The Government is considering placing the first political response to the Urda railway tragedy in the presidency of Adif. According to ABC this Sunday, the Executive has decided on the replacement of Luis Pedro Marco de la Peña and is assessing the moment to announce it in order to contain the wear on Óscar Puente and Pedro Sánchez.
The information, which cites government sources, indicates that the minister of Transport’s departure remains ruled out for now, both through a resignation and through a dismissal. In that scenario, the replacement of the top official of the railway administrator would allow the Government to present a decision on responsibilities without changing the composition of the Executive.
ABC thus places the focus on an issue pending since the accident: how far the political measures announced by Sánchez will go and when they will be made concrete. The newspaper maintains that, in the case of the president of Adif, the discussion is now centered on the timetable.
A replacement pending a date to ease the pressure on Puente
According to the sources consulted by ABC, Moncloa and Transport are calculating the most convenient moment to announce the replacement of Marco de la Peña. «Not yet», is the response the newspaper collects regarding the execution of that move.
The operation would have, according to the information from Guirado, a political purpose: to offer a response to the demand for accountability over Urda and to prevent the pressure from continuing to rise toward the minister and the president of the Government.
The accident, with a provisional toll of 69 dead, has placed railway management and the continuity of its main officials under intense scrutiny. According to ABC, the sequence of the Urda and Adamuz tragedies in nine months explains why the Executive is studying which replacements to carry out, with what scope and at what moment.
The eventual removal of the president of Adif would be a political and management decision. By itself it would not establish the causes of the accident nor the technical or judicial responsibilities.
Puente expressed his confidence in Adif before the replacement plans became known
The information about the possible departure of Marco de la Peña comes after Puente publicly reaffirmed his support for the railway companies during his appearance on Friday.
«My confidence in Renfe and Adif is absolute», the minister declared, according to ABC. In that same intervention he added that «no one is infallible».
Both statements acquire another dimension in light of what was published by the newspaper: while public support remains, the government sources cited by ABC describe conversations about the replacement of the president of the railway administrator.
The newspaper also includes Marco de la Peña's response when he was asked about a possible resignation. «If the minister says that he is small in the project we represent, imagine me», he stated in an informal conversation with the journalist after the press conference.
Who is Luis Pedro Marco de la Peña, the president of Adif
Luis Pedro Marco de la Peña has held the presidency of Adif and Adif Alta Velocidad since September 2024. According to the profile published by ABC, his career combines experience in construction companies with responsibilities in the public management of infrastructure and transport.
An engineer specialized in infrastructure, he began his career in the construction sector and worked at companies such as Ferrovial, Amenabar, Exbasa and Balzola. In 2009 he went on to lead Euskal Trenbide Sarea, the railway infrastructure manager of the Basque Country.
After another stage in the private company, he was appointed vice councillor for Infrastructure and Transport of the Basque Government in 2020. Later he made the leap to the presidency of the entities in charge of administering a large part of Spanish railway infrastructure.
His position is different from that occupied by the management of Renfe: Adif administers infrastructure, while Renfe operates transport services. That separation helps explain why decisions on both presidencies may follow different timetables.
ABC also places the president of Renfe under scrutiny
The newspaper's information includes another name in the Executive's conversations: Álvaro Fernández Heredia, president of Renfe. However, ABC establishes a difference between both cases and points out that his departure is not being considered with the same immediacy as that of Marco de la Peña.
The newspaper highlights that Fernández Heredia attended Friday's appearance, but did not speak, and notes his absence of public statements since the accident. That observation is part of the newspaper's analysis and does not amount to a confirmation of his replacement.The scenario described by ABC therefore points to a phased response: keep Puente for now and concentrate the first move on Adif.