Spain Transport Minister Oscar Puente Resigns After High-Speed Train Crash Kills 69

Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente announced his resignation on November 3, citing two deadly train crashes within a single year as making his continued tenure untenable. The most recent disaster struck late October 2026 when a high-speed Renfe train collided with a stationary Iryo train near Urda, in the Toledo province south of Madrid, killing 69 people and injuring more than 100 others.

Puente said the crash was triggered by a computer failure in the LZB signalling system, which caused an automatic stop along a 63-kilometer stretch of track between Madrid and Seville. State rail infrastructure manager Adif then took manual control and authorized the Renfe train to continue southbound despite a red signal, resulting in the collision. Puente called the authorization order "inexplicable."

Facing intense political pressure, protests outside the Transport Ministry in Madrid, and demands for his resignation from trade unions including CSIF, Puente told Congress he was stepping down. He did not specify an exact departure date. "A Transport Minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this severity in less than a year," he said, adding that he was resigning regardless of questions of direct personal responsibility.