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A botched order for new commuter trains that cost close to €260 million ($275 million; £230 million) has led to the resignation of two top Spanish transportation officials.
The trains couldn’t fit through the unusual tunnels in Asturias and Cantabria’s northern regions.
Isaas Táboas, the president of Spain’s Renfe rail company, and Isabel Pardo de Vera, the secretary of state for transportation, have both resigned from their positions.
Early this month, the design flaw was made known to the public.
According to the Spanish government, the error was discovered in time to prevent financial loss. Cantabria, however, has asked for compensation.
Renfe placed the order for the trains in 2020, but CAF, the manufacturer, discovered that the dimensions it had been given for the trains were incorrect the following year and halted construction.
The tunnels that run beneath the mountainous terrain of northern Spain’s rail network were constructed in the 19th century and do not conform to standard modern tunnel dimensions.
Due to the error, the trains will arrive in 2026—two years later than expected.
An investigation has been launched jointly by infrastructure owner Adif and Renfe to determine how the error could have occurred. The error led to the firing of a Renfe manager and the head of track technology at Adif by Spain’s transport ministry earlier this month.
