Puente quits after Urda train crash and leaves election race

Transport Minister Óscar Puente quit on Tuesday, six days after a train crash near Urda killed 69 people. He also left the list for the 29 November election. Puente said he decided to quit within minutes of hearing about the crash.

At Congress, he said he waited to make the news public until urgent rail safety steps were ready. He called quitting a matter of political dignity. He said a minister could not stay after two crashes this serious in less than a year.

Puente’s claims about LZB

Before he quit, Puente called the LZB train signal system “very reliable”. He said it stopped 170 times on the Madrid–Seville line in the past year. He said that number was normal for the rail network.

Puente said 75% of the stops came from causes outside the system, such as vandalism, cable theft and bad weather. He also said the Atocha control team made choices he could not explain. He said he had not called the crash human error.

At Urda, LZB lost contact and its safety feature cut in on its own, based on Puente’s account. The control centre then let the Renfe train move at 8.36am without the usual limits, though LZB was still out of service.

Puente said the Iryo train was cleared to move at 8.41am, but stayed still after a reset fault. The trains hit at 8.53am. The cause and the choices made before the crash remain under study.

Safety steps and support

Puente announced new software for control centres and an AI tool to watch the rail system. The ministry also plans to have a second controller check each choice when the automatic safety systems are down.

The European Rail Traffic Management System, or ERTMS, was put in on the Madrid–Seville line in June. It is still in lab tests and should start work in January 2027, reports say.

The government set aside €30 million for Urda families and survivors. Families of each person killed are due just over €72,121. Injured people may get between €2,400 and €84,100, based on their injuries.

The Urda aid sum matches the amount set aside after the separate Adamuz crash in January. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez thanked Puente for handling the crisis. Opposition parties and unions said his first account seemed to put too much blame on one controller.

Sources: Spain English, The Local Spain, BBC News, ABC and El Mundo