Aragón, has detailed that traffic had to be cut off from the time of the accident until 9.00 a.m. at the intersection between Cantando bajo la lluvia and Manhattan, a necessary decision to allow the repair work and ensure the safety of the environment.
Fortunately, there were no personal injuries, neither among the garbage service operators nor among pedestrians or streetcar users.
Users, between surprise and resignation
The disruption has surprised hundreds of commuters who, early in the morning, were waiting for the streetcar to go to their jobs, schools and other destinations. Although the alternative bus service has been activated quickly, the waiting and mandatory transfers have increased travel times.
Neighbors of Valdespartera point out that the street where the incident occurred is particularly busy with municipal services and cannot explain how the vehicle was able to circulate with the elevator in the raised position.
A new warning on the importance of maintenance and prevention
Accidents such as this one highlight the fragility of transport infrastructures in the face of human error or carelessness on the part of the vehicles that coexist with the tramway network. The catenary, a fundamental part of the streetcar’s power supply, requires optimal conservation conditions and responsible use of the road by other municipal services.
The investigation will determine how exactly the incident occurred and whether there were operational failures in the handling of the truck.
