Spain Transport Minister Resigns After Second Fatal Crash in Months

Oscar Puente, Spain’s transport minister, resigned on Tuesday following a fatal train collision that occurred last week. The departure marks the second major rail accident in less than a year. He made the announcement to the Permanent Deputation, a standing committee that convenes while parliament is dissolved, hours after presenting a new safety strategy to lawmakers.

Puente stated that a transport minister could not remain in office after two incidents of such severity within twelve months. He explained that he decided to step down immediately upon learning of the crash but stayed in his role until the emergency response was organized and preliminary investigations began. His resignation comes less than four weeks before the early parliamentary election scheduled for November 29, which Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called.

The crash on October 28 killed 69 people near the town of Urda in central Spain. Investigators estimated the impact speed was between 160 and 200 km/h. The incident involved a state-owned Renfe train and a privately operated Iryo train. According to Puente, central controllers in Madrid authorized the Renfe train to proceed despite a stationary Iryo train ahead, after a signalling system failure on the Madrid-Seville line automatically stopped several trains.

Sanchez praised Puente in a post on X, noting that the minister prioritized victims and acted out of political responsibility. The government announced measures to reduce services on the Madrid-Seville line until the Railway Safety Agency reviews the system and the rollout of the European Rail Traffic Management System is completed. The plan also includes a 40 km/h speed limit when signal systems fail, requiring drivers to visually spot obstacles.

Financial support for victims will expand under the new package. The government will double compulsory passenger insurance payouts, accelerate compensation payments, and improve temporary incapacity cover. Additionally, the ministry will hire more staff and upgrade conditions in rail control centres. These steps follow a January accident on the same line involving the same operators, which killed 46 people.

Puente introduced a new technological measure, describing it as a world first. The railway system will deploy an AI agent to monitor conversations between train drivers and controllers and detect anomalies. He stated that Spain would be the first network to use this type of mechanism to minimize human error. The plan also includes creating a real-time digital model of the entire railway network.