Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente Resigns After Rail Disaster

Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente resigned on Tuesday following a high-speed train collision near Urda that killed at least 69 people and injured dozens. His decision came six days after the disaster and less than a month before Spain holds early general elections on 29 November.

Speaking before Congress, Puente announced his departure from the government alongside his withdrawal from the candidate lists for the upcoming legislative vote. "A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year," Puente told lawmakers, referring to a crash on the same railway line in January that caused 46 fatalities. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez praised the decision, saying his minister had acted "out of dignity" and "out of respect for the victims."

The crash occurred on 28 October when a high-speed train operated by state carrier Renfe, carrying 397 passengers, collided with the rear of a stationary train operated by private company Iryo, which was carrying 147 passengers. A computer failure in the automatic signalling system had disrupted traffic along the section, forcing trains to halt. Emergency workers required heavy lifting equipment to reach trapped passengers inside derailed carriages.

Leaked audio recordings published by Spanish media revealed that Madrid control centre operators instructed the Renfe driver to proceed at normal speed under the Lateral Signalling Block, a secondary system used during automatic signalling failures. In a separate recording, the driver of the Iryo train informed controllers that security system issues prevented his train from moving ahead of the Urda entry signal. The recordings indicate that controllers were informed of the stationary train prior to authorizing the approaching Renfe train to move.

The collision triggered calls for Puente's resignation from opposition parties, including the conservative People's Party and Vox, who criticized the management and safety of the national rail network. Former cabinet members and opposition leaders argued that public confidence in the high-speed system had suffered severe damage following the repeated crashes. Judicial and technical investigations into the causes of the Urda collision remain ongoing.

Written by Andreas Hofer andreas.hofer@alpineweekly.com