Spain: Transport officials resign over train design blunder

Feb 20, 2023, 10:13 AM | Updated: 10:24 am

MADRID (AP) — A major error in the designs of trains for two northern Spanish regions has led to the resignations of two top transport officials, bringing to four the number of people who have lost their jobs because of the controversy this month.

A total of 31 narrow-gauge commuter and medium distance trains were ordered in 2020 for the regions of Asturias and Cantabria but it emerged just weeks ago that under the original designs the trains would not have fitted in tunnels in the regions.

The trains will be redesigned to fit the tunnels, but this will lead to substantial delays in their delivery.

The revelations angered both regions and led to demands for resignations.

On Monday, the Secretary of State for Transport, Isabel Pardo de Vera — the minister´s right-hand colleague — handed in her resignation, as did the president of the state rail company RENFE, Isaías Taboas.

When the error became public early February, RENFE and the state-owned rail infrastructure company Adif fired two senior officials.

The Transport Ministry says the errors were spotted early on and no money has been wasted. However, both regions will now have to wait for another two or three years before they get their new trains.

The resignations came hours before Transport Minister Raquel Sánchez was due to meet the regional presidents of Asturias and Cantabria to explain the blunder in the design measurements.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

(Facebook Photo/City of San Luis, Arizona)...
Associated Press

San Luis authorities receive complaints about 911 calls going across border

Authorities in San Luis say they are receiving more complaints about 911 calls mistakenly going across the border.
6 days ago
(Pexels Photo)...
Associated Press

Daylight saving time begins in most of US this weekend

No time change is observed in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
14 days ago
Mexican army soldiers prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Matamo...
Associated Press

How the 4 abducted Americans in Mexico were located

The anonymous tip that led Mexican authorities to a remote shack where four abducted Americans were held described armed men and blindfolds.
14 days ago
Tom Brundy points to a newly built irrigation canal on one of the fields at his farm Tuesday, Feb. ...
Associated Press

Southwest farmers reluctant to idle farmland to save water

There is a growing sense that fallowing will have to be part of the solution to the increasingly desperate drought in the West.
21 days ago
A young bison calf stands in a pond with its herd at Bull Hollow, Okla., on Sept. 27, 2022. The cal...
Associated Press

US aims to restore bison herds to Native American lands after near extinction

U.S. officials will work to restore more large bison herds to Native American lands under a Friday order from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
21 days ago
Children play in a dried riverbed in Flassans-sur-Issole, southern France, Wednesday, March 1, 2023...
Associated Press

Italy, France confront 2nd year of western Europe drought

ROME (AP) — Bracing for Italy’s second consecutive year of drought for the first time in decades, Premier Giorgia Meloni huddled with ministers Wednesday to start mapping out an action plan Wednesday, joining France and other nations in western Europe grappling with scant winter rain and snow. Meloni and her ministers decided to appoint an […]
23 days ago

Sponsored Articles

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.
...
Fiesta Bowl Foundation

Celebrate 50 years of Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade magic!

Since its first production in the early 1970s, the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe has been a staple of Valley traditions, bringing family fun and excitement to downtown Phoenix.
...
Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Prep the plumbing in your home just in time for the holidays

With the holidays approaching, it's important to know when your home is in need of heating and plumbing updates before more guests start to come around.
Spain: Transport officials resign over train design blunder