Spain's new transport minister, Carlos Cuerpo, accepted the resignation of Adif president Luis Pedro Marco de la Peña on Wednesday, his first day in the role.

The move came 24 hours after former transport minister Óscar Puente resigned. Puente stepped down following two deadly high-speed train crashes. On October 28, an AVE train carrying 397 passengers struck a stationary Iryo train near Urda in Toledo, killing 69 people. A crash near Adamuz in Córdoba in January killed 46.

Marco de la Peña submitted his resignation during a meeting with Cuerpo on Wednesday afternoon. He had already informed Puente of his intention to leave after the Urda tragedy. Earlier that day, he presided over a routine Adif board meeting without announcing his departure.

Cuerpo, who is also Spain's first vice president and economy minister, accepted the resignation. He thanked Marco de la Peña for his work. In a television interview, Cuerpo called the decision "acertada" (right). He rejected that it was a dismissal.

Marco de la Peña was appointed Adif president in September 2024 by Puente. He replaced Ángel Contreras, who was dismissed after being implicated in the 'Koldo case'. Before joining Adif, Marco de la Peña served as vice-counselor for infrastructure in the Basque government and directed the Basque rail network.

The Adif board meeting on Wednesday approved financing agreements with the state. It also approved a 50 percent increase in investment over five years, reaching almost 19,000 million euros. The board also approved a collective agreement with rail unions signed in February after the Adamuz crash.

Workers and unions had demanded Adif be placed under the supervision of the State Railway Safety Agency. The main union, CCOO, had called for Marco de la Peña's resignation in February.

Rail unions had initiated procedures to call a strike on November 17. One reason cited for the leadership change was to persuade unions to cancel the walkout. The strike would have fallen during the election campaign ahead of the November 29 general election.

Cuerpo will hold the transport portfolio temporarily. He will serve until a new government is formed after the November 29 elections. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the arrangement on Wednesday.