Spain’s transport minister resigns after rail disaster kills 69

Spain’s transport minister, Óscar Puente, has resigned six days after a high-speed collision near Urda killed 69 people, saying he could not remain in office after two crashes of such severity in less than a year. He also withdrew his candidacy for the early legislative elections scheduled for 29 November. Puente announced the decision in Congress on Tuesday at the end of a lengthy session during which he faced questioning from opposition lawmakers.

He said his decision was motivated by “political dignity” and respect for the victims. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez praised him for confronting the situation before stepping aside. The 28 October crash involved a state-operated Renfe high-speed train and a stationary service operated by private company Iryo.

The collision occurred outside Urda, in Toledo province, on the Madrid-Seville route. According to reports, 397 people were aboard the Renfe train and 147 on the Iryo service. Reports describe a failure involving the line’s automatic signalling or communication system.

The disruption halted trains along a 63-kilometre stretch, but a control centre authorised the Renfe train to continue. BBC News said leaked audio recordings appeared to show controllers giving instructions for both trains to resume or proceed, although the investigation into the sequence remains under way. The disaster has intensified criticism of Spain’s rail network and of Puente’s earlier comments appearing to attribute responsibility to a control-centre operator.

Opposition parties, including the conservative People’s Party and Vox, demanded his resignation, while railway unions criticised what they saw as an attempt to focus blame on human error. The train drivers’ union Semaf has also called strikes for 10 and 12 November. Earlier on Tuesday, Puente announced measures intended to restore confidence.

They include control-centre software capable of issuing automatic alerts about unusual traffic patterns, a proposed artificial-intelligence oversight tool, and a requirement for a second operator to confirm decisions made while automatic safety systems are unavailable. He also said working conditions for control-centre staff would be reviewed, including breaks and fatigue monitoring. The government plans to accelerate the rollout of the standardised European Rail Traffic Management System, according to ABC News Australia, and Puente announced €30m in assistance for families of those killed and for injured passengers.

Authorities have closed the search operation, confirmed all 69 victims were identified and returned 59 sets of remains to families. Two Australians were among the 15 foreign nationals killed. The crash was Spain’s second deadly collision on the route this year.

A January accident in Andalusia killed 46 people and remains under investigation. The incidents have come weeks before the national election and damaged confidence in a high-speed network that ABC News Australia described as the world’s second-largest, after China’s. The differing reports agree on the death toll and resignation, but describe the signalling failure and the precise chain of authorisations as matters still being examined.