On Thu, 5 Dec 2013, Aurora wrote:

To give an example outwith TfL: Thirty years back my (UK) local
station was an uninviting pair of platforms.

Today the station is regularly painted in SWT colors. The booking
hall is staffed. Both platforms now have refreshment facilities that
also sell newspapers and magazines. The station no longer has an
edge.

Talking from another country ...

I was always puzzled by the fact in London tube stations had dedicated
staff selling tickets, and dedicated staff collecting tickets on exit
on lifts (a civilized device though !) or excess fares (another
civilized institution !), and bus had conductors ...

.... here in Milan conductors on trams and buses were eliminated in 1970
(to save money), and tickets in metro stations have always been sold by
newsagents (i.e. not ATM staff - despite the fact stations had and still
have an ATM agent in a box doing essentially nothing). Only the newer M5
is totally unmanned (also the trains are driverless).

.... instead the trend to have unmanned rural or suburban *railway*
stations, without a ticket office, is relatively recent in Italy (and
also motivated to save money, as the disappearance of left luggage
facilities in medium-sized stations), but has contributed to make
stations dirtier and less pleasant.

On Thu, 5 Dec 2013 16:17:14 +0100, Giovanni Drogo
wrote:

On Thu, 5 Dec 2013, Aurora wrote:

To give an example outwith TfL: Thirty years back my (UK) local
station was an uninviting pair of platforms.

Today the station is regularly painted in SWT colors. The booking
hall is staffed. Both platforms now have refreshment facilities that
also sell newspapers and magazines. The station no longer has an
edge.

Talking from another country ...

snip

... here in Milan conductors on trams and buses were eliminated in 1970
(to save money), and tickets in metro stations have always been sold by
newsagents (i.e. not ATM staff - despite the fact stations had and still
have an ATM agent in a box doing essentially nothing). Only the newer M5
is totally unmanned (also the trains are driverless).

... instead the trend to have unmanned rural or suburban *railway*
stations, without a ticket office, is relatively recent in Italy (and
also motivated to save money, as the disappearance of left luggage
facilities in medium-sized stations), but has contributed to make
stations dirtier and less pleasant.

Exactly, and, over time, that does not discourage criiminals. Clean
bright stations, with ample human presence make for a pleasant safe
environment.
--

http://www.991fmtalk.com/ The DMZ in Reno

On Thu, 5 Dec 2013, wrote:

Mentioning Milan isn't it one of the very few places where at least
one line was electrified on a four rail system like London?don't know
if it still is or has been changed.

Correct. M1 (1964) is still like that. There should be a part of M1 with
overhead wire (I really do not usually look up) because originally M2
trains were hosted in the same depot used by M1 (between Precotto and
Villa SG), so they had to run Precotto to Pasteur and then through a
connecting tunnel to Caiazzo on M2 (now M2 has its own depot). M2 (1969)
did not use the four rail system, because a part of it runs in open air,
and I believe it is forbidden for safety reasons.

On 06/12/2013 08:49, Giovanni Drogo wrote:
On Thu, 5 Dec 2013, wrote:

Mentioning Milan isn't it one of the very few places where at least
one line was electrified on a four rail system like London?don't know
if it still is or has been changed.

Correct. M1 (1964) is still like that. There should be a part of M1 with
overhead wire (I really do not usually look up) because originally M2
trains were hosted in the same depot used by M1 (between Precotto and
Villa SG), so they had to run Precotto to Pasteur and then through a
connecting tunnel to Caiazzo on M2 (now M2 has its own depot). M2 (1969)
did not use the four rail system, because a part of it runs in open air,
and I believe it is forbidden for safety reasons.

Bucharest Metro trains are also fitted with a pantograph, though they
only use them in depots.