The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has explained that the resignation of the former Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, is due to a gesture of empathy toward the victims and the aim of recovering the "shattered" trust in high-speed rail, after the two serious rail accidents recorded in Spain in less than a year.
In a statement to the media after concluding the XXX Ibero-American Summit, Sánchez emphasized that Óscar Puente was with those affected by the Urda accident (Toledo) from the "very first minute," "also putting himself on the line with total transparency" and launching an investigation to clarify the origins and causes of the tragedy.
He also highlighted that Puente, after proposing solutions supported by the "criterion and technical rigor," assumed political responsibility and submitted his resignation. "He said he did it out of empathy with the victims and also with a clear purpose of rebuilding that shattered trust in high-speed rail in Spain," the president stressed.
The head of the Executive has reiterated that the country cannot afford to chain two rail accidents of this magnitude—Adamuz and Urda—in less than a year. "It is something we, logically, have to review, and it is what the Government of Spain is doing right now," Sánchez pointed out.
In this context, he recalled that it will now be the First Vice President and Minister of Economy, Carlos Cuerpo, who will take charge of the management of "this important portfolio" until the holding of the general elections on November 29.