In article , K
writes
On Wed, 29 Oct 2003 14:00:44 +0000, Ian Jelf
wrote:


Despite the constant digs at it, I still find London's public transport
pretty good. This is especially so when compared to other British
cities!

Perhaps, but compare the tube with *any* other equivalent in the world
and how does it perform?

Well, from my personal (limited) experience, London Underground is:

More run down than Paris'

Further flung than Paris's

Neater than New York's

Simpler to use than New York's

More pleasant than Brussels'

Less terrifying than Amsterdam's

More Comprehensive than Sydney's Cityrail

About on a par with Berlin's U-Bahn

(These are subjective personal "feelings", not something I could
substantiate mathematically. I also accept that some of the above
cities are in no way comparable; in fact, only Paris and New York
probably are, although Moscow, which I've not yet visited, is perhaps
also a contender.)

Even Paris, often cited as being streets ahead of London in public
transport provision, has nothing like as comprehensive a bus network.
During the evenings and on Sundays it reduces to a very skeletal
network.

A bit like my train service, then (I live in London, but only get 1tph
on a Sunday)
Yes, the paucity of trains on some "BR" (National Rail, whatever!) lines
in London often surprises me.

But I *really* think that London's bus service is unrivalled (the
nearest contenders for its crown I've ever seen are in Berlin and
Hamburg).
--
Ian Jelf, MITG, Birmingham, UK
Registered "Blue Badge" Tourist Guide for
London & the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk