London Banter - View Single Post - Subway (New York) vs Underground (London) [Quite long]

Christian Hansen · April 3rd 04, 08:30 AM posted to uk.transport.london

On 2 Apr 2004 21:19:25 -0800, (Gareth Davis) wrote:

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.

Compared with the graffiti-ridden stations and cars of the 1970's, today's NYC
subways are clean as a hound's tooth.

Some larger stations have agents on the platforms to assist with questions and
moving passengers around, but most stations have no one outside the agent's
booth.

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.

This is a very old problem and one that has been exacerbated by the newer
subway cars that do not allow free passage between the rear cars and the
forward ones because the conductor's cab in the middle blocks passage.

The last time I was in New York (in October 2003) I was in car 5 and the
conductor made lots of very clear announcements in the previous station. Then
as the train neared South Ferry, he made another announcement and opened the
door between his cab and the 5th and 6th cars so that those who were in the
rear part of the train could get into the front to exit.

The moving platforms are also seen on the Lexington local at 14th St/Union
Square. The station itself has been tarted up a bit since my time in New York
(1970-1991).

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.

You have to learn to look at the sign above the entrance before entering the
station. The sign will say (for example) "23rd Street/1 9/Uptown". The sign is
directly above the entrance on or under the fence that surrounds the stairway.
If the entrance serves both ways, the sign will indicate that. This URL has a
picture of the uptown entrance at 66th St.

Trains:
About the same as the UK, less evidence of tagging on the trains
compared to the UK however they had a far worse etching problem,
probably down to some lines having everthing internal covered in
stainless steel plating. The newer trains had dot-matrix screens and
clear recorded announcements, just like the Jubilee and Northern
lines. One line also had lights behind each station on the route maps
above the windows which indicated the trains current position on the
line. One thing missing on all lines was seat cushions, the moulded
plastic seats quickly become uncomfortable. On most trains you could
look out the front window (drivers cab is on one side) which was kind
of cool to stand by for a near drivers eye view.

The last seat cushions on the New York subway were rattan seat cushions on BMT
trains that last saw service in the early 70's. These also had open fans (with
a sketchy wire guard cover) and always smelled of electrical fires.

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.

I find this the most appealing part of the subway. At one time if you wished
to go to the Rockaways you had to pay a double fare (ie, you needed a token to
get out of the station, and two tokens to get in). This was abolished many
years ago.

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.

This is sometimes very vexing to tourists who find themselves in Queens when
they really wanted to go to 59th Street. Eternal vigilance is the price of
getting to your proper destination in New York City. The signs above the
platform edge (parallel to the train) give all the possible train identifiers
and their destinations for the trains which normally use that platform. You
must study these during your wait to ensure that when a train arrives you get
on the correct one.

The advantage to having multiple train types on the same track is that, when
there is a blockage somewhere, trains can be rerouted easily. It also assists
in maintenance, as the express/local systems mean that when the express track
is closed for maintenance work, the express train can run on the local track
and get to the same stations relatively easily.

Reliability:
Did not experience any major service disruption - just as I rarely do
on my daily DLR journey.

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.

Well, if you happen to live and work in New York City the London Underground
will be of little use to your daily commute. I think that NYCTA is parsecs
better than it was in the 1970's and 80's, and is well worth the fare. Yes,
there could be improvements. Of what subway/underground system worldwide could
this not be said?
--
Chris Hansen | chrishansenhome at btinternet dot com
"The problem with the French is that they have no word
for 'entrepreneur'." President Bush to Prime Minister
Blair, at Bush's first G8 summit.