Adrian Fuentes Profile picture
BA Intl Relations. Working for a diverse Europe at @GreensEFA 🟣 Democratic socialist - Smrt fašizmu, sloboda narodu! ✊🏼 Urban transport & train travel 🚋🚞
Feb 20, 2023 50 tweets 20 min read
On the year 2000, the city of Nancy🇫🇷 opened its TVR. The 1st ever "tram on rubber tires" seemed a promising new form of public transport

In March 2023, the Nancy TVR, the last system of its kind, will be shut down

This public transport "fail" well deserved a visit & thread📸🚎 TVR stands for "Transport sur Voie Réservée", although it is also known in English as GLT Guided Light Transit

Conceived by 🇧🇪 company BN in the 80s, it was finally developed commercially by Bombardier in the 90s

The bi-mode vehicle can run on a guided track or without guidance
Feb 19, 2023 7 tweets 5 min read
Trams in Antwerpen 🚋 ImageImageImageImage Antwerp trams means PCC time!

The first two pics are bidirectional units that Antwerp recently inherited from Gent.

The last two are 100% local PCC trams, some of which have been in service since 1968!!

I think these may be the oldest trams in regular service in Western Europe ImageImageImageImage
Jan 19, 2022 39 tweets 18 min read
Recently it was announced that, after decades of neglect, the Charleroi Metro is getting its 5th line built and trams renovated.

A breeze of fresh air for a "metro" that seems frozen in the 80s.

Let me show you some pics of Belgium's most bizarre public transport network 🚋🚇🇧🇪 [I took these pics on a cold winter day of early 2021. Perhaps some things have changed. I doubt so.]
Dec 10, 2021 4 tweets 1 min read
Sonará un poco radical, pero los idiomas se aprenden.

Y la verdad, personalmente, me gustaría q los funcionarios europeos pudieran hablar más de 2 lenguas (EN + su idioma)

Pedir q el francés pierda peso, hará poco para limitar el elitismo q se respira en las instituciones 🇪🇺 Y claro que entiendo, y comparto, que el "social background" (vaya, lo que antes llamábamos "clase social") afecta. Que cuantos más recursos, más fácil es aprender idiomas. Y ya no te digo nada si naces en una familia bilingüe o te mandan a un colegio bilingüe…
Dec 9, 2021 67 tweets 40 min read
Last week I made an unforgettable journey 🚞🏔️

Traveling back from work meetings in Italy 🇮🇹, I decided to go back to Brussels 🇧🇪 the slow way. And that obviously means up the #BerninaBahn

A photo-thread of one of the most beautiful alpine railways, winter wonderland edition ❄️ Trip starts in Tirano 🇮🇹

Early start to catch the first train of the day, the 7:41 R train to St Moritz 🇨🇭

This early departure will allow me to arrive to Brussels 🇧🇪 on the same day.

The sun is just rising and I see no clouds around. It's time for #FensterAuf and 📸
Nov 7, 2021 59 tweets 39 min read
The Bulgarian 🇧🇬🚞 rail trip thread continues here.

Day 3️⃣ Велико Търново / Veliko Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo is known as the "City of Tsars", since it was the medieval capital of Bulgaria. For me, it was one of the surprises of the trip.

We start the visit with some panoramic views from the Monument to Assen dynasty, located right in the middle of the Yantra river bend.
Oct 31, 2021 48 tweets 30 min read
After an amazing week in Bulgaria 🇧🇬 with @JoanMerinals, when I was too busy to tweet, it's time now for a travel thread 🚞🧵 of our trip

Sofia - Varna - Veliko Tarnovo - Sofia - Rodopi Railway - Blagoevgrad - Sofia

Spoiler: there will be plenty of trains, trams and epic views ImageImageImageImage Here's the short thread of the first day with some cool tram pics and my attempt to ease communication with BDŽ ticket sellers.

The rest of the trip continues on this thread.

Sep 15, 2021 33 tweets 25 min read
Weekend in Barcelona
🟨🟥🟨🟥🟨🟥🟨🟥🟨

A little thread 🚇🚊🏙️🏛️📸 Starting by the Metro. Line 1 opened in 1926 and, uniquely, it uses Iberian gauge tracks. There's even a connection to the adif/renfe network near Plaça Catalunya.

Trains are therefore rather wide and spacious.

I guess we could call this #BreitSpurUbahn
Sep 14, 2021 40 tweets 31 min read
Yesterday I traveled from Barcelona to Brussels. By train. By #TrainDeNuit to be more precise

One of those key 🇪🇺🛤️ connections that desperately needs a good #NightTrain. Because the current one is slow & "invisible" for most users

Follow this TransPyrenees 🚞 night train trip The trip starts at Barcelona Sants station. Quite a horrible station for such a beautiful city.

We board the suburban train R3 towards Latour de Carol. One of the only 4 trains per day that make the full 166 km trip.

Tickets bought from the machine, 11.50€, they never sell out
Aug 26, 2021 21 tweets 14 min read
Time to continue the #Porturail 🇵🇹 thread!

We managed to cross the Iberian peninsula by train, and enjoyed the beautiful city of Lisbon with its retro trams.

Now time to discover the student capital of Portugal, Coimbra! Image [This thread is a continuation of this trip]
Aug 22, 2021 28 tweets 11 min read
Hoy he ido a Gasteiz a visitar el @MemorialVT. Desde q lo abrieron quería ir a verlo para poder opinar.

Se ha confirmado lo que me temía. Es un centro para contar "su verdad". Víctimas de ETA. Y punto

La complejidad de nuestro país diluida en un relato de buenos y malos

🧵hilo ImageImageImage Todo el despropósito se podría resumir en la frase q me ha dicho una de las guías al preguntarle sobre si había algún espacio dedicado a las víctimas de la tortura

"Eso no es terrorismo. Esto es un memorial de víctimas del terrorismo. Por eso tampoco explicamos la guerra civil"
Jul 31, 2021 87 tweets 66 min read
The beautiful Bilbao-Abando station, the perfect starting point for a rail trip with friends across the Iberian peninsula 🚞🇪🇸🇵🇹

Expect a thread with plenty of trains, trams, beautiful cities, nice scenery, narrow gauge trains, retro trains & more trains 😄

#Porturail begins! ImageImageImageImage Renfe being renfe means... check-in before boarding 🤷🏻‍♂️

Also, Bilbao must be one the largest cities in Europe with the worst long distance rail service. Tell me about another place in Europe with a population of +1M in the metro area that only gets 4 trains per day... ImageImage
Jun 9, 2021 169 tweets 111 min read
Oh I had really missed saying this...

But it's once again time for a little rail holiday! 🛤️🚞🧳😎

Starting the voyage with a train southbound... going indeed southbound... ImageImageImageImage Leaving Brussels onboard an old-school SNCB AM75 with (little) #Fensterauf

Tot ziens Brussel! 👋🏼👋🏼