An inquiry into the train crash that killed 79 people in Spain two weeks ago heard today that no train could have successfully maneuvered the curve at the speed the train was going.

The high speed train was carrying 218 people when it derailed near the north-western city of Santiago de Compostela on the evening of July 24.

According to crash investigators, the driver of the train ignored three warnings to reduce speed in the two minutes before the train hurtled off the tracks.

A court statement said the driver was talking on the phone to a colleague when he received the first automatic warning in his cabin of a sharply reduced speed zone ahead.

The statement said the warning was by means of an audible sound but provided no further detail.

The investigation is expected to last several weeks before presenting its formal conclusions.