Spain transport minister Óscar Puente quits 6 days after train disaster kills 69

Spain's transport minister Oscar Puente addresses parliament on the deadly train crash near Toledo, in Madrid, SpainSpain’s transport minister Óscar Puente resigned six days after a high-speed train collision south of Madrid killed 69 people. Puente took responsibility for the second major rail disaster in the country this year. He announced his decision on Tuesday after appearing before lawmakers for several hours to explain the circumstances surrounding the October 28 crash.“A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year,” Puente said.Puente said he had decided to step down immediately after the latest accident but had kept the decision private. His resignation comes amid mounting pressure from opposition politicians and railway workers' unions, who had called for him to quit following the disaster.What caused the deadly train collision?The October 28 collision occurred when a high-speed train crashed into another train that had stopped on the tracks. The accident killed 69 people and raised serious questions about safety standards across Spain's extensive high-speed rail network.The chain of events leading to the collision began when a communication system essential to the safety mechanism on the Madrid-Seville line failed. Controllers in Madrid then took charge and authorised a state-operated Renfe high-speed train to proceed, despite another train operated by private company Iryo being stationary ahead.“There was a red signal prohibiting movement, yet the train was authorised to proceed,” Puente said last week. “It is a decision made under inexplicable circumstances.”Second major rail disaster on the same route this yearThe latest disaster was the second major train accident on the Madrid-Seville route this year. In January, two high-speed trains collided near Adamuz, killing 46 people. The accident, which occurred more than two hours further south along the route, remains under investigation.Earlier on Tuesday, Puente announced a series of measures to improve railway safety. These include upgrading conditions in control centres and accelerating the rollout of the European Rail Traffic Management System, a standardised technology designed to improve railway signalling and safety.Public anger and political pressure The resignation also comes amid growing public anger over the accidents. On the night of the October 28 collision, police clashed with hundreds of protesters outside the transport ministry headquarters. Some demonstrators carried placards demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.Puente's departure comes just three weeks before Spain's general election. He had already announced that he would not contest the polls. Sánchez had called the election early following a series of corruption scandals, concerns over housing affordability and setbacks for his Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) in municipal elections.Spain's high-speed rail network, the second largest in the world after China's, has long been regarded as one of the country's major infrastructure achievements.Before the two deadly accidents this year, the network had gone more than three decades without a fatal crash since its launch.