Spain’s transport minister Óscar Puente has suggested that errors at a railway control centre may have contributed to the recent Toledo train crash, but rejected calls for his resignation.
According to The Guardian, Puente said preliminary evidence pointed to a possible failure at rail infrastructure operator Adif’s command and control centre, although investigations remain ongoing.
“At present, evidence points to a failure within Adif’s command and control centre,” he said, adding that investigators were working “to clarify what exactly happened.”
Puente explained that six trains initially stopped because of a communications failure. Automatic safety systems halted the trains correctly, but they later resumed moving following manual instructions from the operations centre.
He said investigators would examine whether proper safety procedures were followed.
The minister confirmed that a 48-year-old control centre operator, who had the required training and experience, had been suspended.
However, Puente defended the railway’s safety systems, describing signalling failures as “not uncommon” and insisting that the network remained reliable.
He also rejected suggestions that control centres were understaffed.
Facing pressure to resign, Puente said his immediate responsibility was to establish what happened and prevent another accident.
“My duty now is not to discuss my position, but to resolve the problem,” he said.
