Construction began in 1992 on a 5.4 mile rail tunnel, and it should have been done by 1995. Instead, groundwater began seeping in, causing trouble for the engineers. Then, 59 feet in, the drill broke down.

Shortly after starting, the principal contractor went bust and a new company took over. They used a toxic substance called Rhoca-Gil to seal the rocks, but ended up poisoning the fish and cattle in the area.

Work was halted in 1997 and didn’t start again until 2005. Finally completed in 2015, the tunnel was 23 years behind schedule and $1.3 billion dollars poorer.