There is something about traveling by train that is different from traveling by any other means of transport. Anyone who has ever taken a train knows it, although we can’t say exactly what it is. Marcel Beltrán put it this way: “There is a mysterious, slippery, uncontainable force that makes traveling by train five times more literary than traveling by boat, ten times more literary than traveling by car, and eighty thousand times more literary than traveling by plane.”
The train has also been the setting for the beginning of love stories in cinema, such as Richard Linklater’s mythical Before Sunrise (1995) -the most famous boat romance in the history of cinema we already know how it ends… -. But on the other side, in reality, this means of transport has also starred in endearing scenes such as the farewell of an AVE Barcelona-Madrid train driver when he retires after more than 40 years of service.
The scene was shared on video by @JoseRealB on X -later Twitter- a few days ago, accompanied by the following text: “Right now, on Renfe’s Barcelona-Madrid AVE train driver has just said goodbye to “his working life”, after 43 years of railway activity. He is retiring. Nice moment for all passengers”.
A farewell after more than 40 years of service.
Over the public address system, the engineer sent an emotional message to all passengers, bringing this stage of his life to an end. It is reproduced below:
“After 43 years of railway activity, I am happily retiring. It has been a privilege to take thousands of people to their destinations, and with each trip I have learned that the train not only connects cities, but also stories, dreams and emotions. To all of you I want to thank you for trusting in this journey and being part of this great experience. Although this is my last stop as a train driver, I will continue to be one of you, one more traveler in the day to day. I wish you all the best in your future destinations and may you always find good journeys ahead. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and farewell”.