Spain’s deadly train crash adds new complication to Sanchez’s re-election campaign

MADRID – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had hoped to ride a wave of public anger over the eviction of an octogenarian, who later died, to win re-election in a snap election, but the deadly train crash on Oct 28 has dealt a serious blow to his campaign.

The accident in Toledo province killed 68 people and came just nine months after another deadly crash on the same line, leading to accusations from experts and the public of underinvestment in railway infrastructure under Sanchez’s government after years of rapid network expansion.

Oscar, a 24-year-old who declined to give his last name, said at Madrid’s Atocha station on Oct 28: “If we were scared of taking trains before, now we’re even more so... Just when you think nothing else could possibly go wrong, something new happens. There needs to be major change.”

At the accident site on Oct 28, Sanchez said the “terrible tragedy” would be investigated and pledged to address any failures that came to light.

“If we need to further strengthen safety in order to rebuild confidence in our high-speed rail system, we will do so, because it is unacceptable for a country like Spain to suffer two high-speed rail accidents in the same year,” he said.

Sanchez, who had been trailing in most opinion polls, had appeared to be gaining some traction, with an October survey by state-run pollster CIS showing his party ahead with just weeks to go to the Nov 29 election.

The death of Maricarmen Abascal, who was evicted from her home of more than 70 years, sparked widespread protests across Spain, focusing political attention on a housing crisis that is cited in polls as the top priority for most Spaniards.

The outcry over Abascal, which led Sanchez to call for a snap election on Oct 5, was an opportunity to divert media attention from his government’s handling of a migrant crisis in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta this summer.

Right-wing parties and security forces had accused the Socialists of underinvestment in border infrastructure despite repeated warnings from staff.

No room for ‘triumphalist rhetoric’

Sanchez, 54, has pitched himself as the candidate representing progress instead of a return by the far right to government for the first time since the death of dictator Francisco Franco.

He has so far run a positive, upbeat campaign, giving interviews on pop culture talk shows and podcasts as his party attempts to mobilise millions of undecided left-leaning voters to the polls.

“I don’t think that triumphalist rhetoric... has any place right now, and I suspect it will be a long time before we see that kind of attitude return,” said Paco Camas, public affairs director at pollster Ipsos.

This week’s crash will force a shift towards a more sombre tone, Camas said.

Sanchez’s opponents immediately called for accountability and said they would not be silenced by mourning.

“Pain does not oblige us to keep quiet. Serenity is not silence... Spaniards will ask urgent questions which deserve answers,” said Alberto Nunez Feijoo, president of the conservative People’s Party, promising a full review of the network if he came into power.

Protesters gather in Madrid

On the evening of Oct 28, hundreds of mostly far-right demonstrators gathered in front of Spain’s Transport Ministry to call for Sanchez’s resignation, with one carrying a banner emblazoned with the words, “Spain can’t take it anymore”.

“This government has destroyed absolutely everything, including infrastructure,” said Santiago Abascal, the leader of far-right Vox at a rally that day. “We will not let them use the mourning we share, the anger, pain and indignation, to silence even for a second the condemnation of what is happening in Spain.”

Transport Minister Oscar Puente rejected allegations in a press conference on Oct 28 that Spain’s railway system was dangerous, stating it was “reliable and safe... with the limits of the material itself and of human action, as is the case with any form of transport”.

No trust in rail services

Sanchez once touted the country’s 4,000km high-speed rail system – the world’s second-largest after China’s – as a political asset, though it may now become a liability.

Polls in Spanish media conducted in January after the last fatal crash showed 57% perceived a worsening of rail services since Sanchez came into office and nearly 60% stated they had little or no trust in Spain’s railway system.

An investigation into the cause of that accident is still under way, according to Spain’s Transport Ministry, with a preliminary report identifying a fracture in the rail which appeared to have occurred prior to the derailment.

High-speed rail use, which had broken records in 2024 and 2025, fell 15% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, data from Spain’s competition authority showed.

Puente declined to say on Oct 28 whether he would step down, stating it was “not the time” to talk about himself. REUTERS