Spain's Transport Minister, Oscar Puente, has resigned over last week's deadly high-speed train crash near Urda, which killed 69 people — one of the worst railway disasters in Europe this century.
Puente announced his resignation on Tuesday, 3 November, at the end of a lengthy hearing before lawmakers, and also withdrew from the snap parliamentary election due on 29 November. The resignation is a fresh blow for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose government is heading into that early election in less than four weeks.
THE CRASH THAT FORCED THE DECISION
The crash happened on Wednesday, 28 October, outside the village of Urda, about 130 kilometres south of Madrid, on the Madrid-Seville high-speed line. A train operated by the state-owned company Renfe ran into the back of a stationary train belonging to the private operator Iryo. Around 200 people were also injured.
According to early findings reported from the investigation, an automatic safety system failed, halting several trains on a stretch of the line, and controllers in Madrid then authorised the Renfe service to resume its journey — after which it collided with the standing train.
Puente had repeatedly ruled out resigning since the accident. Announcing his decision, he said a transport minister could not stay in office after two accidents of such seriousness in less than a year, whether or not he bore direct responsibility. He said he had decided within minutes of learning of the tragedy, but stayed on until the emergency response was under way, preliminary investigations had begun, and the first steps on compensation and rail safety were in place.
TWO DISASTERS ON THE SAME LINE
The Urda crash was the second deadly accident on the same line this year. In January, a derailment near Adamuz killed 46 people. Together, the two disasters have claimed 115 lives in less than a year and badly shaken confidence in Spain's high-speed rail network, the world's second largest.
Before resigning, Puente laid out an emergency aid package worth 30 million euros for the victims' families and the injured, along with new safety measures. Services on the Madrid-Seville line will be reduced until the Railway Safety Agency reviews the line's safety system and the government completes the delayed rollout of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS).
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Puente's departure leaves Sanchez's government facing serious questions about rail safety just weeks before voters go to the polls on 29 November. The investigation into exactly how the Urda collision happened is still continuing, and the victims' families are still waiting for full answers — as well as for the aid package now promised to them.
For Spain, the resignation closes one chapter of a painful week, but the deeper questions about the safety of its flagship high-speed network remain open.
Sources: Reuters via The Express Tribune, Channel NewsAsia, Malay Mail, Mathrubhumi.
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ROMAN URDU VERSION:
Spain ke Transport Minister Oscar Puente ne guzishta haftay Urda ke qareeb honay walay train hadsay ke baad istifa de diya hai, jis mein 69 afraad halak hue thay — ye Europe ki is sadi ki badtareen railway aafaton mein se ek hai.
Puente ne 3 November ko lawmakers ke samne apne istifay ka elan kiya aur 29 November ko honay walay snap election se bhi apna naam wapas le liya. Ye Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez ki hukumat ke liye bara dhachka hai, jo chand hafton mein election ka samna kar rahi hai.
Hadsa 28 October ko Madrid se taqreeban 130 kilometre janub mein Urda ke qareeb hua, jab state company Renfe ki train private company Iryo ki khari train se takra gayi. Taqreeban 200 afraad zakhmi bhi hue. Ibtidai tehqiqat ke mutabiq safety system fail hone ke baad trains ruki thin, phir Madrid ke controllers ne train ko dobara chalne ki ijazat di, jis ke baad tasadum hua.
Ye isi line par is saal ka doosra mahlak hadsa hai — January mein Adamuz ke qareeb patri se utarne par 46 afraad halak hue thay. Istifay se pehle Puente ne mutasireen ke liye 30 million euro ke emergency aid package aur naye safety iqdamat ka elan kiya, aur Madrid-Seville line par services safety review mukammal honay tak kam rakhne ka faisla hua.
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