Trains Too Wide !
In France 341 new trains intended to be rolled out over two years were too wide for the platforms in nearly 1,300 stations because railway network engineers “forgot to go and measure the actual distance between lines and platforms.”
It cost around $68 million to correct the error. The whole debacle brings to mind another notable engineering mistake we made in the UK:
The Bridge That Made People Seasick !
When the Millennium Bridge over London’s Thames River first opened in 2000, it swayed so much that pedestrians would get dizzy and fall down. It reopened in 2002 after undergoing an $8-million repair, and some experts blame the synchronisation of people’s footsteps to the movement of the bridge for the wobbliness.
Must have been an interesting experience during the New Year’s eve celebrations !
Just shows engineers are human and make mistakes – I guess all we can do is reduce the probability of them happening, and limit the losses when they do happen !
Happy & Prosperous New Year
All the best
Mike
ps If you have enjoyed the blog please forward to those who might be interested, many thanks in advance, Mike
FLYWHEEL Re-Invented 