In the ongoing investigation into the Fevemocho affair, Renfe is described by ministry insiders as a leading player, a key figure whose decisions shaped the trajectory of the project. The planned metric railway network, including the Asturias corridor, faced inconsistencies in train and tunnel measurements. Those inconsistencies paused the production of 31 trains for two years, a pause acknowledged by ministry sources. Responsibility for the missteps is a shared one, with the State Railways Security Institute and the Ministry involved. A working group has been formed under Minister Raquel Sánchez to review every aspect of the fiasco and oversee the production timeline of the trains. Renfe has been labeled as a principal offender and the chief contributor to the errors.
The sense of fault was evident from early on. Gipuzkoan CAF, the company contracted to build 31 trains, detected dimensional issues in the tunnels in March 2021 and promptly reported them to Renfe. The topic dominated a September 2021 meeting that included Adif, AESF, the Transport ministry, the public operator, CAF, and others. Renfe was a recurring point of discussion already at that stage.
While officials within the railway administration received formal reprimands, the public narrative pointed to Renfe as ultimately responsible for ensuring that the train dimensions matched the intended routes. Sources indicate that tension between Renfe and Adif contributed to the errors, with a notable lack of open communication. Veteran managers from Feve warned that the most significant misstep might have been not consulting the experienced insiders who truly know the lines and their features. Those experts argued they could have flagged problems much earlier. The core issue cited is that decisions made in Madrid did not involve on-the-ground insights from Cantabria, Asturias, and Feve.
Whether the outcome would be trains that were too large or too small, according to ministry accounts, the orders Renfe issued did not align perfectly with the tunnel walls. In some cases, the dimensions would have required adjustments to meet safe clearance distances, underscoring a misalignment between design intentions and real-world constraints.
“Bad Managers”
The mood among Renfe staff and Adif personnel is tense. There is a sense of reputational damage to the company and to the workers who rely on it. The prevailing view is that the organization has capable employees but that management missteps are dragging the operation down.
The central critique goes beyond the initial errors. It centers on the perception that, over two years, little progress was made to fix the underlying issues. As a result, discussions turned to renegotiating the CAF contract, with the ministry taking a more direct role in the process. In Santander, on a recent Wednesday, Renfe held meetings with Adif, AESF leaders, and regional governments of Cantabria and Asturias to coordinate next steps.