Spain's Transport Minister Oscar Puente fixates on Madrid Metro

Óscar Puente has turned the Madrid Metro into a recurring target of his posts, and his account blocks a good share of those who reply to him. The responses call him out over stalled trains, political gloating and his use of an official car.

## A minister who blocks and fires back

The Transport Minister keeps part of the users who reply to him on X blocked. That means his posts have to be reconstructed through other people's replies. The practice is nothing new in Spanish politics, but in an office that runs **Renfe** and the state-owned infrastructure it takes on a different weight.

His comments about the **Madrid Metro** are no longer a one-off. One user sums up the frustration in a blunt phrase: trains are stalled "day in and day out". The complaint cuts across party lines and political colours.

## The double-standard charge

The most repeated criticism is not about the service itself, but about his attitude. One user argues that it would be hard to find in any other country a **Transport Minister** who relishes how badly a public system runs just because the city is governed by a party other than his own. He calls it political pettiness.

Another post points to his use of the official vehicle: it asks whether the minister travels by public transport or with a chauffeur. The question of whether he practises what he preaches runs through almost every reply.

## Jokes and public office

Some call for restraint in tone. Jokes about certain matters, one user says, are best avoided when you hold a public office paid for by citizens who have experienced the service first-hand. In politics, irony comes at a price.

The **Madrid Metro** carried more than **600 million passengers** in 2023, according to figures from the regional government. It is the largest metro network in Spain. Criticising it from the Ministry that part-funds the system is not the same as doing so from an anonymous account.

## What remains of the debate

The row over the Metro blends with territorial politics and with the minister's personal style. None of the replies provides verified incident figures. The charge is one of attitude and double standards, not a technical report. Anyone looking for punctuality data will not find it here.