Carlos Cuerpo to run Transport until the election

After Óscar Puente’s resignation, First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo will temporarily take over the Transport Ministry. No new minister will be appointed before the 29 November election, Pedro Sánchez announced.

On the morning of 4 November Pedro Sánchez gave a short institutional statement at La Moncloa, taking no questions. He said he had informed the King that First Deputy Prime Minister Carlos Cuerpo would temporarily take charge of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility. According to Sánchez, this will be formalised by royal decree in an extraordinary edition of the BOE. Óscar Puente resigned the evening before, during his appearance in Congress to explain the Urda train crash.

📍 Why not a new minister

With less than a month to go before the general election, Cuerpo will run the ministry until 29 November, Sánchez said. According to RTVE, citing the Economy Ministry, this is not a transfer of the portfolio but a delegation of functions, so there will be no oath before the King as with a new minister. Sánchez said he was confident Cuerpo would continue the reforms Puente had started.

📍 What Sánchez said

The Prime Minister described Puente’s resignation as an act of empathy with the victims, coherence and political dignity, and said he accepted it with gratitude. The government, he said, will keep helping those hit by the Urda crash and work to bring high-speed rail back to normal. According to RTVE, at least 69 people died in the disaster.

📍 What it means for passengers

The Transport Ministry oversees Adif and Renfe, including the Alicante – Madrid trains that Costa Blanca residents use all the time. The new head inherits open issues straight away: rail unions have called strikes for 10, 12 and 17 November. Check your train on the Renfe website before travelling.

📍 Puente’s name stays on the ballot

The Socialists published their lists for the 29 November election on the day of the resignation, with Puente at the top in Valladolid. According to RTVE, the Central Electoral Board believes the ballots have most likely already been printed, so his name will stay on them. But he will not be declared elected: Equality Minister Ana Redondo moves up to first place, and the list moves along using substitute candidates.