Six days after the high-speed train accident that left scores injured and at least 69 dead, Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente resigned.
After testifying about the incident that occurred last Wednesday in the town of Urda, south of the capital Madrid, in which a train collided with the rear of another that had halted on the same line, he made his decision before Congress.In relation to the collision in January, he stated, “A transport minister in a nation like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year.”
After outlining new train safety measures and being questioned by the opposition at a congressional session on Tuesday nite, Puente made his choice.
He said that he had decided to step down right away following the October 28 tragedy, but he had kept it a secret.
Following the catastrophe, Puente faced increasing pressure from opposition parties and some government supporters to resign.
Signalling Failure Linked to Train Crash
A train operated by state-owned Renfe with 397 passengers and a halted train operated by private operator Iryo with 147 passengers were involved in the accident last Wednesday.
All trains had to stop on the impacted section due to a reported computer malfunction with the automated signaling system.
Conversations between train drivers and a control center just minutes before the accident were exposed by leaked audio recordings that were quickly released in Spanish media.
In one, the driver of the Renfe train, which was experiencing some mechanical issues, is conversing with a control center operator.
Train Control Errors Raise Crash Concerns
Following a few conversations, the driver is instructed by the control operator to “continue your journey and then proceed under [Lateral Signaling Block], at normal speed with normal operation.”
“At normal speed?” is the driver’s response. The controller responds, “Yes.”
When the automatic signaling or data transmission system malfunctions, the Lateral Signaling Block serves as a backup.
In a another audio clip, the driver of the halted Iryo train claims that there is no longer any connection with the train-control system and that the train is not moving.
The driver reports that the train “is stationary in front of the entry signal at Urda” to the control center operator.
