Spanish Railway Corporation Faces Public Backlash Over 'Absurd Order' for Trains Larger Than Tunnels

Controversy Spreads Leading to Mass Resignations of Railroad Company CEO and Deputy Minister of Transportation
New Train Design Ordered... Expected to Delay 2-3 Years

The appearance of a train station in Spain
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Junran] Spain's state-owned railway company has come under public criticism after it was revealed that it ordered much larger new trains without considering the tunnel sizes in the railway network.

According to AP and DPA on the 20th (local time), the Spanish Ministry of Transport placed an order for 31 narrow-gauge trains to be deployed in the northern autonomous communities of Asturias and Cantabria back in 2020. The total order, worth 258 million euros (approximately 334.9 billion KRW), was placed with the railway vehicle manufacturer CAF.

However, problems with the ordered trains emerged. CAF, which began manufacturing the trains, identified in March of the following year that the specifications requested by Renfe were unusual and halted work.

This was because the specifications requested by Renfe for the railway were much larger than the width of some tunnels in the railway network, making operation impossible. The railway network in the mountainous northern region of Spain, where the trains were to be deployed, was built in the 19th century, resulting in tunnels of varying sizes that do not meet modern standards.

This absurd administrative mistake was exposed at the end of last month through local media such as El Comercio. The revelation that the railway authority ordered larger trains without even checking the tunnel sizes in the railway network sparked public outrage.

Although the Ministry of Transport admitted the mistake and explained that since the problem was discovered before full-scale production of the trains, no additional public funds would be spent, this was insufficient. As calls for the resignation of those responsible surged, Renfe's CEO Asiais Taboas and Deputy Minister of Transport Isabel Pardo resigned amid the controversy. It was also reported that two senior officials from the railway operator ADIF submitted their resignations on the same day.

Currently, the Ministry of Transport has requested the train manufacturer to redesign the trains to fit the tunnel sizes. As a result, train operations are expected to be delayed by at least 2 to 3 years.