Skip to main content

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.

Related Content

  • March 3, 2020
    How safe are smart motorways?
    A valiant attempt to ease the UK’s congested strategic road system? Or an idea that should never have seen the light of day? Alan Dron reports on the controversy over smart motorways...
  • November 15, 2022
    Asecap: get ready to rethink everything you know
    How can we make our infrastructure ready for new sustainability challenges? What kind of investments are needed? And who will finance them? Tolling association Asecap has some thoughts. Geoff Hadwick reports from Lisbon
  • January 19, 2023
    ITS green light for two wheels
    Cycling is increasingly promoted as a healthy and sustainable mode of transport. So, ask Ronald Jorna and Robin Kleine of Mobycon, what role should ITS play in stimulating active travel?
  • March 30, 2021
    Learning from informal transit networks
    When it comes to public transportation, the Minority World could take lessons in equity from the mobility infrastructure of emerging market cities, says Devin de Vries of WhereIsMyTransport