The Spanish Transport Minister today reiterated that a failure at the high-speed train control centre appears to have caused this week's accident, in which at least 69 people died, and refused to resign.
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30/10/2026
by
Lusa
O spain's Transport Minister today reiterated that a failure at the high-speed train control centre seems to have caused this week's accident, in which at least 69 people died, and refused to resign.
The control center was operating at the time of the Wednesday accident in Urda, Toledo, under circumstances of “absolute normality” and with 16 controllers in the room, said Oscar Puente, at a Madrid press conference.
The minister pointed out that in the control rooms there are “screens and various systems” that allow to locate the trains that are on the roads and all “these systems have worked”, in addition to establishing working protocols.
According to the Spanish government and recordings of communications with the control centre, the driver of one of the trains received wrong indications from an operator, who did not comply with the protocols established for the situation in which he was located, eventually colliding more than 180 kilometres per hour in another composition that was stopped on the same line.
The two trains, which made the connection between Madrid and Seville, had been stopped due to the failure of the automatic control system of circulation, due to problems of communications between equipment.
The failure of this system, known as LZB, causes the trains to stop automatically and the circulation is coordinated by a control centre.
The control centre instructed the trains to proceed with “normal march”, that is, at high speed, following the wrong protocol for this situation, according to experts and the government itself.
In addition, the control center did not then stop the train behind it even though the other one informed him that he could not start.
As the minister said today, the fall or failure of the LZB rail system is relatively frequent and usual and only in 2026 has it happened 170 times, a number that has ensured that it is “within European normality” and “very stable in the last six or seven years”.
On the other hand, in response to questions from journalists, as well as statements by trade unions and workers from the public company Adif, which manages Spanish railway infrastructure and manages train traffic control centres, has ensured that the ‘control’ personnel framework has grown by 60% since 2018, in addition to ‘technological improvements’.
Oscar Puente also said that the time of two years of training and minimal experience for a person to be an operator in the control centre is “regulated by law” and follows procedures audited by the European railway agency.
He explained that he is 48 years old and has several experience in control centres. In addition, “he knew the sector well” in which this accident occurred.
The minister confirmed, on the other hand, that in an incidence such as this week an operator is not left alone and there are at least two people “at the table” of management, including a supervisor.
About the opposition's requests to resign, the minister considered that this is not the time to talk about its continuity in office, but to “face”, clarify what happened, explain and find solutions, ensuring that this is also what the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, asked him.
Oscar Puente also assured that he will not “hide behind anyone” or “use a worker as a shield”, referring to the operator of the control center who instructed the drivers.
This week's crash in Urda was the second with high-speed trains this year in Spain, after 46 pesos died in January in a collision in Adamuz, Córdoba.
Pedro Sánchez recognized today that there is a “break of trust” in the Spanish high-speed railway network, the second largest in the world, and that two accidents of this magnitude are not acceptable in less than a year.
The leader of the opposition and the People's Party (PP, right) considered on Thursday that political responsibilities must be assumed.
Several parties have requested the resignation of the Minister of Transport in recent days and asked Sánchez what the consequences of not being acceptable for Spain to have two of these accidents in less than a year.