Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente resigned on Tuesday following a train collision on October 28 that killed 69 people. It was the country’s second rail disaster of this kind this year.
Puente announced his departure hours after presenting emergency aid for victims and new rail safety measures. “A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this severity in less than a year,” he told members of the Permanent Deputation, a parliamentary committee that remains active when Parliament is dissolved for a general election.
The collision occurred near Urda, in central Spain. Puente said he decided to resign within minutes of being informed of the crash, but stayed in office until initial emergency measures were carried out, preliminary investigations began, and the first compensation and safety steps were introduced. He had previously ruled out resigning.
The departure comes less than four weeks before the early parliamentary election called by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for November 29. Sánchez praised Puente in a post on X, thanking him for his work and saying he had put victims first and acted out of political responsibility.
The earlier collision occurred in January on the Madrid-Seville line and killed 46 people. It involved the same operators: state-owned Renfe and private company Iryo.
According to Puente, a signaling-system failure on the Madrid-Seville line last Wednesday automatically stopped several trains. Rail traffic controllers in Madrid took over operations and authorized a Renfe train to proceed, although an Iryo train was stopped further along the tracks. Investigators estimated that the collision occurred at between 160 and 200 km/h.
Among the measures Puente announced is a reduction in train frequency on the Madrid-Seville route until the Rail Safety Agency reviews the line’s safety system and the government completes the delayed rollout of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). A speed limit of 40 km/h will also apply when a signaling failure requires a driver to visually check the tracks for obstacles. The government plans to hire more staff and improve working conditions at rail control centers.
The government also pledged to double mandatory passenger-insurance compensation for accident victims, speed up payments and extend coverage for temporary disability. Puente said the Spanish rail system would also use an artificial intelligence agent to “detect anomalies and monitor conversations” between drivers and controllers, with the aim of reducing the risk of human error.
Sources: Folha Mundo.