Spain's transport minister Oscar Puente resigns over Urda high-speed train crash that killed 69

Spain's transport minister, Oscar Puente, resigned on Tuesday, less than a week after a high-speed train crash near Urda in Toledo province killed 69 people. It was the second deadly rail disaster on the Madrid-Seville line this year.

Puente announced his decision at the end of an appearance before a parliamentary committee in Madrid. He said a minister could not stay in office after two accidents this serious in less than a year, and called his decision a matter of political dignity and empathy. He also said he would not stand in the early general election on November 29.

The resignation was unexpected, since Puente and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had both ruled it out several times in recent days. The conservative Popular Party and the far-right Vox had demanded that he go. So had the Basque PNV and Catalan Junts, parties whose votes the Socialist-led government depends on.

What went wrong

The crash happened last Wednesday, when a Renfe high-speed train ran into the back of a stationary train run by private operator Iryo, about 130 km south of Madrid. Around 200 people were injured, and 37 were still in hospital, according to reports.

Investigators are focusing on a possible failure of the line's LZB train-control system and on instructions given by the control centre of the state rail network company Adif. Puente told lawmakers the control centre had let the train continue after its LZB safety system failed, and that it then travelled about 25 km at more than 160 km/h before the collision.

Authorities said all 69 victims had now been identified. Most were Spanish, and the rest came from at least ten other countries, including the United States, Japan and Australia.

Safety measures

Before stepping down, Puente defended the line's safety record and announced a series of measures. They include a 30 million euro support package for victims and their families, fewer trains between Madrid and Seville until the newer ERTMS signalling system is working on the route, and a second control-centre employee to check instructions whenever LZB fails.

In January, 46 people died in a high-speed train collision near Adamuz in Andalusia on the same corridor, where a broken rail is considered one of the causes. Adif's works council has said it will push for a strike on November 17 over rail safety, though none has been formally called.