Spanish rail infrastructure chief steps down after Toledo train crash

Luis Pedro Marco de la Peña, president of Adif, the body responsible for Spain's rail infrastructure, has handed his resignation to the country's new transport minister, Carlos Cuerpo. The move follows last week's train crash near Urda, in the province of Toledo, which claimed 69 lives. Adif is also in charge of rail signaling and traffic control, and it has come under intense scrutiny since the disaster.

How the resignation emerged

Local media were the first to report De la Peña's decision. A Spanish government official later confirmed it in a text message.

Change at the ministry

The resignation is the first notable action of Cuerpo's tenure. He took over the transport ministry after his predecessor, Oscar Puente, resigned on Tuesday night. Puente left following a marathon hearing before the Permanent Deputation of Spain's Congress, at which both allies and opponents urged him to step down.