Spain's transport minister Óscar Puente resigns after deadly train crash

Spain's transport minister, Óscar Puente, has resigned six days after a rail crash in Toledo province. According to TVN24, 69 people were killed and 110 injured. He announced his decision in the Congress of Deputies.

Reasons for the resignation

Puente said a transport minister in a country like Spain cannot stay in post after two such serious accidents in less than a year. He also referred to the January rail crash in Andalusia, in which 46 people died (another source reports 45 dead and 122 injured). He described his decision as a matter of political dignity, responsibility and empathy towards the victims. He added that he decided to leave within the first minutes after the crash, but announced it only after completing the most urgent tasks. These included a preliminary investigation and first steps towards compensation for the victims.

What is known about the crash

The collision happened on the morning of Wednesday 28 October 2026, near the town of Urda, on the Madrid–Seville high-speed line. A Renfe AVE train hit the rear of a stationary Iryo train. More than 500 passengers were travelling on the two trains in total.

According to the minister's account, at around 8:30am a communication error between three computers shut down the LZB system along a 63 km section. Trains on that stretch stopped automatically. Traffic was taken over by the control centre of the infrastructure manager Adif at Madrid's Atocha station. At around 8:36am the Renfe train was given permission to resume normal running. It travelled about 25 km and at around 8:53am hit the Iryo train.

Puente said that in such a situation trains should proceed at no more than 40 km/h. He called the control centre employee's permission "inexplicable". The exact speed at the moment of impact was not yet known. A commission is investigating the causes of the crash.

The death toll was initially inconsistent. The ministry withdrew a report of 74 deaths and confirmed that 69 people had died.

Reactions

On the evening of the crash, riots broke out in Madrid. About 1,500 people gathered in front of the transport ministry at a protest called by far-right groups. Police used tear gas. Participants blamed the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Minister Puente. All of Wednesday's Copa del Rey matches were also called off after the crash.

Puente has also withdrawn from standing in the early parliamentary election on 29 November.

What this means for you

The sources give no information on consequences for travellers from the UK or on timetable changes. People planning to travel by rail in Spain should check notices from the operator they are travelling with.