Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente announced his resignation Tuesday following 2 train accidents that killed a total of 115 people in the country over the past 9 months.
Puente made the announcement before the Permanent Deputation of Congress, a parliamentary body that can meet when the full Congress is not in session. He appeared to explain the government’s handling of the deadly railway accidents. He also announced that he would step down from his position as the PSOE’s leading candidate in Valladolid.
During his appearance, Puente defended the high-speed railway infrastructure between Madrid and Seville, rejecting claims that the line had been neglected. He also described its LZB signaling system as well-established and said there were no instructions to prioritize punctuality over passenger safety.
The minister also addressed plans to restore service on the high-speed line between Madrid and Andalusia following the accident in Urda. He said the government had requested judicial permission to replace the damaged section and expected the line to become operational within a maximum of 10 days after receiving authorization.
Service would initially resume with fewer trains than before the accident to improve reliability and limit the impact of any further disruptions, Puente said.
The government also approved an extraordinary plan to strengthen railway safety during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. The measures include assistance for victims and restrictions on price increases for transport services in exceptional circumstances.
The first disaster occurred in January near Adamuz, in the southern province of Córdoba, when 2 trains collided, killing 46 people. One train was operated by Iryo, a private rail company, while the other belonged to Renfe, Spain’s state-owned railway operator.
A second collision occurred on Oct. 28 near Urda, in the central province of Toledo, when a Renfe high-speed train struck the back of a stationary Iryo train traveling on the Madrid-Seville route. The crash killed 69 people and injured dozens of others, making it one of Spain’s deadliest railway disasters in recent decades.
Puente’s departure comes after a period in which he had been viewed within the PSOE as a potential successor to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.