Spain's second high-speed rail disaster this year, in which one train struck another from behind, killing 69 people, has raised fresh concerns about the safety of the country's rail network ahead of a national election. The high-speed rail network has been considered one of Spain's crowning achievements. It is the world's second-largest, after China. Until this year, it had not experienced a deadly crash since coming into service over three decades ago. The reputation of the Spanish railways was already tarnished when in January 46 people died after one train jumped the track and slammed into the side of another going the opposite way in southern Spain. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged an investigation and improvements to restore trust in a rail system that carried 45 million travelers last year, including millions of tourists. Sanchez had hoped to leverage a wave of discontent over housing costs and high rents when he called for early elections on November 29. He now faces questions about the safety of the railways, along with criticism from right-wing parties of his liberal migration policies.