Modifying your example’s verb, if you said “Where is the new house?”, then I’d say you’re implying the new house presently exists - unless we’re currently poring over housing development plans, in which case I’d say you’re clearly referring only to plans. Maybe the reason we’re reading the headline differently is context. This is the first I’ve heard of new Spanish trains, so I took the words out of context (until after clicking and reading), but if you were already aware of this planning-stage project then I can see how the headline would conjure train plans, not presently existing trains, for you.
Re 2-3 years, the alternative is that the delay includes some repeated work, some time where work is done inefficiently or even on hold due to confused requirements, some things with lead time that got reset, and the overhead of correcting the mistake. Still a costly screwup, of course.