Spain's transport minister rejects resignation talk as union and protesters demand accountability for Toledo train crash

Since Wednesday's collision near Urda in Toledo province, which has killed at least 68 people, the story in Spain has shifted from rescue to blame. The government has announced three days of national mourning beginning Thursday, and the argument over who made the fatal call is now a political fight.

The minister, the union and the street

Transport Minister Óscar Puente has said a computer failure knocked out the LZB safety system on a 63-kilometer stretch of the Madrid-Seville line and automatically halted trains. The state-owned infrastructure manager Adif then took manual control, he said, and let a Renfe high-speed train proceed past a red signal into a stationary Iryo train. Puente called the order "inexplicable."

The CSIF union answered by demanding that Puente resign. It accused him of using an Adif employee as a scapegoat instead of "assuming his responsibilities," and asked the government to respect the investigation and the presumption of innocence of Adif's head of traffic.

CSIF also said it warned in September about excessive working hours in Adif's schedules. It is calling for more spending on maintenance, network upgrades and safety.

Puente has declined to say whether he will step down. "In this moment, I am not thinking about resigning, I am not in an emotional situation to think about that," he said.

On Wednesday night, about 500 demonstrators gathered outside the Transport Ministry in Madrid. Some threw bottles and flares at police, who used tear gas to push the crowd back. Signs read "Leave!", "Criminals" and "Corruption kills."

ElDiario.es reported that the far-right groups Falange and Revuelta organized the protest. Falange spokesman Federico Campanero told the crowd: "How many more people have to die before we throw these murderers and traitors out of our institutions?" Vox and its affiliated union Solidaridad held a separate rally at Plaza de Cibeles, with a minute of silence. It ended without major incidents.

What the investigation is looking at

Investigators are focused on the roughly 17 minutes between the trains being halted and the impact. Spanish media reported that the traffic controller involved was questioned Wednesday afternoon.

Audio recordings obtained by El País suggest controllers broke safety protocols. According to that reporting, a controller told the Renfe AVE train to resume normal speed without confirming the track ahead was clear, instead of holding it to 40 km/h as required. The recordings also indicate the driver of the stationary Iryo train warned repeatedly that the AVE was approaching, and controllers failed to stop it before impact.

The Civil Guard is using drones to build a 3D reconstruction of the site. More than 500 emergency personnel were deployed, the Interior Ministry said.

Iryo has pushed back on part of Puente's account. The company denies his claim that its driver had received orders from Adif to get underway before the Renfe train hit her train from behind. Puente's version and Iryo's now conflict on that point.

Politics a month before an election

Sánchez said "the whole of Spain is grieving" and promised that "if there has been any negligence, it will come to light." He said it is "unacceptable for a country like Spain to suffer two high-speed rail accidents in the same year."

Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the People's Party demanded an immediate investigation and an independent review of the railway network. "Spain has the right to know what is happening with its infrastructure, what condition the tracks and safety systems are in," he said.

The crash comes less than ten months after a January 18 collision near Adamuz, in Córdoba province, that killed more than 40 people. A commuter train near Barcelona derailed days later. The election is set for November 29. Most parties suspended campaigning after the crash, but Vox kept holding rallies.

The SEMAF drivers' union had called a Renfe strike for Oct. 29 to protest the failure to improve safety conditions after Adamuz. Renfe has suspended service on the Madrid-Andalusia line while the investigation proceeds.

Two questions remain open. Who gave the order to release the Renfe train, and on what information? And does the answer point to one controller or to a system that was running understaffed and overworked? Puente says the order was inexplicable. CSIF says the system around the order deserves scrutiny too. The inquiry's findings will arrive with the election about a month away.