Two top Spanish officials have resigned after ordering trains that are too wide for the rail tunnels in northern Spain. The trains will now be delivered in 2026, two years later than planned.
The train network in the northern regions of Asturias and Cantabria dates back to the 19th century. The railway tunnels are narrower than the more modern versions and too narrow for the new batch of trains.
The ordered trains would cost 260 million euros, but according to the Spanish government, the error was discovered early enough to prevent a financial debacle.
The head of the Spanish railway company Renfe and the Secretary of State for Transport have resigned because of the blunder. Earlier this month, the Spanish Ministry of Transport already fired a manager of Renfe and the chief railway technology of railway manager Adif because of the miss.
Renfe and Adif have launched a joint investigation to find out how things could go so wrong.
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