Mass Transit Around the World 


A comparison of the world's mass transits that I have visited (London, Paris, Japan and SF, California) 


London, England
The London Underground
Electric Light Rail
Quote ”Mind the GAP” is repeatedly broadcast in British ducal tones as you enter or exit the trains. The Gap is the “gap” between the platform and the train. You wouldn’t want your foot to get stuck in there!

The London Underground was fast, efficient, and felt extremely safe. At least I felt safe. The only place in London where I was warned about pick-pockets was at the British Museum (which is free to everyone—so pick-pockets love to find a mark there.)

Paris, France
TGV, Double-decker trains.
Fast, smooth. We took the TGV from Paris to Chartes and Paris to Versallies. The trains were modern, double-decker trains. The rides were always smooth and (a big surprise for France) air-conditioned! The windows even had light-filters to keep the glaring sun away. We had already ridden many of the cheaper trains in Paris (during August and 100 degree heat) that had no air-conditioning and you were usually stuck next to a window. So spend the extra money and take the TGV trains!


Paris Metro
Electric Light Rail
The Paris Metro had been my first experience with subways. The Metro is stylish and posh! However there are a myriad of underground tunnels and sometimes I felt as if I was going to get lost. I was also often worried about pick-pockets. (My French relatives told me to keep a look-out for pick-pockets.) Nothing ever happened though, so I don't know if the paranoia was justified or not. The most interesting thing about the Metro was the musicians that played in the tunnels. In order to play music in the Metro underground you actually have to get a permit from the French police! I can actually tell you that the people who were playing were quite good (considering that most of them must have gotten their permits which requires playing music at the police headquarters!)


Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo Subway, Light Rail
Quick, on-time, shaky. Always efficient and incredibly crowded. (They actually have pushers who push people into over-crowded subway trains during rush hour.) The biggest subway center is in the Shinjuku district. Over one million people commute through this area during the workdays. I had my daughter on my shoulders the entire time since I was worried I might loose her in the crowds. I was also worried that I would loose my way because I couldn't read the Japanese signs. Luckily they had automated computer diagrams that always updated on the train walls that let me know what the next stop would be in Japanese (kanji) and in English (romanji). I found the entire system to be efficient and even easy for a gaijin (foreigner) to figure out. Once final item of note:I was not thinking that I would ever have someone offer me a seat in a crowded subway train. However, as I was holding my daughter on my shoulders a elderly man offered me his seat. I was so struck by his generosity--I had heard that Japanese men never gave up their seats for women! This contrasts to my travels on a San Francisco Cable Car (when I was 6-months pregnant) and no one would even bother giving me a seat! I had to stand the entire way! I guess that you can say that the Japanese are more thoughtful than we are!


Japan
Shinkansen (Bullet Trains that run over magna-rails (magnetic))
Super-quick trains. I covered 500 miles in 4 hours (with one train switchover!) I wish they had a Shinkansen from Sacramento to San Francisco. Can you imagine going over 200 m.p.h. and making the trip in 30 minutes! That would beat flying! Flying the same distance only takes about 15-20 minutes in the air, but it is the long take-offs and landings that make it a 1 hour to 45 minute flight.


San Francisco, CA, USA
BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)
Local Bay Area Lightrail commuter trains (electric)
Quote ”Watch the Gap” is on signs around the stations along with warning signs to not touch the high voltage rails. (I never saw warning signs for high-voltage rails outside of the US, maybe it’s only in the US where we worry about someone suing us if there isn’t a sign up warning us of a danger (however improbable that danger may be).

When I go overseas I am repeatedly reminded that the US is far behind the rest of the world when it comes to mass transit. However, the differences between the US and other parts of the world point to why there is a disparity. I think the biggest reason (besides our long-term lover affair with gas-guzzling cars—I hope this ends soon!) is that the US is simply too spread out to make an effective mass transit system. Parts of America where we do have lots of people in close quarters already do have great mass-transit systems. San Francisco, New York, Washington, DC. I would put the BART up against the French Metro anytime. The French Metro has more style, but the Bart is easier to understand and is so incredibly efficient. I also felt safer on the BART than I did in Paris. Maybe it was because I was simply warned too many times on the Metro to be wary of pick-pockets.  

Posted: Tue - September 27, 2005 at 10:59 AM          

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