The head of Spain’s state rail operator Renfe resigned on Monday (February 20), following a public outcry over a purchase of commuter trains that were too wide to fit through some tunnels. The error of judgement has caused an uproar in Spain since it was first revealed in the media in early February, with the country expected to conduct elections at the end of the year.
Isaias Taboas, who has headed Renfe since June 2018, resigned on Monday, a company spokeswoman told AFP.
Spain’s secretary of state for transport, Isabel Pardo de Vera, who used to head state rail infrastructure operator Adif, also quit on Monday over the controversy, the transport ministry said.
Renfe ordered 31 commuter trains in in June 2020 costing 258 million euros ($275 million) from Spanish firm CAF for the mountainous northern terrains of Asturias and Cantabria.
In March 2021 CAF realised that the dimensions provided for the trains were incorrect and stalled the production of trains which would have been too broad for some tunnels.
The rail network in northern Spain which was built in the 19th century, crosses a mountainous stretch with myriad tunnel sizes that do not adhere to standard train dimensions.
The head of the regional government of Cantabria, Miguel Angel Revilla, had called it a “monumentally botched job.”
As a result of the error, the trains would now be delivered in 2026 instead of 2024, Renfe told AFP.
Spain’s transport ministry has already sacked two over this issue including a Renfe manager and Adif’s head of track technology.
(With inputs from agencies)
