Spain’s New ​​$275 Million Trains Are Too Big For Its Tunnels

Tight fit.

Have you ever gone shopping for a new couch and forgotten to bring your measurements with you? In that situation, would you plow on and hope that the new furniture fits, or do you wait to check your dimensions before dropping hundreds of dollars? Well, Spain’s transport experts clearly fall into the latter camp, as they are reeling from a blunder that saw the country spend $275 million on trains that don’t fit inside its tunnels.

The Guardian reports that plans to update the rolling stock at state train operator Renfe have gone off the rails after “dozens” of brand new trains were found to be too wide to run through tunnels across the country. The site reports:

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The new trains were due to run on routes that traversed some of Spain’s 19th-century railroads, covering mountainous landscapes. Because most trains struggle with steep inclines, the route is filled with ancient tunnels that were built to accommodate older, much smaller rolling stock. As such, the proposed trains are much too wide to fit through the tight spaces.

New game, guess the width of the train.

According to Euronews, rail manufacturer CAF queried the dimensions it was sent, which reportedly covered the infrastructure such as stations, platforms, bridges, and tunnels that the trains would need to work with. Euronews reports that CAF “later warned that the specifications may not be correct.”