Friday, August 29, 2014

New Trains Too Wide in France

Here's a funny one. Apparently the French national train operator SNCF and France's train operator, RFF, don't communicate very well.

SNCF discovered in May that 2,000 new trains it had ordered were built about 7.5 inches wider than the older trains, making them too wide for some stations. The station dimensions were given to SNCF by RFF, which had neglected to measure stations built more than 50 years ago.

RFF is now spending about $68 million to adjust the stations so the new trains will be fit.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

No Swimwear in Palma, Mallorca

In May, the city of Palma on the Spanish island of Mallorca (Majorca), in the Mediterranean, enacted laws requiring that appropriate clothing be worn in public areas.

Men and women caught wearing swimwear around town or going shirtless will be assessed fines. The ordinances have also banned drinking on the streets.