Spanish Transport Minister Resigns Following Deadly High-Speed Train Collision

Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente resigned on Tuesday after a high-speed train collision killed 69 people near Madrid last week, creating a severe political crisis.

The crash occurred on October 28 outside the village of Urda, when a state-operated Renfe train struck a stationary Iryo service.

The disaster ranks as one of the worst railway accidents in Europe this century and has severely impacted Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez ahead of early elections on November 29.

Mr. Puente announced his departure during an address to parliament following intense pressure from opposition parties and trade unions.

Addressing lawmakers, said Óscar Puente, the transport minister, "A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of such seriousness in less than a year."

The minister also stated that he was withdrawing his name from candidate lists for the upcoming general election.

Mr. Puente revealed that he decided to step down immediately after the disaster but waited several days to make the announcement public.

Investigators reported that an automatic safety system had halted trains on the track before a control centre authorized the Renfe service to resume movement.

Leaked audio recordings published in Spanish media indicated that the control centre cleared the train to move despite another vehicle remaining stalled ahead.

To prevent future errors, the transport ministry announced plans to introduce new software issuing automatic alerts alongside an artificial intelligence agent.

The government also pledged an aid package of 30 million euros for families of the dead and the scores of injured passengers.

The train drivers union Semaf has announced strikes at Renfe for November 10 and 12, criticizing degraded systems and worsening working conditions.

Prime Minister Sánchez promised that authorities will investigate every detail of the disaster.