The candidate of Frente Amplio and former mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, has expressed her recognition to the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, for the "dignity of this difficult gesture" after announcing this Tuesday at the Permanent Deputation her resignation from the post, and has insisted on the need to keep moving forward on agreements and concrete measures.
"I want to thank Óscar Puente for the dignity of this difficult gesture. I’m sure it is a step forward to recover the trust in the train that our country deserves. Now it’s our turn to move forward on agreements and measures. State Pact, funding and public service", she said in a message on 'X', collected by Europa Press.
Later, in an interview on 'La noche en 24 horas', Colau has emphasized that the resignation of the now former Minister of Transport has "made the difference" compared to the attitude of the right. "The right has never resigned and the right clearly wanted to use Óscar Puente to campaign", the former mayor stressed.
Along these lines, she pointed out that, after two deadly incidents in Spanish high-speed rail, this "is no longer about names" or "about positions", but about "guaranteeing the right to mobility".
Reactions from Frente Amplio and Movimiento Sumar
The head of the list of Frente Amplio to the Congress for Madrid, Emilio Delgado, has considered that Óscar Puente has "fulfilled his duty" and "left with dignity", and has demanded that "all the focus" be placed on recovering "investment, dignity and trust" for "our railways, our administration and our country".
In the same vein, the co-coordinator of Movimiento Sumar and candidate for Frente Amplio, Verónica Barbero, has also wanted to show her recognition to the former minister, highlighting his "commitment", the "information" and the "responsibility" of Óscar Puente. "Citizens and victims deserve gestures like this," she wrote on the social network 'Bluesky'.
Barbero has also addressed "those who must answer for the Ventorro, Angrois, the residences in Madrid and screenings in Andalusia", while demanding that work be done "for a strong public railway and a State Pact".
Montero appeals to social consensus and renationalization
The Podemos candidate, Irene Montero, has stated on 'Hora 25' on Cadena Ser that it was "very difficult" for Puente not to submit his resignation because there was "social" and "political" "consensus", and has placed the debate on "guaranteeing" the "security" and the "proper functioning of the railway system".
Therefore, he has defended resorting to article 128 of the Constitution to "recover public control" and "renationalize" the sector after the "privatizations" and "failed liberalization," "as in the United Kingdom." "This is the core of the matter and what we have to address urgently".
In this regard, he argued that, if the railway system is left in the hands of private companies, "everyone understands" that "they are going to be more concerned with doing business" than with "investing what has to be invested and guaranteeing what has to be guaranteed so that there is no more accident".
Regarding Puente’s departure, he pointed out that "in these days" after the Urda (Toledo) accident, it became "evident" that "socially" there was "a broad consensus" that "he should resign" and "assume political responsibility".
IU criticizes the liberalization of the railway
The federal coordinator of Izquierda Unida, Antonio Maíllo, highlighted that Puente’s resignation "makes it possible to open a new stage in railway policy".
"Assuming responsibilities is part of the exercise of a public office and we have to normalize it. Resigning is also an act of consistency," Maíllo said on his social media, emphasizing that the priority is to clarify what happened in Urda, support the victims, and "guarantee that it does not happen again".
In his view, the liberalization of the railway system "has been a mistake," so he has called for reversing privatizations, strengthening maintenance tasks, and increasing investment in staff.
In similar terms, the coordinator of IU Andalucía, Toni Valero, stated that "there are no excuses" for avoiding the debate on models: "Either strengthen the State or take out the chainsaw, either back the public sector or liberalize to do business".
In addition, he stressed that Puente’s resignation is "the right thing" and a "show of respect for the victims".
Óscar Puente announced his resignation this Tuesday at the Diputación Permanente, a decision adopted after the railway tragedy in Urda (Toledo), in which at least 69 people lost their lives.