Pablo Izquierdo Asanza, a 42-year-old Renfe employee, loved trains. He was a shop steward of the Railway Union, where he defended the rights of his fellow workers. He lived with his mother in the Vallecas district and was a fan of Rayo Vallecano. His young niece wrote him a farewell message: "Because of these fanatics, he'll never again be able to look at me with that special face of his".
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The Railway Worker Who Almost Lived on the Train
At 42, Pablo Izquierdo Asanza lived for—and by—the trains. In fact, he almost lived inside one. Pablo was a track machinery operator in Renfe's maintenance and infrastructure business unit, which meant not only working eight hours a day maintaining the tracks, but also often sleeping on them at night. He did so when working far from Madrid and, together with his coworkers from work crew number 19, rested in special railcars equipped with beds and everything needed to spend up to five consecutive nights. "If he hadn't been passionate about this job, he would have left years ago," says his supervisor, Jacinto Quero, who recalls that in the eight months before his death, Pablo slept more nights on the train than in his home in Vallecas.
He was single and lived with his mother, whom he saw on weekends or when he worked near Madrid and could sleep at home. When work took him far from the capital, he didn't complain either, since he took advantage of the weekend to stay there and devote himself to his great hobbies: hiking and photography. He also never missed the exploits of Rayo Vallecano. His young niece wrote a few lines as a farewell: "Because of these fanatics, he will no longer be able to look at me again with that special expression he had."
According to his supervisor, Pablo liked meticulous work. "He was a highly qualified Renfe employee; he operated the most complex machine in the unit. He knew mechanics, hydraulics, computing, and electronics." Lately, he had also thrown himself into union activism. As a delegate of the Railway Workers' Union, he fiercely defended the interests of his fellow track machinery workers before management.
Pablo died on his way to work, on the train. On his beloved train.
[Written by Miquel Noquer. Translated into English from the El País "11-M Décimo Aniversario - Vidas Rotas (11-M Tenth Anniversary - Ruined Lives)" web page]
Pablo Izquierdo Asanza, a 42-year-old Renfe employee, loved trains. He was a shop steward of the Railway Union, where he defended the rights of his fellow workers. He lived with his mother in the Vallecas district and was a fan of Rayo Vallecano. His young niece wrote him a farewell message: "Because of these fanatics, he'll never again be able to look at me with that special face of his".
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The Railway Worker Who Almost Lived on the Train
At 42, Pablo Izquierdo Asanza lived for—and by—the trains. In fact, he almost lived inside one. Pablo was a track machinery operator in Renfe's maintenance and infrastructure business unit, which meant not only working eight hours a day maintaining the tracks, but also often sleeping on them at night. He did so when working far from Madrid and, together with his coworkers from work crew number 19, rested in special railcars equipped with beds and everything needed to spend up to five consecutive nights. "If he hadn't been passionate about this job, he would have left years ago," says his supervisor, Jacinto Quero, who recalls that in the eight months before his death, Pablo slept more nights on the train than in his home in Vallecas.
He was single and lived with his mother, whom he saw on weekends or when he worked near Madrid and could sleep at home. When work took him far from the capital, he didn't complain either, since he took advantage of the weekend to stay there and devote himself to his great hobbies: hiking and photography. He also never missed the exploits of Rayo Vallecano. His young niece wrote a few lines as a farewell: "Because of these fanatics, he will no longer be able to look at me again with that special expression he had."
According to his supervisor, Pablo liked meticulous work. "He was a highly qualified Renfe employee; he operated the most complex machine in the unit. He knew mechanics, hydraulics, computing, and electronics." Lately, he had also thrown himself into union activism. As a delegate of the Railway Workers' Union, he fiercely defended the interests of his fellow track machinery workers before management.
Pablo died on his way to work, on the train. On his beloved train.
[Written by Miquel Noquer. Translated into English from the El País "11-M Décimo Aniversario - Vidas Rotas (11-M Tenth Anniversary - Ruined Lives)" web page]
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