Puente steps down as Spanish Transport Minister after announcing proposed safety measures

SPAIN: Minister of Transport Óscar Puente has resigned following the fatal train crash near Urda, having announced proposals to address safety and operational challenges across the high speed rail network.

‘A Minister of Transport in a country like Spain is not possible to retain his position following two serious accidents like Adamuz and Urda’, Puente told the Spanish Parliament. ‘My resignation is a question of political dignity, coherence and empathy with the victims, whether or not I am directly responsible.’

At least 69 people were killed in the accident on the route between Madrid and Sevilla. This was the second fatal high speed train crash in Spain this year, following the collision on the same route in January in which 46 people were killed.

Puente appeared before parliament on November 3 to answer questions about the Urda accident, and announced his resignation at the end of the session. The Social Democrat also confirmed that he was withdrawing his name from the lists for the upcoming elections on November 29.

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