Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente announced his resignation on Tuesday evening, November 3, 2026, during an emotional congressional address before the Permanent Deputation of Congress in Madrid.
Stepping down just six days after a catastrophic train collision in Toledo province left 69 dead and nearly 200 injured, Puente also confirmed his withdrawal as a candidate for the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) in the upcoming snap general election on November 29.
​The tragedy unfolded on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, outside the village of Urda, approximately 130 kilometers south of Madrid along the heavily traveled high-speed line to Seville. A state-operated Renfe train carrying nearly 400 passengers slammed into the rear of a stationary, privately operated Iryo train at speeds estimated between 100 and 125 mph.
Preliminary findings revealed that after an automated safety system failed, control center operators in Madrid manually authorized the Renfe service to pass a red signal into the path of the stalled train, a choice Puente later characterised before lawmakers as a decision made under “inexplicable circumstances”.
​The Urda disaster represents the second devastating crash on the Madrid-Seville high-speed corridor this year, following a January 2026 collision near Adamuz, Andalusia, that claimed 46 lives. The rapid recurrence of mass-casualty rail accidents sparked fierce protests outside the Ministry of Transport headquarters in Madrid on the night of the crash, fueling national outrage and severe political pressure ahead of the election.
Addressing parliament, Puente declared that a transport minister cannot remain in office after two disasters of such magnitude in less than a year, describing his resignation as a necessary act of political dignity and compassion.
​In the wake of the resignation, pressure on the government continues to escalate. Representatives from the train drivers’ union Semaf strongly condemned the reliance on manual overrides during system outages and announced nationwide strikes at Renfe for November 10 and 12.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez conceded that public confidence in the nation’s high-speed rail network had been severely damaged, pledging urgent safety overhauls and an accelerated deployment of advanced European Rail Traffic Management System protocols.
