A commuter train derailed in Gelida, near Barcelona, on 20 January after striking a collapsed retaining wall that had fallen onto the track, killing the driver and injuring 37 passengers. The incident, Spain’s second fatal rail accident in a week, occurred on a section of line with trackside earth-retaining structures, raising immediate questions over wall design, drainage, inspection frequency and slope stability under recent weather conditions. For civil and geotechnical engineers, failure mode identification and rapid condition assessment of similar retaining systems on active corridors will be a priority.

A construction crane collapsed onto a moving passenger train in northeastern Thailand on Wednesday morning, killing at least 32 people and injuring more than 60. The crane, operating on an adjacent construction site, failed and toppled across active railway tracks, striking multiple carriages at speed and causing extensive structural damage and derailment. Investigators are expected to focus on crane foundation design, ground conditions near the rail corridor, lift planning, exclusion zones and compliance with Thai standards for plant operating beside live transport infrastructure.

Widespread disruption across the UK rail and road network during last week’s snow and Storm Goretti has triggered renewed demands for higher design and operational resilience to low‑temperature events. Experts are pointing to points and overhead line failures, blocked rural A‑roads and motorway closures on key corridors as evidence that current winter maintenance regimes and drainage, de‑icing and snow‑clearance standards are inadequate. For civil and geotechnical engineers, the debate centres on upgrading asset design criteria, improving slope and pavement drainage, and strengthening contingency planning for more frequent intense snowstorms.