Pedro Sánchez says trust in high-speed rail is broken after Urda crash
Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez said trust in high-speed rail had been broken after the Urda collision, which killed at least 69 and injured more than 100. People’s Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo called Sánchez and Transport Minister Óscar Puente politically responsible and demanded their resignations. Puente offered to leave, but Sánchez rejected it as unfair, according to Puente’s entourage.
More context
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Friday that “trust in high-speed rail has been broken” after Wednesday’s train collision in Urda, Toledo, which killed at least 69 people and injured more than 100. The crash has become a political issue ahead of Spain’s Nov. 29 general election. People’s Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said the PP held Sánchez and Transport Minister Óscar Puente “politically responsible” for both rail crashes. He called for both to resign, saying the party would remove them at the ballot box if they did not. Feijóo also demanded Sánchez leave office before the election. According to an account from Puente’s entourage, the minister offered his post to Sánchez, who rejected the departure as “unfair.” The PP’s suggestion that Puente was a “fuse” shielding Sánchez was its interpretation, not an established government strategy.
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Reporting
- Demócrata — Why is Feijóo calling for Sánchez’s resignation if the elections are in a month? | Demócrata
- Demócrata — The decisive bridge of Óscar Puente: Sánchez buys time amid polls, internal pressure and the test of Congress
- irishtimes.com — Spain’s trust in high-speed rail is broken after second deadly crash, says Pedro Sánchez – The Irish Times
Verifier’s note
The Irish Times reports that the deadly crash has prompted political accountability demands and comes as Sánchez’s coalition faces a forecast defeat in the coming election. Demócrata reports calls for Sánchez’s resignation over the accident and that Moncloa is gauging its electoral impact; these reports are dated October 30–31, 2026, so they are timely.