On 3 November the minister left his post and the PSOE list for Valladolid after the Urda accident; a day later Sánchez entrusted the ministry to the first deputy prime minister until a new government is formed. What happened and what remains to be done.
On Tuesday 3 November 2026 Óscar Puente announced that he was leaving the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility and would not stand in the general election of 29 November. He did so at the end of an appearance of more than four hours before the Permanent Committee of Congress, which he had requested himself in order to explain the Urda accident (Toledo), in which 69 people died on 28 October.
“A transport minister cannot stay in office with two serious accidents in less than a year,” said Puente, who also referred to the Adamuz accident (Córdoba), with 46 deaths in January. He explained that he had taken the decision in the first moments and was making it public once the most urgent work was done: the first inquiries and the care of the victims.
The handover
On Wednesday 4 November, in an institutional statement at La Moncloa, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accepted the resignation “with gratitude and respect” and announced that he would not appoint a new minister. With three and a half weeks to go before the election, the first deputy prime minister and Minister of Economy, Trade and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, will take charge of the department on a temporary basis, by royal decree.
The assignment will last until the government that emerges from the election is appointed. Sánchez asked him to continue the reforms, look after those affected and restore normal high-speed service. Before resigning, Puente had presented measures such as a temporary reduction in frequencies, double supervision of traffic decisions when automatic systems fail and the modernisation of control tools.
What happens with the Valladolid list
The resignation came on the same day that the Official State Gazette (BOE) published the proclaimed candidacies, and they can no longer be changed. Under the Organic Law on the General Electoral System, withdrawals after proclamation are deemed covered by the next candidates on the list. That is why Puente will still appear on the PSOE ballot papers for Valladolid, even though he will not take the seat. Next on the list is the Minister for Equality, Ana Redondo.
What the Council of Ministers approved
Hours earlier, the Council of Ministers had approved the royal decree-law on aid for the Urda victims, worth €30 million: 15 million in direct aid and 15 million in advances on civil liability insurance compensation. In the event of death, the aid is €72,121.46 and the advance is the same amount; for injuries, the sums range from €2,404 to €84,141 depending on severity. The aid is tax-exempt and compatible with insurance.
The law also treats sick leave arising from the accident as a workplace accident, and caps the prices of transport alternatives to the train and of certain accommodation while the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line remains closed. Puente had denounced prices eight and nine times higher than in the days before the accident.
What is worth reviewing
The judicial investigation remains open and the causes of the accident have not yet been established. For companies that depend on the corridor to Andalusia, the practical step is to follow the notices on the resumption of service and on frequencies, which will be lower for a time, and to plan alternatives for travel and shipments. Anyone with employees affected by the accident should know that their sick leave counts as a workplace accident.
The royal decree-law must be validated by Congress within 30 days, a function that, with Parliament dissolved, falls to the Permanent Committee.
The resignation closes a political chapter; rail safety remains the unfinished task.
This article is general information. It is not legal, tax or investment advice, and it does not take anyone’s particular circumstances into account.
