By Salma El-Sakka
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez acknowledged Friday that public trust in the country's high-speed rail network has been broken following Wednesday's deadly train collision that killed at least 69 people and injured more than 100. The crash, involving a state-owned Renfe train and a private Iryo service, occurred near Urda in the Castilla-La Mancha region as both trains traveled from Madrid toward Andalucía.
Second Fatal Collision This Year
The disaster came nine months after a similar collision on the same line near Adamuz in Andalucía killed 46 people. Sánchez said it is unacceptable for a country with Spain's high-speed rail capacity to suffer two accidents of this magnitude within a single year. He pledged that the government's responsibility extends beyond investigating causes to delivering solutions that prevent future tragedies.
Transport Minister Under Pressure
Transport Minister Óscar Puente, facing growing calls to resign, held a separate press conference dismissing resignation demands. He said his duty is to solve problems and provide clear explanations, not to discuss his job status. Puente pointed to a failure in the LZB signalling system at the Madrid control centre of state infrastructure operator Adif, noting that when the system goes down, control reverts to human operators.
Preliminary Findings Show Speed Violation
A preliminary investigation report released Thursday concluded the Renfe train was traveling between 160 and 200 kilometers per hour when it struck the stationary Iryo train. Protocols require a maximum speed of 40 kph when the signalling system is down so drivers can see hazards ahead. The Adif operator who ordered the Renfe train to proceed at normal speed was a 48-year-old man with current training and two years of experience in control centres.
Unions and Opposition React
Railway traffic controllers union SCF pushed back, arguing the minister is blaming a worker laboring under increasingly poor conditions and that the safety system fails regularly. The conservative People's Party, favored to win next month's snap general election, holds both Puente and Sánchez politically responsible for both crashes. Former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, now leading the leftwing Frente Amplio coalition, also demanded Puente's immediate resignation.
