Spain’s transport minister Oscar Puente quits six days after deadly train crash that killed 69
Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente has announced his resignation, six days after a devastating high-speed train collision claimed 69 lives. Puente made the announcement on Tuesday after appearing before lawmakers for several hours to explain the circumstances surrounding the disaster, which has once again brought the safety of Spain’s high-speed rail network under scrutiny.
Explaining his decision, Puente said he could not continue in office after two major train accidents within less than a year. He described his resignation as a matter of political accountability and sensitivity towards the victims and their families. “A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot continue in his post after two accidents in less than a year. It’s a question of political dignity, coherence and empathy with the victims,” Puente told lawmakers.
How did the deadly Spain train collision happen?
The fatal accident occurred on October 28, when a high-speed train crashed into another train that had come to a halt on the tracks. The collision resulted in 69 deaths, making it one of the deadliest incidents involving Spain’s high-speed rail network in recent years.
According to the sequence of events presented in the report, the chain of failures began when a communication system essential to the railway line’s safety mechanism stopped functioning on the Madrid-Seville route.
Following the disruption, central controllers in Madrid assumed control of operations and authorised one of the trains to continue its journey, despite another train being stationary ahead. The subsequent collision triggered the deadly disaster.
Second major train disaster in Spain this year
The October 28 collision was the second major railway disaster in Spain this year. In January, another train accident on the Madrid-Seville route killed 46 people. That incident occurred more than two hours further south along the same route, when a train derailed and struck another train travelling in the opposite direction. The investigation into the January accident is still underway.
The two deadly incidents within a span of less than a year have intensified questions over railway safety standards, infrastructure reliability and the effectiveness of existing safeguards on Spain’s extensive high-speed rail network.
Spain announces fresh railway safety measures
Before announcing his resignation, Puente outlined additional measures that the government plans to introduce to strengthen safety across the country’s railway network. The proposed steps include improving working conditions at railway control centres and accelerating the implementation of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), a standardised system designed to improve railway signalling, train supervision and operational safety. The faster rollout of ERTMS is expected to strengthen coordination between trains and railway control centres, while helping improve the monitoring of train movements.
Why Spain’s high-speed rail network is under scrutiny
Spain has long regarded its high-speed railway system as one of its major infrastructure achievements. The country operates the world’s second-largest high-speed rail network after China, connecting major cities through an extensive system of fast passenger services. For more than three decades after the network began operations, it had not experienced a fatal accident of this kind, making the two deadly incidents this year particularly alarming.
(With inputs from AP)
Also Read:
39 killed, dozens injured after two high-speed trains collide in Spain | Video
