Madrid (AFP) - The Spanish Government will work "tirelessly" to "regain the trust of citizens" in the national high-speed train network, after two fatal train accidents that occurred in less than a year, Transport Minister Óscar Puente said this Tuesday.

First modification: 03/11/2026 - 17:45

"We must therefore recognize, and we do, the seriousness of the situation and therefore we commit to working tirelessly to achieve and regain the trust of citizens in high speed," Puente said at a press conference after a council of ministers.

The minister, who has refused to resign after the collision last Wednesday of two high-speed trains that left 69 dead in Urda, announced an "extraordinary plan to reinforce high-speed safety", as well as a series of aid for survivors and the families of the victims.

"The terrible accidents that have occurred in the Madrid-Seville corridor show us the urgent need to reinforce said system and improve its action protocols," said Puente, referring to last week's accident and another that occurred in January in Andalusia and left 46 dead.

"From now on, all decisions made in a control center, when they do not have the help of automatic blocking systems, (...) will be supervised and must be validated by at least a second controller," he added.

According to the first elements of the investigation, the Urda tragedy began with a computer breakdown that forced several trains to stop, after which an erroneous order was given from the control center in Madrid for one of the trains to resume running at normal speed.

That train would have hit another detainee "at a speed that is estimated between 160 and 200 km/h," according to a first information note from the independent authority that investigates these accidents.

The minister announced the temporary "reduction" of train frequency in that corridor between Madrid and Andalusia, the first to be opened in Spain, in 1992, for high-speed trains.

Puente assured that the Executive will "improve the working conditions of the controllers and reinforce the workforce", days after a strike by the main train drivers union (Semaf), which demanded more personnel and progress in railway safety.

Semaf has called a new strike on November 10 and 12 in the second most visited country in the world.

A general strike is planned for November 11, three weeks before the early legislative elections on November 29.

© 2026 AFP

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