article imagePolish Builders Bungle Train Tunnel And Quest for Perfection

By M Dee Dubroff.
Subscribe to author
Published Aug 15, 2008 by  M Dee Dubroff - 11 votes, 3 comments
Share on Facebook  
Listen - Email - Print
Recipient email:
You can enter up to 10 comma-separated email addresses.
Your email:
optional
Message:
optional

In Warsaw, Poland, a group of engineers have built a railway tunnel too small for trains to pass through and there is hardly any place left to go without a mask. Read on and have a laugh…at their expense!
There have been three major construction fiascos in Poland during the last two years and they are not only embarrassing, they are quite costly. A tunnel built recently to divert lorry traffic in Warsaw turned out to be too low for lorries and last year, Polish road authorities produced plans for two sections of a major highway that had they been approved would have missed each other by five miles and ended in the middle of the Polish countryside!
According to news sources, this year, in an unconscious effort to top all those who have gone before them, bungling engineers have been left red-faced after building a railway tunnel that's too small for trains to actually fit through. The mistake was discovered AFTER the Warsaw tunnel was finished. When inspectors measured, they realized the roof of the tunnel was so low that no trains could pass under it. Rail bosses claim that the error occurred because workers who were laying the new tracks didn't make their plans known to the team that was building the tunnel. (Well, duh!)
Railway spokesperson, Marta Szklarek, had this to say without her mask on:
"During work on the tunnel, tracks were laid down on newly-raised ground which meant the distance between the tracks and roof of the tunnel became shorter”.
What can one say about the failure to plan ahead except to remember that old sign that reads:
PLAN AHEA
D!
Go figure.
article:258609:11::0
More news from: Poland»

Opinion: Health care bill passes, now the real battle

The wait is over. The House of Representatives passed the Obama administration health bill in a close vote. Concessions about insurance for abortions and all, the bill is now headed for the Senate.
Published 11 hours ago by  Paul Wallis in Politics | 7 comments

Phase 3 of 2010 Olympic ticket sales delayed until November 14

The third phase of ticket sales for the Vancouver/Whistler 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics was delayed by one week because of a configuration problem on the ticket sales website.
Published 12 hours ago by  Julian Worker in Sports

Iranian officials say 109 people arrested at U.S. Embassy Rally

Authorities in Iran have announced that 109 people were arrested in Tehran on Wednesday as security forces clashed with supporters of opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi at a rally to mark the anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. embassy.
Published 17 hours ago by  Chris Dade in Politics

Virtual goods now a $5-billion global industry

With minutes to go before the end of the day, you visit Facebook and send out a quick birthday cake to a friend. It's $1 for the virtual icon that is simply displayed on their page. Sound silly? Well, these types of transactions are now worth billions.
Published yesterday by  KJ Mullins in Internet | 1 comment

What Facebook, Twitter, PayPal can teach us about going viral Special

Going viral isn't a finger-snap way to achieve mass popularity. In fact, as author Adam L. Penenberg explains to Digitaljournal.com, some of the top tech companies found viral success by creating a product that had to be shared to be useful.
Published yesterday by  David Silverberg in Internet | 2 comments
apis-129219 apis-129223 apis-129206 apis-129186 apis-129159
Email:
Password:
Remember meForgot password?