Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente announced Tuesday he is stepping down, six days after a high-speed train collision south of Madrid killed 69 people. Puente made the announcement at the conclusion of an extensive appearance before lawmakers regarding the crash, which marks the second fatal collision this year involving Spain's extensive high-speed rail network.
"A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year," Puente stated.
The Oct. 28 crash occurred when a high-speed train collided with a stationary train on the tracks. The incident was attributed to a failure in the communication system crucial for the security system on the Madrid-Seville line. Central controllers in Madrid assumed manual control and authorized a state-operated Renfe high-speed train to proceed, despite another train operated by the company Iryo being ahead of it.
This is the second major crash on the Madrid-Seville line in 2026. In January, a train derailed and struck another traveling in the opposite direction further south along the same route, resulting in 46 fatalities. That investigation is ongoing.
Puente indicated that he had decided to resign immediately after the recent crash but had not made his decision public until Tuesday.
The collisions have intensified scrutiny of the safety of Spain's rail network. The most recent crash occurred just four weeks before a national election.
Spain's high-speed rail network, the world's second-largest after China's, has been a point of national pride. Until this year, it had not experienced a fatal crash in over three decades of operation.
Earlier on Tuesday, Puente had outlined safety measures planned by the government, including improvements to control center conditions and accelerating the deployment of the standardized European Rail Traffic Management System for safety and signaling.