In Spain, a deputy minister and the president of the public company that manages the railway service (Renfe) were forced to resign for having ordered dozens of trains too big to pass through the tunnels in which they were supposed to be used.
A waste of almost 260 million euros that has not been forgiven to Isabel Pardo de Vera, the deputy minister of Transport, and Isaias Taboas, the president of Renfe.
The convoys ordered were supposed to operate in Asturias and Cantabria, mountain areas where the railway tunnels – built in the 19th century – are narrower than current standards.
In 2020 Renfe decided to purchase 31 trains for a cost of 258 million euros: an order commissioned from the CAF company, which realized the errors made in the design phase. In a nutshell, incorrect technical specifications were provided and the trains were larger than the railway tunnels. When the news was released last January, it sparked controversy that forced his resignation.
The error, explains the government, was detected in time to prevent the trains from being built and therefore public money was not wasted. But it has caused delays, the delivery of the first trains will take place in 2026, two years later than expected.
(Unioneonline/L)