Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had hoped to capitalize on public anger sparked by the eviction of an elderly woman from her home shortly before her death to strengthen his chances of re-election in an early vote. However, Wednesday’s deadly train crash dealt a major blow to his campaign.
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The accident, which occurred in the province of Toledo, killed 68 people. It came just nine months after another fatal accident on the same railway line, prompting experts and members of the public to accuse Sanchez’s government of failing to invest sufficiently in railway infrastructure after years of rapid expansion of the network.
Oscar, a 24-year-old man who declined to give his surname, said at Madrid’s Atocha railway station on Wednesday: “If we were afraid to take trains before, our fear is now much greater... Every time we think things cannot get any worse, something new happens. We need a radical change.”
Speaking from the scene of the crash on Wednesday, Sanchez said the “terrible tragedy” would be investigated and pledged to address any shortcomings identified by the inquiry.
“If we need to strengthen safety measures further to restore confidence in the high-speed rail network, we will do so, because it is unacceptable for a country like Spain to experience two high-speed train accidents within one year,” he said.
Sanchez, who had trailed his rivals in most opinion polls, had recently begun showing signs of regaining some political momentum after a government-backed CIS poll in October showed his party in the lead, just weeks before the election scheduled for November 29.
The death of Maricarmen Abascal, who was evicted from a home where she had lived for more than 70 years, sparked widespread protests across Spain and pushed the housing crisis to the forefront of political debate, at a time when opinion polls show it is among the top concerns of most Spaniards.
The public anger following Abascal’s death, which prompted Sanchez to call an early election on October 5, had offered him an opportunity to shift media attention away from his government’s handling of the migrant crisis that affected the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa during the summer.
Right-wing parties and security agencies accused the ruling Socialist Party of failing to invest adequately in border infrastructure despite repeated warnings from workers there.
No Room for a “Record of Achievements” Campaign
The 54-year-old Sanchez has presented himself as a candidate for progress, facing the possibility of the far right returning to government for the first time since the death of dictator Francisco Franco.
So far, Sanchez’s campaign has been characterized by optimism and positive messaging. He has appeared in interviews on popular culture programs and podcasts as his party seeks to mobilize millions of undecided left-wing voters and encourage them to turn out at the polls.
“I don’t think a message focused on boasting about achievements... has any place right now, and I expect it will be a long time before we see a return to that tone,” said Paco Camas, public affairs director at polling firm Ipsos.
Camas said this week’s crash would force the campaign to adopt a more serious and somber tone.
Sanchez’s opponents quickly called for accountability, stressing that they would not allow mourning to become an excuse to silence their criticism.
“The pain does not oblige us to remain silent. Calm does not mean silence... Spaniards will ask urgent questions that deserve answers,” said Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the conservative People’s Party.
He pledged to conduct a comprehensive review of the railway network if he comes to power.
Protesters Gather in Madrid
Hundreds of protesters, most of them supporters of the far-right, gathered outside Spain’s Transport Ministry on Wednesday evening, calling for Sanchez to resign. One participant held a sign reading: “Spain cannot take any more.”
“This government has destroyed everything without exception, including infrastructure,” far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal said at a protest rally on Wednesday.
“We will not allow them to exploit the mourning we all share, and the anger, pain and frustration we feel, to silence our condemnation of what is happening in Spain for even one second,” he added.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente, meanwhile, rejected claims at a news conference on Wednesday that Spain’s railway network was unsafe, saying it was “reliable and safe... within the limits imposed by the nature of the equipment and human factors, as is the case with any other means of transport.”
Growing Distrust in Rail Services
Sanchez has long touted Spain’s high-speed rail network, which stretches for 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) and is the second-largest of its kind in the world after China’s, as one of his government’s political achievements. The network could now become a political liability.
Opinion polls conducted by Spanish media in January, following the previous fatal train accident, showed that 57% of respondents believed rail services had deteriorated since Sanchez took office, while around 60% said they had little or no confidence in Spain’s railway system.
According to Spain’s Transport Ministry, the investigation into the previous accident is still underway after an initial report indicated that a rail fracture may have occurred before the train derailed.
Data from Spain’s competition authority showed that use of high-speed trains, which reached record levels in 2024 and 2025, fell by 15% in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente declined on Wednesday to say whether he would resign, saying that now was “not the time to talk about himself.”
