Spain: The Ministry of Transport and Mobility uncovered weaknesses in coordination between the infrastructure operator Adif, the national operator Renfe as a customer and the train manufacturer CAF as a supplier.
When preparing technical specifications for new trains, Renfe requested no space limitations data from Adif. However, Adif submitted documents containing this data to CAF, the latter did not notify Renfe. The customer only discovered the space limitation issue in January 2021, and the problem remained unresolved by these three companies for over two years.
In February 2023, when the issue became public, several Renfe and Adif executives resigned. A year later, CAF began building redesigned narrow-gauge trains based on existing models. Following the audit, the Directorate-General for the Railway Sector has been tasked by the Ministry to enhance coordination between Adif and the operators.
