New trains too wide in France

French national train operator SNCF discovered in May that 2,000 new trains it had ordered were built about 7½ inches wider than the older trains, making them too wide for some stations. SNCF had been given station dimensions from France’s rail operator, RFF, which had neglected to measure stations built more than 50 years ago.

The new trains cost SNCF about $20.5 billion. RFF is spending about $68.4 million to adjust stations to fit the new trains, with more than 1,000 stations yet to be fixed. France’s transport minister has blamed the problem on the separation of rail and train operations.