Spanish Transport Minister Resigns After Train Collision Kills 69

Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente announced his resignation on Tuesday following last week’s high-speed train collision in the Toledo region that killed 69 people and injured dozens.

Speaking at the end of a session before the Spanish Parliament’s standing committee, which was dedicated to discussing the circumstances and repercussions of the accident, Puente said he decided to resign out of “political responsibility,” stressing that “a minister cannot remain in office after two serious accidents occur in less than a year.”

He clarified that he made the decision to step down from the very first moments of the accident but preferred to delay its announcement until completing an urgent task: ensuring short-term railway safety.

The resignation came after sharp criticism from the conservative right-wing party and the far-right Vox party, which demanded that the minister bear political responsibility for the crash, just 26 days before Spain’s parliamentary elections.

The Toledo accident is the second fatal high-speed train crash in Spain this year, following another collision in Cordoba province about nine months ago that killed 46 people.

The two incidents have reignited debate over the safety of the railway network and the investments allocated for maintaining infrastructure, signaling systems, and control mechanisms.

The Spanish government had previously announced measures to enhance safety, including a review of train operating speeds on certain lines, particularly those connecting the capital, Madrid, with the Andalusia region, and stricter conditions for resuming train services when signaling systems fail.