Transport Minister Óscar Puente resigns after the Urda crash

On the evening of 3 November, Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente announced in Congress that he is resigning. He said he could not stay in office after two such serious accidents in one year: the Urda crash on 28 October, which killed 69 people, and the Adamuz crash in January. He will also not head the PSOE list for Valladolid in the 29 November election.

Puente spent more than four hours answering MPs’ questions about the Urda crash in the Diputación Permanente of Congress and announced his resignation at the very end, after 21:00. He called it a matter of political dignity and empathy with the victims. He said he had made the decision right after the tragedy but waited for the first findings of the investigation. He thanked Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for his trust.

Who will replace Puente has not been announced yet, and as of the evening of 3 November there is no official resignation decree in the BOE. The opposition reacted sharply: the PP called the resignation an admission of guilt, and Vox demanded that Sánchez himself resign. For Costa Blanca residents, this means a new minister will be in charge of the Alicante–Madrid high-speed trains and rail safety.