What is the architecture like? How expensive is it in each country? Is it easy to travel around the city?
Reply to this There is an extensive city train network here in Munich, Germany. There are the U trains that go around the center of the city and the S trains that branch out from the centre to the suburbs. The architecture in the train stations is very modern. I dont think I have seen any old fashioned looking ones. I find the public transport quite expensive. I live about half way between the airport and city centre. A day pass to cover the zones from where I live to the centre is 6.70 Euros.
Reply to this Moscow has some of the flashest stations that I have seen. The subway seems to run pretty well and is inexpensive, although I can't remember specific prices. There are also some pretty impressive stations in Tashkent with major public art works adorning the walls and ceilings.
Reply to this The DART is the city train in Dublin, Ireland. Some of the train stations in the center of the city are old and impressive, but what is really nice about these trains is that they mostly run along the coast and the views from them can be beautiful. They are also quite expensive in my opinion. I used to go on one every day when I worked in Dublin to get to work. I used to have a monthly pass. That price was Ok for public transport to work and it also included the city busses so great for going out at the weekends and evenings too. The DART is not very extensive, but the public transport in Dublin in general is.
Reply to this i come from sydney, and the public transport system there is shot to s#@%. therefore every city i go to has been infinitely more impressive. top notch ones so far are bangkok (10-40 baht per trip, til 6am-3am, every few minutes during peak hour, most stations are in the 'sky' i.e raised above the busy traffic so you get great views, clean stations) and paris (so efficient and clean);
Reply to this I am tempted to say Moscow, considering how "grand" and museum-like some of their underground stations are. But in terms of efficiency and ease of travel, I have to say Hongkong. I can go almost anywhere in HK using the subway. And it is also so simple and uncomplicated, such that every site uses a nearby station as a landmark.
Reply to this I agree with Lili Ramirez that the the metro in Hong Kong is good. I've also been impressed with the Metros in
Singapore and some mainland Chinese cities, such as Guangzhou (Canton) and Shanghai. The systems in mainland China are in the process of rapid expansion, with lots of new lines planed.
Reply to this I have to say that for efficiency and timeliness Tokyo, and most of Japan, is the best we have seen. If a train comes along at the appointed time you can be pretty sure that it is the one you want.
Reply to this The subway system here in Seoul, South Korea is amazing!! Ive been impressed before (Barcelona and Prague in particular) but Seoul takes the prize for sure. I can be anywhere in Seoul and if the subway doesnt reach the destination (it does go pretty far out of the centre) then there's always a local bus to hop on..plus the travel card system is easy and cheap as chips. Couldnt get any better :o)
Reply to this Moscow's is the most beautiful I've ever seen and you never have to wait more than a few minutes for your train, theyre never late or cancelled. However, it was designed for way less people than use it and having averaged 3 hours a day on it over a 10 month period I can confidently say that those heaving rush hour coridors, platforms and carriages are detrimental to your sanity. On the other hand it's one of the only places I've seen where seats are routinely given up to elderly passengers.
Reply to this I average half an hour a day on Kyiv's metro, and even that is detrimental to my sanity! My favourite part of Moscow's metro is the names of stations, many of which honour great writers, events or historical figures; it really gives you a feeling of the magnitude of the place.
J.
Reply to this for sure paris, there are some very nice metro stations...
Reply to this I was really impressed with Mexico City's system. Neither the most beautiful nor the ugliest, but its efficiency is top notch. You can get just about anywhere, it isn't terribly crowded (although a city of 22 million people), and a train comes along every 90 seconds or so. At first I wondered how they can have such frequency and only charge 2 pesos (~$0.15 USD). But with 8 million passengers a day, they're not short on revenue.
Ditto on Moscow ...by far the most beautiful stations.
Reply to this The metro system in Rennes, France is my favourite one I've been on. It's only got one line but it's really flash and like the DLR in London except underground (i.e. no driver, can see out of the front/back windows)
Still haven't been to a station which beats Canary Wharf underground station
Reply to this definitely the metro system in Hong Kong. All the stations are clean, modern, and safe. They all have a glass sliding door on the platform to prevent anyone from falling or being pushed off. Stations are also filled with convenient stores, bakeries, Starbucks....all necessities could be found! And the system is amazing, it goes everywhere!
Terri
Reply to this I've only been on a couple of systems:
nyc:
PROS: most convenient (24 hours), extensive, unlimited transfers for one fare, transfers to bus
CONS: dirty, no timetable, dangerous if you're in the outlying boroughs at wrong hours
tokyo:
PROS: prompt (arrives on the minute), clean, amazing service, safe...the best subway system in the world...
CONS: Only two - not 24 hours, expensive relative to the other places
montreal:
PROS: transfers to bus, relatively clean for north america, cheap, unlimited transfers
CONS: never on time, not 24 hours
boston:
PROS: extensive, unlimited transfers
CONS: can be dangerous, not 24 hours
chicago
PROS: extensive system, relatively safe
CONS: only 1 transfer per fare, distance between stops can vary from really short to really long
Reply to this the metro in Buenos Aires has to be the best value in the world! when we were there it was the equivalent of 10 pence per journey - compare that with 4 pounds per journey in London!
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