I think they mean that it is bad, but minor compared to what would have happened in the US or some other countries, where train projects are delayed 10 years without design problems.
> (...) but minor compared to what would have happened in the US or some other countries (...)
That's just speculation to try to mitigate a colossal screwup.
This is not the first time when Spanish railway companies are caught trying to cover up the consequences of massive incompetence. For instance, the infamous Santiago de Compostela train disaster[1] was attributed to a careless train conductor going over the speed limit to impress a girl, which was a very convenient scapegoat to both ADIF and Renfe, but in truth the root cause as that both companies failed to deploy a mandatory speed monitoring and control system, which has been standard for decades.
without even commenting on the idea that govt bureaucracy is somehow worse in the US than in the romance countries, a 2-3 year delay would still be added on, and is very significant. it's not like a 10 year delay is great because it gives time to make everything else come out right.
That's just speculation to try to mitigate a colossal screwup.
This is not the first time when Spanish railway companies are caught trying to cover up the consequences of massive incompetence. For instance, the infamous Santiago de Compostela train disaster[1] was attributed to a careless train conductor going over the speed limit to impress a girl, which was a very convenient scapegoat to both ADIF and Renfe, but in truth the root cause as that both companies failed to deploy a mandatory speed monitoring and control system, which has been standard for decades.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_de_Compostela_derailm...