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Power cuts cause transport chaos in Spain and Portugal

Authorities are so far unaware of reasons for widespread blackouts
By Adam Hill April 28, 2025 Read time: 1 min
Traffic lights have stopped working in some areas (© ITS International | Adam Hill)

Traffic lights have been affected, and transit systems disrupted, in a power blackout affecting large parts of Spain and Portugal.

Media outlets including the BBC and Reuters reported that traffic lights were not working in some cities, while the metro has been closed in cities including Lisbon and Porto.

Major traffic jams were seen in Madrid and, in a post (below) on X, Metro de Madrid said: "Metro service is interrupted due to power outages beyond its control."

Some road tunnels have also been closed.

Madrid's mayor, Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, has asked people not to travel if possible.

"I ask all residents of Madrid to keep their movements to an absolute minimum and, if at all possible, to remain where they are," he said. "We want to keep all roads clear."

No reasons for the outage have yet been given.

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