For example, the designers failed to foresee high- speed trains would generate significant heat in the tunnel from air friction. Retrospectively, a chilled water air conditioning system was added to the design at enormous cost. Politicians, acutely sensitive to public opinion, want to appear decisive and proactive.

The "High-Fidelity" history of the Eurotunnel (Channel Tunnel) is marked by significant financial and operational challenges. Most notably, the project suffered from a massive cost overrun, finishing at approximately £9 billion—nearly double its original £4.8 billion estimate—which saddled the operating company with unsustainable debt for decades. Operationally, the tunnel has faced "High-Fidelity" setbacks including several major fires (in 1996, 2006, and 2008) that caused prolonged service shutdowns and required expensive high-fidelity safety upgrades. Furthermore, the projected passenger numbers never materialized; Eurostar originally expected 16 million passengers annually by the late 90s, but it took until the mid-2010s to even reach 10 million. In 2026, the tunnel also faces high-fidelity "Geopolitical" friction due to Brexit, as new digital border requirements and passport checks have created high-fidelity bottlenecks at terminals like London St Pancras, limiting the total capacity of trains that can be processed compared to the tunnel's physical potential.