I will admit that this system of transportation took me some time to get used to. For instance, sometimes trains switch routes, just as they do in New York, and once I got on a train that I thought would get me to school, but it went somewhere else! In New York, there are always posters to tell you when there is a switch in train lines, but in Madrid you have to pay attention to the speakers at all times because that is how they let you know of changes. Probably because I'm a New Yorker, I admit I stand a little too close to the yellow line just to see when the train is coming. If you do this in Spain, people will look at you with funny expressions. Trust me on that one, as I learned from experience! Everything in Spain is so laid back that it seems as if nobody is ever in a hurry, which is so different from New York.
The transportation methods here definitely seem connected to the culture. Spain has such a laid back feeling, and electric scooters are really common. I also noticed that people don't tend to stress out when trains run late, which is very different from New York! Although stores and businesses in Spain open and close extremely late (most things open at ten a.m. and close at two a.m.), I was shocked to learn that the trains close earlier on. However, buses do run at this time, and they make local stops.
