Well, I don't know about Madrileans' opinions, but planning and building 40 km of subways, buying and putting into working order trains for them in three years and of only €1 billion is a big feat. For comparison, Metro line 4 in Budapest may start construction after 15 years of squabbling and planning next year, and not opened until 2010, even tough it is only 7.5 km, and it will colst nearly a billion.
hat is Madrileans' problem with it? Unnecessary politicians' investment, impractical, delays? *Traitor*, n. A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
Ruiz-Gallardon has now replace Alvarez del Manzano as mayor.
I usually joke that someone's cousing must have bought a TBM and needs to use it, as well as get public funds to pay it off.
Ruiz Gallardon has left Madrid with an outstanding, cheap Metro network, and I supposed he'll eventually be recognized for that. The drilling of road underpasses for private traffic is much more disruptive and less useful. Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith
Túnel is a tunnel, obviously.
Tunelar is "to drill tunnels". I am not sure it was standard Spanish (now, post Ruiz-Gallardon, it is!).
Tuneladora is "she who drills tunnels". This is because máquina is of the feminine grammatical gender in Spanish.
By analogy, a drill is taladro or taladradora (a drill bit is not taladro but broca, don't ask me why). Taladrar means to bore a hole. So, TBM does translate as taladradora, but those are hand-held so I suppose it's good they came up with a new term.
Another word for "boring holes" is trepanar, and trépano is the instrument used.
"Hole boring" can also be translated as aburrir a los agujeros, but that's just a snark. Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith
On the other hand, you mentioned Pharaonic PP projects, I mentioned cheap projects, and the worst combination was the Madrid-Barcelona line, so bad it is put up as bad example across Europe:
I mean, along with the old line (the broad gauge, to-be-converted-to-standard-gauge, for-freight/local trains line). *Traitor*, n. A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
