Two senior Spanish transport officials have left their posts over a blunder that resulted in a nearly 260 million euro order for new commuter trains too wide to fit into non-standard tunnels in the northern regions of Asturias and Cantabria.
The Spanish government says the mistake was spotted early enough to prevent financial loss, but Cantabria has demanded compensation for the resultant delay in the delivery of new trains, according to the BBC.
The mistake has led to the resignation of the head of Spain’s rail operator Renfe, Isaías Táboas, and the Secretary of State for Transport, Isabel Pardo de Vera.
The BBC reports that Renfe ordered the trains in 2020, but the following year manufacturer CAF realised that the dimensions it had been given for the trains were inaccurate and stopped construction.
The rail network in northern Spain was built in the 19th Century, and has tunnels under the mountainous landscape that do not match standard modern tunnel dimensions.
The mistake means the trains will be delivered in 2026, two years late.