Spain's transport minister resigns after deadly high-speed train crash

In short: 

Spain's Transport Minister has announced his resignation, six days after a deadly high-speed train collision that killed 69. 

Two Australians have been identified among 15 foreign nationals killed.

Authorities have shut down search operations and returned the remains of 59 people to their families.

Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente has announced he is stepping down, six days after a high-speed train collision south of Madrid killed 69 people.

The Communications Office of the High Court of Justice of Castilla-La Mancha confirmed two Australians were among 15 foreign nationals killed in last week's deadly collision.

Spanish authorities said the search for other possible fatalities at the site was closed and the provisional toll remained unchanged.  

According to authorities, all 69 people have been identified and their families or relevant consulates notified. 

The remains of 59 people have been returned to their families.

Mr Puente announced his resignation, noting it was the second deadly collision this year on Spain's extensive high-speed rail network.

"A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year," Mr Puente said.

The October 28 crash took place when a high-speed train slammed into another that had stopped on the tracks.

The chain of events that led to disaster started when the communication system key to the functioning of the security system on the Madrid-Seville line went down.

Central controllers in Madrid took over and gave the go-ahead for a state-operated Renfe high-speed train to proceed, even though there was a stationary train ahead operated by the company Iryo.

It was the second major crash on the Madrid-Seville line this year.

In January, more than two hours further south along the route, a train derailed and struck another travelling in the opposite direction, killing 46 people. That crash remains under investigation.

Mr Puente said he had decided to resign immediately after the deadly crash, but had not made it public.

The collisions have raised fresh concerns about the safety of the country's rail network, and the most recent crash came four weeks before a national election.

Spain's high-speed rail network has been considered one of the country's crowning achievements. 

It is the world's second-largest, after China's. 

Until this year, it had not experienced a deadly crash since coming into service more than three decades ago.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Puente announced safety measures the government would implement on the rail network, including improving conditions in control centres and pushing for a faster rollout of the standardised European Rail Traffic Management System for safety and signalling.