Times Square 42nd Street, Kings Cross, Les Gobelins, and Madison/Wabash

For the past two weeks I have been given the amazing opportunity to work in NYC and be a regular commuter on mass transit (which I'm loving working and being in the city!).  This past Friday morning I was standing in a car on the Q train en route to Times Square.  As we were being held at a signal stop I realized that I have used four different mass transit subway systems and they all get the job done the same way but there are quite a few differences among them.  The foreign vs. domestic culture of sitting vs. standing among other things is fascinating!

A few simple observations on these underground transportation systems.

NYC is plain and simple - they call it the Subway.  The majority of lines run up and down town - it is not very convenient to get across town.  The lines are a random variety of numbers and letters.  One line is the 1, 2, 3 and 9 which runs up and down on the west side while the A, C, and E line also runs up and down town. There are 423 stations and 209 miles of tracks.   The transit system is not that far underground - 90% of the time, you never have to go down more than one flight of stairs (except for the 7 train on East 42nd street - that is a very very long flight of stairs).  In order to get through the turnstile to the platform customers must swipe their blue and yellow flimsy "MetroCard" at the entrance to the platform. The train cars themselves are relatively clean but the platforms and stair wells are quite icky to say the least.  However, over the past few years they have been cleaned up a bit.  As you are waiting on the platform you have no idea when the next train is coming - it's a big waiting game.  Once the train finally arrives it is a mad rush to get on and off the train, especially during rush hour.  I have noticed that some people sit but most people stand even if there are empty seats. I tend to stand just because I'm traveling at rush hour and it's just easier to maneuver with a laptop bag. 

London has two names for their system.  Some call it The Underground and others call it The Tube.  The reason that the term underground fits so well is because the system is truly underground.  You must take very very long flights of stairs or escalators down to many of the platforms.  The Underground has 270 stations and 250 miles of tracks which makes it the second longest metro system in the world after Shanghai.  The lines are identified by names which have corresponding colors - for instance the Circle line is the yellow line and the Central line is the red line.   The lines go all over the city so it is easy to go up, down, and across.  Unlike the NYC subway system you actually need your light pink "Travelcard" to get both in and out of the underground.  You actually need to swipe the card to get out!  Both the cars and platforms are extremely clean - the two times that I have been to London I have very rarely seen trash, gum, or empty plastic bottles lying around like one commonly sees in NYC.  There is a common security announcement that you hear as you wait for the train to warn passengers to "mind the gap" because there is typically a large gap between the platform and the train.  What is nice about London is that at most stations they have overhead screens which lists how many minutes until the next train.  It is customary to sit if there is an open seat so I follow suit to fit in and not be the tourist that stands out!

Ah, Paris - my favorite city in the whole world which I've been to twice.  It's subway system is called The Metro.  It has 133 miles of tracks and 300 stations.  The underground level of the metro system is very comparative to the NYC system.  The lines range from #1-14 and each have their own unique color. The Metro in Paris is the only system I have been on so far where each ticket is for one time use.  There is no fancy name for the ticket it is simply called "ticket" and it is small and white - a small rectangle probably the size of your thumb.  The cars and platforms are spotless.  The Parisian metro system is very timely and like London it has the overhead screens which tells you when the next train is coming.  It is an absolute must to sit when there is an empty seat.  I remember last September when I was on the 7 train going from Pont Marie to Chatelet to transfer to the #1 which is only a two minute ride I decided to just stand and this woman glared at me and motioned to me to sit down.  So when in Paris - " Assez-vous!"

I was only in Chicago for a brief time, but enough time to try out their underground and sometimes above ground transit system which is called the L.  It has 106 miles of tracks and 144 stops.  The lines are all identified by colors.  You can gain access to the tracks by swiping your light blue "ChicagoCard".  The platforms and cars are very clean as is the entire city of Chicago.  I can't quiet remember if their are signs indicating when the next train is coming but I guess that just means I need to take another trip back to Chicago! And as far as sitting vs. standing - I was there on a hot summer weekend during some big music festival so every L car was crowded and I could never even find a seat to sit down.