Driving to Andalucía this weekend? DGT warns of extra traffic after train crash « Euro Weekly News

Drivers heading to Andalucía this weekend could face heavier traffic than usual as Spain prepares for 5.34 million road journeys over the All Saints holiday. The DGT has warned that the deadly train crash near Toledo could put even more vehicles on the roads, with passengers switching from cancelled rail services to cars and coaches. The busiest period is expected on Friday, October 30, when the holiday getaway begins.

Friday afternoon is when the roads will be at their worst

Drivers setting off on Friday October 30 are likely to meet the heaviest traffic of the weekend, with the DGT (Spain’s traffic authority) expecting queues leaving the big cities and on the main routes to the coast, the mountains and second homes.

Its special operation starts at 3pm, and the biggest jams are forecast between 4pm and 10pm. Saturday won’t be much better though, with busy roads from first thing in the morning before the queues move on to holiday destinations later.

The operation runs until midnight on Sunday November 1. However, it’s extended to midnight on Monday November 2 in Andalucía, Aragón, Asturias, the Canary Islands, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Extremadura and Madrid, where Monday is a bank holiday. Across the whole period, the DGT expects 5.34 million long-distance road journeys, with plenty of short trips on top.

Rail passengers are expected to switch to the roads

The DGT said it will be keeping a close eye on the main routes to and from Andalucía, because trains to the region have been suspended after the crash at Urda, in Toledo province. With that in mind, it expects some passengers to move to coaches and private cars.

An AVE high-speed train ran into a stopped Iryo train on the Madrid to Sevilla line on Wednesday October 28. So far a total of 74 people have been confirmed dead, and the cause is still being investigated.

Sunday brings cemetery visits and the first journeys home

Sunday November 1 is All Saints Day, and many families will make short trips to visit cemeteries. From early afternoon, drivers heading home in the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Galicia, Murcia, La Rioja and the Valencian Community, where Monday is a working day, will start to fill the roads into the cities.

In the regions with a bank holiday, the return comes on Monday afternoon, with the heaviest traffic expected on the main routes and the roads into big cities. Drivers heading into Madrid should also expect delays on the A-1, where repairs to three viaducts near Venturada and Cabanillas de la Sierra have closed a lane towards the capital. The DGT plans to open an extra lane from kilometre 74 if conditions allow. 

Spain’s new emergency lane rule applies in the queues

Drivers should also know about the emergency lane, which has been in force on motorways since Thursday October 1. When traffic slows to walking pace or stops, vehicles must pull aside to leave a gap for emergency vehicles. 

On roads with two lanes in the same direction, the gap forms in the middle, with left-lane drivers moving left and right-lane drivers moving right. On roads with three lanes, it forms between the far-left lane and the one next to it, with the far-left lane moving left and everyone else as far right as possible. 

Guardia Civil traffic officers will be out in force, backed by fixed and mobile speed cameras, helicopters, drones and cameras that catch drivers using mobile phones or not wearing seatbelts. Roadworks that affect traffic will be paused, and lorries will face restrictions on certain stretches at certain times.

If you break down, the V-16 beacon is compulsory. Before you leave, check conditions on dgt.es, @DGTes on X or by calling 011, and if you can, avoid setting off between 4pm and 10pm on Friday.