New transport minister rules out closing high-speed rail service between Barcelona and Madrid

Carlos Cuerpo, who took over as Spain’s transport minister following the resignation of Óscar Puente earlier this week, ruled out any plans to suspend high-speed rail service between Barcelona and Madrid. 

Closing the link over safety fears was a possibility his predecessor, Óscar Puente, had raised. 

"There are no plans to close the line," Cuerpo said in an interview with La Séptima the day after taking charge of the Transport portfolio. "I want to make that clear right now."

Cuerpo said the goal is to ensure safety and "restore confidence" in the railway system after the fatal accident in Urda, guided by recommendations from "those on the ground," from train drivers and Adif operators to ticket inspectors.

He said there is "room" before the elections on November 29 to bring "significant reforms" to the railway system before the Permanent Deputation, the committee that acts for Congress when it is not in session.

One option under consideration, Cuerpo said, is to reduce train speeds. 

"Whether it takes ten minutes more or ten minutes less is secondary, right now, we are in the phase of restoring confidence," he said.

He added that the necessary measures are being taken to strengthen safety across the high-speed network. He also announced that Adif secured funding for maintenance investments over the next five years, a 50% increase over the level of investment in recent years.

On potential support in the event of line closures, Cuerpo said that if the measures have economic consequences, their impact must be minimized. But he said the "number one priority" is to ensure safety and restore the trust lost over the last few weeks and months.

Cuerpo met with train drivers' unions Thursday and is due to meet with workers' representatives again Friday, as part of negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement to call off the planned strikes.