The 10 Biggest Construction Fails of 2025

Video hosted by Fred Mills.

2025 WAS A HUGE year for construction. We saw remarkable engineering, record-breaking builds, and a handful of projects that sadly went spectacularly off-track. 

Thousands of amazing people in this industry, work day and night to make its most complex projects look routine, but sometimes things can go wrong. To ensure we learn from our mistakes, here are 10 of the most notable construction fails of 2025.

1: Bangkok's Metro Collapse

In September, a massive sinkhole suddenly opened in a Bangkok street, dropping around 50 metres into the ground. Crews had been working beneath the surface on a new extension to the Purple Line near Vajira Hospital Station. When the tunnel ceiling ruptured, the ground above gave way. 

The collapse happened right outside Vajira Hospital, one of the busiest in the city. Thankfully no one was hurt, but the hospital was evacuated and work on the tunnel remains paused.

2: Manchester United's New Stadium

Manchester United announced an ambitious 100,000-seat stadium designed by Foster + Partners, complete with a giant canopy roof that collected sunlight and rainwater. The design drew immediate comparisons with a circus tent and by October the club confirmed the project would continue but without the big top.

Above: The proposed design for the new Manchester United Football Stadium. Image: Foster + Partners.

3: Saudi Arabia's Giga Projects

Saudi Arabia’s NEOM programme, including The LINE and several other so-called 'giga projects', hit major turbulence this year. 

According to reporting in the Financial Times, work has slowed on almost all projects and, and internal estimates reportedly put the cost of The LINE in the trillions. Trojena, the ski resort set to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, is still moving forward, although NEOM was still searching for a builder as of October 2025.

Above: The LINE is planned as the capital city of NEOM, a new region of Saudi Arabia. Image: NEOM.

4: Australia's Snowy 2.0

Australia’s Snowy 2.0 hydro expansion suffered more setbacks. The tunnel boring machine “Florence” became stuck early in the project after hitting unexpectedly soft ground, contributing to a major cost increase. Although it was eventually freed, work stopped again in January due to concerns about emergency refuge chambers, followed by an order for a full nine-month audit of the entire project.

5: The Drone Attack on Chernobyl

In February, a Russian drone strike hit the protective shelter over Chernobyl’s Reactor 4, blowing a six-metre hole into the structure. The impact started a fire inside the roof that took weeks to extinguish. There’s no immediate danger, but there are long-term worries about the stability of the structure beneath. 

A patch is being designed, though a full restoration now seems unlikely.

Above: The damaged radiation shield at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

6: China's New London Embassy

China's plans for a new Embassy in London continued a long-running political back-and-forth. Concerns over an unmarked basement led to the original refusal in 2021. Then, the Labour government, elected in July 2024, initially appeared more open to it and a decision was expected earlier this year, but a rollercoaster series of events has once again left the project in limbo.

7: Britain's Hinkley Point C

Hinkley Point C, Britain’s new nuclear power plant, continued to suffer delays and cost increases. The price tag has risen to around £48BN. A government report added attention this year when it revealed the site included a £700M acoustic fish deterrent, which the media highlighted due to its modest projected environmental benefits.

Above: Inside the Hinkley Point C megaproject. Image: EDF Energy.

8: Germany's Stuttgart 21

It wasn’t a great year for Germany’s Stuttgart 21 rail upgrade. The project aims in part to turn the city’s terminus into a through station, but steep tunnel gradients have raised safety concerns. Issues with the new digital signalling system have also slowed progress, and the planned 2026 opening has officially been postponed.

9: California High-Speed Rail

2025 saw California’s High-Speed Rail project face a flurry of political uncertainty. President Trump attempted to recall funding, although this was challenged in court, while the October government shutdown froze billions more earmarked for rail upgrades. 

The Gateway Program in New York was also hard hit, leaving its future uncertain.

Above: A viaduct on the California High Speed Rail network under construction. Image: California HSR.

10: Britain's HS2

The UK’s HS2 project, already heavily reduced from its original vision, saw further delays in 2025. A 29-kilometre section meant to link HS2 to the mainline network was deprioritised, pushing completion back by several more years. The project is now shorter, significantly more expensive, and still without a firm end date.

If you want to balance all this chaos with some genuinely impressive builds coming in 2026, don’t worry — we’ve got plenty of those lined up too.

Additional footage and images: Bloomberg, NEOM, Foster + Partners, HS2 California High Speed Rail, Deutsche Bahn, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, EDF, Snowy 2.0.

We welcome you sharing our content to inspire others, but please be nice and play by our rules.