Puente says no decision yet on closing Madrid-Barcelona AVE after Urda crash

Closure idea back on the table

On Friday, 30 October, Óscar Puente told reporters that closing the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed line for about two years, to renew it completely, was under consideration. The idea came as critics questioned how renovation had been handled on the Andalusian corridor, following the Urda accident on 28 October and an earlier crash at Adamuz, Córdoba, in January. On Tuesday, 3 November, after the Council of Ministers, Puente said no decision had been taken and that the government was more inclined to keep trains running while the works go ahead. He acknowledged that his earlier remarks had been unclear and said he took the blame for the confusion.

“I did not explain myself well. I take the blame.”

Works, timing and the German example

The renewal aims to cut travel time between Madrid and Barcelona below two hours. Planned works include replacing the current sleepers with aerotraviesas, a Spanish-developed design patented by Adif that should allow top speeds of 350 km/h, and upgrading the ERTMS system from level 1 to level 2. New stations are also planned to redirect traffic flows. Puente said materials are still being acquired, and that a tender for the works would follow, at which point the closure question would have to be weighed. He pointed to the closure of the Berlin-Hamburg line, whose first month he described as horrible, as a discouraging precedent. He also said the government is in no case considering closing the Madrid-Seville line for safety reasons.

Aragon and Catalonia push back

Aragon's president, Jorge Azcón, wrote to Puente asking for the technical reports behind any full closure, a letter made public on Tuesday. He asked the reports to show unequivocally that the chosen formula guarantees passenger safety, and that a full closure follow if there are signs that safety cannot be guaranteed. Azcón argued that the line carries more than 14 million passengers a year and that conventional rail, buses and planes lack the capacity to absorb them during a two-year closure, so many trips would shift to private cars.

“We are talking about more than three million passengers a year in Aragon, whose right to fast and efficient mobility cannot be relegated to a second plane.”

Catalonia's president, Salvador Illa, said it is desirable for investment to affect service as little as possible, and he described Puente's remarks as a reflection rather than a decision. Sílvia Paneque, spokesperson for the Govern, backed Puente staying in office and said the Generalitat wants service maintained during works planned for early 2027, provided they can be carried out with full safety.

Resignation calls and the death toll

The Urda crash has been reported with 69 deaths, and the Adamuz accident in January with 46.

Urda (28 October)69

Adamuz (January)46

Urda (28 October)

69 deaths

Adamuz (January)

46 deaths

Data from the article text

The government approved an urgent aid plan worth 30 million euros for those affected, along with measures to reinforce safety on the high-speed service. The PP and Vox have demanded that Puente resign, and Ada Colau, now heading the Frente Amplio electoral candidacy, said he could present his resignation. Puente said he understood the arguments, accepted that Colau could ask for it, but rejected the demand from Alberto Núñez Feijóo. He said he had been at his post and had answered the crisis without hiding. Puente is also the PSOE candidate in Valladolid ahead of the general election on 29 November.