"Gareth Davis" wrote in message
om...
Since we are on the topic of comparing things stateside, I thought I'd
share my recent experiences of the NYC subway system during a recent
stay.
Stations:
All stations I saw appeared litter free with no signs of vandalism,
however it is probably fair to say every single one looked very dirty
and smelt like a public toilet! Most of the stations I used did show
signs of renovation work in progress although in a couple of cases
this meant that platforms and passageways were open with surfaces
potholed while they were in the process of relaying them. Also there
were no staff to be seen inside the ticket barriers on most stations.
I was very impressed by the extending platform edges on the curved
platforms at South Ferry, but was not impressed by the fact that the
rear 5 coaches (of 10) do not fit into the station and there is no
passenger connection between units 5 and 6. Anyone who could not read
the English posters might have difficulty there as the muffled
announcement did not help, and the staff made no effort to detrain
people in the wrong carrages at the previous station. I realised in
time, but there were still people in my carrage as I left and legged
it along the platform. The station is on a loop so anyone in the wrong
carrages will just get returned to the previous station.
One thing that caused me a great deal of confusion is that the
stations often have seperate external entrances for each direction of
travel, and no internal bridge/underpass if you enter via the wrong
one. Sometimes these external entrances were a block apart with no
signposting between them. I guess this is something you get used to,
but as a first time visitor to a station it is baffling.
Fair structu
Much easier to understand than London, no zones, no local
cross-boundary fares just a single $2 flat fare per journey (including
a bus transfer as part of the same subway journey). Travelcard style
unlimited use tickets were also available but I used the pre-pay
MetroCard which I could buy or refill at each station. Also if you put
$10 on your MetroCard it gave you another $2 journey for free.
Passenger information:
No tube maps posted on platforms (usually the only one is outside the
gateline), no destination/time indicators on platforms, most
announcements muffled and distorted (yes, much worse than London).
Signs were of variable quality. Given that multiple destinations
depart from the same platforms, and there are express/stopping
varients of services this lack of info didn't help. The line
number/letter is displayed on the front of each train and once on the
side of each car with the terminus points to make up for this though.
The dot matrix signs inside the newer stock were also a great help in
understanding where the train was going.
Overall I think that if I was offered reduced / flat fares NYC style
but in return for their shoddy, dirty, smelly stations, lack of staff,
lack of information and uncomfortable trains then I would turn it
down. After all, given the current exchange rate, I'm not paying more
then $4 a day for my Z1+2 annual. So everyone at LU reading this, give
yourselves a big pat on the back. I have experienced a comparable
system and the Underground is equal or far better in all aspects
except for cost. But then I guess you get what you pay for.
Of course I'm sure other people's experiences will be different.
--
Gareth Davis
Broadly I found the same things. One thing that seemed weird for me was to
get used to not having to put your ticket in the barrier to get out of the
station.
I'd say there are fewer stations and far fewer interchanges than in London,
but I love the idea of having express trains on the network.
I thought passenger information was very, very lacking. One thing that I
didn't think was particularly helpful was their using the term "uptown" and
"downtown" at the same time as having "up" stairs and "down" stairs.
Talking of stairs, haven't they heard of escalators? Money wise, overall, I
think it's got to be less expensive than London. $7 a day buys you an
unlimited travel card for subway/buses beats the £8+ for a Peak LT card.