Spain transport minister resigns after train crash kills 69
Óscar Puente quits as transport minister and withdraws from the 29 November election after a high-speed collision near Urda killed 69 people.
The story in focus
Spain's transport minister, Óscar Puente, resigned on 3 November 2026 and withdrew from the 29 November general election, six days after a high-speed train collision near Urda killed 69 people. He announced the decision in Congress after outlining new rail safety measures.
- Puente resigned and pulled his name from the 29 November election lists, citing political dignity.
- The 28 October crash near Urda, about 80 miles south of Madrid, killed 69 people and injured dozens.
- A Renfe train struck a stationary Iryo train after an automatic safety system failure halted traffic on a 39-mile stretch.
- Puente announced €30m in aid for victims' families and the injured, plus control-centre changes.
- A January collision in Andalusia on the Madrid-Seville line killed 46 people.
Resignation and election withdrawal
Óscar Puente announced at the end of a lengthy congressional hearing on Tuesday evening that he was stepping down as transport minister and removing his name from the lists for the early legislative elections on 29 November. He had ruled out resigning several times since the disaster.
He said a transport minister could not stay in office after two accidents of such seriousness in under a year, referring to the January crash in Andalusia that killed 46 people on the Madrid-Seville line. The BBC reported he cited political dignity; Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez praised him for stepping aside.
The crash and safety measures
The 28 October collision occurred outside the village of Urda, about 80 miles south of Madrid, when a Renfe train with 397 passengers hit the back of a stationary Iryo train carrying 147 people. A failure of the automatic safety system had halted trains on a 39-mile stretch, but a control centre authorised the Renfe service to continue.
Hours before resigning, Puente presented measures including software to flag traffic anomalies, a requirement for a second operator to confirm decisions taken while the automatic system is down, and reforms to control-centre operators' breaks and fatigue monitoring. He also announced €30m in aid for families of the dead and the injured.
The drivers' union Semaf has called strikes at Renfe for 10 and 12 November, denouncing worsening working conditions and the use of degraded systems.
When are Spain's early general elections, and who is the prime minister?
The early legislative elections are scheduled for 29 November 2026. Pedro Sánchez, the Socialist prime minister, is leading the government and trailing in opinion polls, according to The Guardian.
Sources & further reading
- Spanish transport minister resigns after deadly train crash ↗The Guardian
- Spanish transport minister resigns days after deadly train crash ↗BBC News
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