Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez continues to support Transport Minister Oscar Puente, who is under strong political and union pressure after the deadly train crash near Urda. This was reported by the Europa Press agency, citing sources in Moncloa. According to them, Sanchez gave his support to Puente during a coordination meeting in Toledo and believes that the incident is not related to the minister's management and his political responsibility.
The disaster occurred on October 28, when a Renfe high-speed train crashed into a stopped Irio train near Urda, in the province of Toledo. According to the latest published data, more than 70 people were killed and dozens of passengers were injured. The incident is the second fatal collision involving high-speed trains in Spain in nine months after the tragedy near Adamas in January.
Decision to resume services under investigation
Puente said that at around 8:30 a.m., the LZB safety system failed, causing the trains to automatically stop for a stretch of about 63 kilometers. Six minutes later, the Adlif control center allowed the Renfe train to continue at normal speed, although the Irio train was still stopped on the line. The collision occurred approximately 17 minutes after services resumed.
The minister described the decision as “inexplicable” and said that according to regulations, the train was supposed to run at a limited speed and with constant visibility until the fault was repaired. Puente rejected the possibility of resigning, saying his priority was to clarify the causes of the disaster and help prevent similar incidents.
“We will clarify down to the last detail“ what happened, Sanchez said after a meeting of the regional emergency response coordination center. The prime minister added that Spain must strengthen security on the railway network and that the necessary action will be taken if violations are found.
Pressure on the minister intensifies
The Popular Party and the Front de Travail are demanding political responsibility. Some of the government partners, including Sumar, the Republican Left of Catalonia and “Podemos“, have demanded that Puente appear before parliament. Unions have also criticized him for publicly pointing out a possible human error at the control center.
Puente will give explanations before the Permanent Deputies Committee of Congress on November 3 at 5:00 p.m. He requested the hearing on his own initiative, after several political forces had already insisted on his appearance in parliament. Before that, the minister must also give a new press conference on the progress of the investigation and the actions of the authorities.
The investigation still has to establish why one train continued its movement while the other remained stopped, as well as who made the final decision to resume normal speed.
Sources: notimerica.com, europapress.es, telemadrid.es