Adif chief Marco de la Peña leaves after meeting Carlos Cuerpo

Luis Pedro Marco de la Peña left the top job at Adif on Wednesday, 4 November, after meeting Carlos Cuerpo. State sources said he quit and Cuerpo accepted his decision. They said Cuerpo thanked him for his work. The move came one day after Óscar Puente left the transport post.

How the exit took place

Cuerpo met Marco de la Peña and rail state secretary José Antonio Santano at the ministry. ABC said the meeting was urgent and was not on Cuerpo’s public diary. Marco de la Peña had led Adif since September 2024. Adif is the state firm that runs Spain’s rail network.

Reports do not agree on whether he chose to go. Andalucía Información and elDiario.es say he had told Puente that he planned to leave. El Español says he offered to quit after the Urda train crash, but Puente kept him in the job. It later said Cuerpo withdrew his trust and forced him out. State sources, by contrast, described an accepted resignation. No public account has settled that gap.

Reports name Ángel García de la Bandera, Adif’s head of daily rail work, as a main choice for the post. The state has not named a new Adif chief or said when it will do so. Cuerpo has also not said if more changes will follow at Adif or the transport department.

Wider rail debate

The exit comes as the Urda crash in Toledo remains under review. El Español said two trains hit head-on and at least 69 people died. That toll belongs only to the Urda crash. No source says Marco de la Peña was personally to blame for the collision.

Rail unions have called a strike for 17 November over safety, funding and work terms. In his last hearing before a Congress panel, Puente backed Adif’s leaders. He said its top team worked on its own and had the skills needed for the job.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez praised Cuerpo’s skill and honesty, Andalucía Información reported. He said Cuerpo would carry on the changes begun by Puente. The new rail chief will take over while Adif faces calls for safer travel and more public trust.

Source: elDiario.es, Andalucía Información, ABC and El Español.