Puente refuses to resign as train crash investigation examines safety failures and control-room orders
Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente ruled out resigning on Friday as the investigation into the Urda rail disaster focused on a succession of technical failures and operating decisions that preceded the collision, which killed at least 69 people. Speaking at his second press conference since Wednesday’s crash in the Toledo... The post Puente refuses to resign as train crash investigation…
Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente refused to resign as his office investigated the Urda rail disaster. The crash, which killed at least 69 people, occurred after a computer failure disabled the LZB train protection system, causing several trains to stop. Control-room controllers at Madrid's Atocha center then took over, authorising the movement of trains under alternative operating procedures.
A Renfe high-speed AVE train and an Iryo train were involved, with the AVE allowed to proceed while the Iryo remained stationary. Puente maintained Spain's railway remained safe, describing the situation as "tremendously exceptional". The collision resulted in a further issue when the Iryo was authorised to depart despite not being able to restart its system.
Control-room displays showed the positions of the trains throughout the incident. The AVE was carrying 379 passengers and seven crew members while the Iryo had 147 passengers and five crew aboard. Puente emphasized the sequence of decisions taken after the initial equipment failure.
Written by urgent.news from Spain in English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
