Feijóo Targets Sánchez and Puente Over the Urda Rail Crash

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Feijóo Targets Sánchez and Puente Over the Urda Rail Crash.

The rail crash in Urda in Spanish Toledo caused at least 69 deaths, according to El País and ABC. Alberto Núñez Feijóo therefore directed his criticism not only at the technical infrastructure, but directly at Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Transport Minister Óscar Puente. After meeting 15 experts in railway infrastructure and services in Genoa, the PP leader said: Whoever had failed to fulfill his duty had to answer for it.

Feijóo Turns the Crash Into a Question of Responsibility

The political attribution

According to ABC, Feijóo spoke directly about Sánchez and Puente on Friday after meeting a rail safety committee in Genoa. His argument was unequivocal: Whoever had failed to fulfill a task connected with rail safety had to bear the consequences. Whoever had appointed the person concerned and confirmed them in the position carried even greater responsibility.

His indictment therefore goes beyond those immediately responsible. It is also intended to reach the government, which treated the crash as an isolated incident. Feijóo said political responsibility would be clarified no later than the elections, which, according to his statement, would take place within a month.

The technical level forms the core of his criticism. El País reports that Feijóo criticized the “poor maintenance by the government” of Spain's high-speed rail network. He also pointed to an outdated safety system and accused the government of failing to renew it.

His criticism thus reaches beyond the day of the crash. In his account, the incident cannot be explained as a single error if maintenance, safety technology and oversight are not functioning. The political consequences are therefore expected to extend beyond the crash itself.

“Si no dimiten ellos, los dimitiremos en las urnas”

The sharpest warning

Feijóo's most unequivocal statement concerned the election campaign. If those responsible did not resign voluntarily, the PP would remove them through the ballot box. Reports say the wording was explicitly aimed at Sánchez and Puente.

“If they do not resign themselves, we will remove them in the elections.”

El País reports the threat in slightly more general terms: If those responsible did not resign themselves, they would be voted out in the elections. In both accounts, the core message remains the same. Feijóo turns the crash in Urda into an issue that is expected to have political consequences if, in his assessment, the government fails to act.

The counterattack against the government

Feijóo also referred to audio files which, according to his account, prove an error in the Adif control center at Atocha station. He criticized the government for wanting to hold an official responsible for eight years of negligent administration. He also recalled the Adamuz crash. At the time, according to his account, the consequences of a broken rail were concealed by major press conferences. Today, he said, a curtain was being drawn over a major administrative scandal in Spain's railways.

Speaking to Puente, Feijóo said that shutting one's eyes and pointing to a single person was not a solution when the errors were embedded in a chain. His criticism therefore went beyond a single name and targeted the system made up of several areas of responsibility.

15 Experts Brought Audits and Safety Priorities Into Play

The meeting in Genoa

The political appearance was not an isolated comment. According to ABC, Feijóo attended a meeting with a committee of rail safety experts in Genoa. El País gives the number of participants: 15 experts in infrastructure and rail services. Following the discussion, Feijóo incorporated their tasks and conclusions into his political argument.

The aim, according to ABC, was to regain the population's trust in Spain's infrastructure. According to Feijóo, this required time and a comprehensive audit of the administration of the entire rail network.

What is demanded in the worst-case scenario

Feijóo specified his safety priorities with three possible measures: not opening a line if safety requires it, reducing the speed or closing a line. He said he would make these decisions if they were necessary. He named safety, preservation and maintenance as overriding priorities.

The available reporting does not yet specify any concrete changes to maintenance standards or safety systems. Feijóo's political demand for accountability, his criticism of maintenance and outdated safety technology, and his proposal to audit the entire administration of the rail network are firmly documented. The precise cause of the crash and the individual points of failure are not fully detailed in the available reports.