The French train operator SNCF has discovered that 2,000 new trains it ordered at a cost of 15bn euros ($20.5bn; £12.1bn) are too wide for many regional platforms.

The BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris says that it is an embarrassing blunder that has so far cost

Transport Minister Frederic Cuvillier blamed an "absurd rail system" for the problems.

"When you separate the rail operator from the train company," he said, "this is what happens."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27497727


It would appear that we, too, have such an “absurd” rail system, but we’ve not ordered “fat trains”.

The UK orders new trains? not on my line
Class 313 of '76

Surely this should be in the Epic Fail thread?
Seriously, how can they not know their own limitations. That's like one of us buying a car that's too wide to fit through our garage door (if we had one).

These days, most cars are too wide to fit through garage doors - or if they do, getting out is a challenge. Garages tend to be built in a scale that a 1960s Mini would fit in, but not the modern equivalent.

Something that frustrates me. My dad was able to park his old 190E Merc in the garage and get out without any problems. For the first few weeks I had the Golf, I had to park in the garage and then climb out the boot. Took me a while to learn to park so the passenger side of the car is close enough to the wall that I can get out of the driver's side.

Looking at buying a house and finding one that has a decent garage is difficult. Some don't even have a proper garage but a storage space! WTF?