The resignation of Deputy Minister of Transport Isabel Pardo de Vera was caused by a scandal that shook parts of Spain and associated with the purchase of dozens of new trains that were too big to pass through the tunnels. OUR Renfe, the company that runs Spain’s state-owned railways, announced three years ago that it plans to modernize trains running short and medium distances within the country in the regions of Asturias and Cantabria. However, last month it emerged that the trains bought for 258 million euros would not be able to pass through the tunnels that exist in these two regions. The governor of Cantabria spoke of the fiasco and called for immediate government intervention, while the governor of neighboring Asturias said he was “confused, angry and disappointed”. This was followed by the dismissal of two senior executives, one at Renfe and one at the state-owned railway infrastructure company Adif, which, however, failed to ease tensions and anger in the two regions over a superficial upgrade plan and inevitable delays. . So on Monday, Spain’s deputy transport minister resigned, as did Isaiah Tamboas, president of Renfe. For its part, the ruling coalition, led by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, announced that part of the networks in the two regions affected by the delays will be open to traffic until new trains start running in early 2026.

“From the moment I was informed of the problem, I did my best to find out what happened and find a solution,” Spain’s Transport Minister Raquel Sanchez said after meeting with local figures. He also noted that the government immediately took responsibility for the mistake in ordering trains and instructed a committee of experts to find a solution to the problem and accelerate the construction of trains as soon as possible. However, it is difficult for the government to convince the Spanish public that the problem was identified before the trains were built and, above all, that not a single euro of Spanish money was lost.