Spain officials quit over trains that were too wide for tunnels...
In a bizarre turn of events, Spanish railway officials have resigned after it was discovered that dozens of new high-speed commuter trains that cost nearly 260 million Euro were too wide to fit through tunnels.
The blunder was uncovered after it was noticed that trains were scraping the sides of tunnels, causing damage and delays.
The trains were too wide to fit into the non-standard tunnels in the northern regions of Asturias and Cantabria, leading 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.
However, they did not pay for the damage that they caused, as accountability for taxpayers' wasted money is often lacking in democracy, where nobody really care about public money. The public is paying taxes without questions so they will pay for the new train again.
In a statement, the officials apologized for the mistake, saying "we didn't realize that trains came in different sizes." The Spanish Transport Minister did not resign of course, and just has called the incident a "serious mistake" and promised to investigate.
Many affected citizens are frustrated and want to see accountability for their wasted money and a swift resolution to the problem. But who cares...?
The Spanish Transport Minister should go home and let others with no conflict of interest to investigate her failure.
Because as the saying goes, whenever a politician see a light in the end of the tunnel - they immediately offer to expand the tunnel further more.
Thank you to Chris and Kate for bringing this story to my attention. I definitely miss your talent!
I couldn't believe that civil servants' stupidity can still surprise me.