Spain’s Transport Minister, Óscar Puente, has resigned following two deadly high-speed train accidents that claimed at least 115 lives within less than a year, intensifying pressure on the country’s Socialist-led government.
Puente announced his resignation on Tuesday, six days after a train collision near Urda, south of Madrid, killed at least 69 people and left dozens injured.
The October 28 disaster occurred when a high-speed train crashed into the rear of a stationary train, making it one of the deadliest rail accidents in Europe’s recent history and Spain’s worst railway disaster since 2013.
Announcing his decision before Congress, Puente said he could no longer remain in office after two accidents of such magnitude within a relatively short period.
“A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year,” he said.
His remarks also referred to an earlier crash in January, which reportedly killed 46 people on the same rail line.
Puente made the announcement at the end of a lengthy congressional session during which he presented new railway safety measures and faced questions from opposition lawmakers over the latest disaster.
He also disclosed that he was withdrawing his name from the list of candidates for the country’s early legislative elections scheduled for November 29.
The minister’s position had come under intense scrutiny since the October 28 collision, with the conservative People’s Party (PP), the far-right Vox party and some of the government’s political allies demanding his resignation.
Critics accused him of failing to ensure the safety of Spain’s high-speed rail network and questioned his handling of the aftermath of the accident, particularly his suggestion that human error could have contributed to the collision.
The controversy has further damaged public confidence in the country’s railway system, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez admitting that the credibility of the network had been “broken”.
Although Puente had indicated only days earlier that he intended to remain in office, his eventual resignation came as a surprise to many observers.
He described the decision as an act of “political dignity”, while Sánchez praised his colleague for facing the crisis, providing answers and solutions before stepping aside.
