Spain Buys Trains That Are Too Big for Tunnels
Listen to the article (Tanzanian accent)
Spain has spent €258 million ($275mil) on trains that are too big to fit in train tunnels.
The Spanish newspaper El Comercio was first to report on this mistake in late January. Two transport officials were fired because of the mistake.
More recently, two more transport officials have resigned because of the situation.
In 2020, Renfe ordered 31 commuter trains to replace old ones in Spain’s northern regions of Asturias and Cantabria. The trains were scheduled to be finished in 2024, but they will likely be delayed until 2026 or later.
It seems that the manufacturer, CAF, noticed the mistake in March 2021. The company warned Renfe, Spain’s national rail operator, and Adif, the company that manages Spain’s rail infrastructure.
The trains were still being designed, they haven’t been manufactured yet.
Fortunately, this makes the mistake less expensive, but the process of designing the new trains has to restart.
To avoid this problem in the future, they will use the size of a train that is already in operation as a reference for the new trains. This will ensure that the new trains fit through the different tunnels. Adif will also update its infrastructure data to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Vocabulary25 words
- Tunnel
- a long passage under or through the earth; ?
- Report
- to tell other people about something; to share information; announce; explain
- Mistake
- an error or a wrong action; an action or decision that is wrong
- Late (August)
- at the end of (August)
- Transport (transportation)
- the movement of people, goods, or materials from one place to another
- Official
- a person who works for the government or a government company and has power or authority; officer; executive
- Fire
- to remove someone from their job; dismiss a worker from a job; to let go; to lay off; dismiss
- Resign
- to leave a job; to step down; to quit; give up
- Situation
- condition; circumstance; state of affairs; the way it is; event; occurrence
- Commuter
- A person who travels regularly from home to work or school and back
- Replace
- to take the place of; to substitute; to come after; to fill in; swap; exchange
- Region
- a large area of the Earth; an area of land with similar qualities/characteristics
- Scheduled
- planned or arranged for a specific time; to have a schedule for
- Delayed
- late; postponed; suspended; not on time; slowed down
- Manufacturer
- a company that makes or produces something
- Notice
- to become aware of; to see; to learn of something
- Warn
- to tell someone about something bad or dangerous that might happen; alert; notify
- National rail operator
- a company that manages and operates trains and rail services within a country
- Manage
- to be in charge of and control the operations or activities of a business or organization; run; direct; oversee
- Infrastructure
- equipment and structures for a city or society (roads, railroads, bridges, power plants, etc.)
- Fortunately
- luckily; thankfully; it’s good luck that
- Avoid
- stay away from; keep away; try not to do
- In operation
- something is currently functioning or in use; working in the normal way
- Reference
- comparison with something; a source of information or a mention of a source that is used to support or clarify something
- Ensure
- to make sure that something happens or is done correctly
Discussion questions
- Do you think the use of an existing train's size as a reference is a good strategy to avoid similar errors in the future? Why or why not?
- Do you believe that the transport officials should have been fired for this mistake? Why or why not?
- What impact will this situation have on the people of Spain? How would you feel if this happened in your city or country?
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