After the power went out across the country shortly after noon on Monday, a total of 20 out of the 26 trains that were stranded in transit throughout the entire Spanish rail network ended up in the Castilla-La Mancha region, sparking a wave of volunteer help from local residents who organized to assist at various points in the region.
This was the case in Malagón, where the residents, with the support of the City Council of this city in Ciudad Real, rallied around the nearly 300 passengers of an Iryo train traveling from Madrid to Malaga as it passed through the municipality and came to a halt due to the widespread power outage that affected the peninsula.
With no information or the ability to continue their journey, the passengers found Malagón to be a place where they could be cared for with humanity and speed.
The City Council activated an emergency plan involving law enforcement, Civil Protection, and dozens of volunteers, who set up the sports pavilion as a shelter where they stayed overnight.
Blankets, mattresses, water, food, and words of comfort were provided to those who had to disembark in the middle of the tracks and spent hours in a town they had never heard of before, beyond its reputation.
Finally, the passengers of the stranded Iryo train in Malagón had a happy ending when the regional government arranged for several buses on Tuesday to take them to the Ciudad Real station, where they continued their journey aboard an Iryo train bound for Malaga.
During the night and early Tuesday morning, many neighbors offered their own cars to take the affected passengers to the capital of Ciudad Real.
PABELLONES EN TARANCÓN Y CUENCA
In Tarancón, the City Council set up the fair pavilion as a temporary shelter for the 270 passengers of the High-Speed train departing from Madrid at 11:45 am bound for Alicante (with stops in Cuenca, Albacete, and Villena) that was halted near the city due to the power outage.
Members of the Civil Guard and Local Police, in collaboration with the Civil Protection volunteers, took care of transferring the passengers to the municipal space, where with the help of volunteers and municipal employees, the City Council provided them with food and beverages, as well as blankets and mattresses for the night.
They also received medical assistance from the professionals at the Specialties, Diagnosis, and Treatment Center.
CASETAS DE FERIA PARA TODOS Y UN ALCALDE AL FRENTE
The towns of Puertollano, Brazatortas, and Fuente el Fresno in the province of Ciudad Real witnessed emotional scenes of solidarity with the train passengers affected by the major power outage.
One of these episodes took place at the May Fair held in Puertollano, where numerous volunteers from the fair booths were dedicated to assisting 1,200 passengers rescued from the train tracks, coming from Brazatortas, Fuencaliente, and the Adif station in the industrial city.
In the Antonio Rivilla sports pavilion, volunteers from the Communist Party booths and the folk associations Fuente Agria and Virgen de Gracia prepared food for all those accommodated in coordination with the Puertollano City Council, Local Police, National Police, Civil Protection, and Firefighters. Some even ventured to visit the booths with electricity generators. The mayor of the town, Miguel Ángel Ruiz, was on the ground wearing a green vest, making himself available to anyone in need.
In Brazatortas, residents prepared meals in their homes to take to the stranded passengers, even having to break through a fence along the railway line. In this regard, the mayor of the municipality, Pablo Toledano, expressed his deepest gratitude to all the residents who contributed to this incredible mobilization, first by directly providing assistance on the tracks and then by opening their homes and businesses to those in need.
CUENCA Y CHINCHILLA
In Cuenca, where the power did not return until past midnight, 400 passengers also had to be accommodated at the San Fernando sports center, thanks to the collaboration of the municipality, firefighters, Local Police, Civil Protection, Geacam, and Red Cross.
Sandwiches, mattresses, and blankets came together in another show of solidarity to not leave the travelers stranded, who are slowly but surely reaching their destinations.
Similar incidents occurred in Chinchilla de Montearagón, where dozens of passengers also had to be attended to after the locomotive transporting them became stranded.
GUADALAJARA, TOLEDO Y MANZANARES
Furthermore, nearly 700 passengers traveling on two high-speed trains bound for Madrid had to be evacuated at the Yebes station in Guadalajara, unable to reach their destination due to the power outage, and most of them spent the night at the Palacio Multiusos in the capital of Guadalajara, in hotels in the area, and some at the Los Olmos residence, with buses arranged on Tuesday to take them to Madrid.
In Toledo, there were about ten elevator rescues, and the National Police requested buses to assist those who were stranded on the Madrid-Toledo AVE train, which did not reach its destination and stopped near the Santa Bárbara neighborhood, transporting them from there to the bus station.
In Manzanares, motorcyclists returning to Barcelona from the motorcycle grand prix in Jerez were attended to. Faced with the situation of having virtually no cash due to mobile payment not working and no roof for the night, they found the answer through the Manzanares City Council and the Local Police. «They helped us with everything, the management was spectacular,» they expressed their gratitude, «because we thought we would end up sleeping on the street with the motorcycles.»
A swift response was also provided to travelers who, for various reasons, were stranded and had nowhere to spend the night. The City Council set up mattresses at the ‘Antonio Caba’ municipal pavilion, where Civil Protection provided light with a generator. Additionally, water, food, blankets, and hygiene products were brought to a total of 26 people.
This was the case for several passengers at the bus station and many others at the railway station. The train that departed from Badajoz at 6:50 and was supposed to continue towards Valencia and Barcelona after a connection in Alcázar, was halted in Herrera de La Mancha after the power outage and, before 4:00 pm, being a self-powered train, it returned to the Manzanares station. Among the affected were elderly people from Extremadura living in Valencian towns who also experienced the consequences of the Dana storm just six months ago.