Socialism in Action: France Builds 2000 Trains Too Wide for Platforms

The good news: France is getting 2,000 shiny new trains. The not-so-good news: It seems those shiny new trains, which CNN notes ran a hefty $20.5 billion, are too wide to fit in many of the nation's 1,200 platforms, making actual travel difficult. The forehead-slapping quote from a rep for national rail operator RFF: "We discovered the problem a bit late, we recognize that and we accept responsibility on that score." The cost of that responsibility, in the form of repairs made so far, is $110 million and counting, reports Reuters. Apparently RFF submitted dimensions from platforms less than 30 years old; the problem being that many stations are older and have a narrower gap between tracks.  [Source]     [BJS]