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[Jessica_CDN]

Who's got the best metro / underground / subway, and why is it so good?

Personally, I like Mexico city because you can buy stuff on them. Music, food etc. And fruit at the stops! woohoo!! (plus it's pretty clean and efficient and easy to navigate and goes all over the place!)

[rbisset]

I think Mexico City is the best as well. Sure it's not supposed to be that safe but at 2 pesos for any journey who cares. The trains come every few seconds to cope with the sheer amount of people in the city and the trains go as fast as the driver wants them to!

Singapores was very good and clean. Bangkoks skytrain is cool but needs to be extended further round the city. Tokyo's is also very extensive but can get confussing.

[wakingdream]

I think the Skytrain in BKK is great but you have to use it in combination with other modes of transport. You can get around pretty efficiently if you do it that way as, as Rich said, it doesn't expand quite far enough out.

H.K. as in the other thread, is really good.
NYC's great.
I remember Sao Paulo's metro being really good as well.

[bloomer]

Singapore's is very orderly--
Believe it or not, Delhi has a really modern underground, I walked into it and could not believe I was still in India!

[rbisset]

I didn't like NYC's subway. Couldn't get my head around the fact the lines were straight and couldn't figure out how to get across town. Gimme Londons mess of interlinking lines any day!!

[Jessica_CDN]

Yeah - I forgot that the metro in Mexico was 20 cents! I kept trying to give them more money and they looked at me like I was crazy. (I just had to check my travelblog again - I think that equates to 2 pesos, not 20!)

Fun times.

Toronto isn't that bad, although it doesn't go anywhere near far enough!

[His Royal Monkeyness]

for getting you at least somewhat near just about anywhere you want to go, i haven't found much better than london's underground. other aspects of it leave a bit to be desired though.

i liked the subway in lyon, france, 'cuz there was a big window at the front and you could watch speeding through the tunnel. that was neat.

[whereshegoes]

Terrible was in Cairo. But that was my own fault for not going in the first car which is reserved for women and children.

I got in the one of the cars further back and got literally thrown out at the next station. Opps.

[wakingdream]

Toronto isn't that bad, although it doesn't go anywhere near far enough!

Jess, you probably heard that Stephen Harper announced 1 Billion funding for Toronto area transit, including money for subway extensions! About time, I say!

And in additon to that funding, Harper did confirm that Onatrio will receive $586 million from a new Eco-Trust fund to "encourage privinces and territories to cut greenhouse gases".

(When Harper made the announcement he began with: "You'll have to forgive us for being late — we got stuck in traffic," Oh hardy har. Stephen, you do have a sense of humour!)

[siscri]

The underground in Moscow was phenomenal, or so it seemed coming from Dublin. It was very cheap and amazingly efficient. Even with everything written in Cyrillic it seemed very easy to navigate.

[rbisset]

Moscows' is supposed to be really elaborate as well. I give it a visit someday, probably a long way off.

[rbisset]

Top 11 in the World

Just browsing through Shanghaiist.com and came upon this article. Check out whats at numero uno!

Comments on the list

[Jessica_CDN]

Cool link!!

Yay Montreal coming in at number 8! I quite like it as well. Not the best metro I've ever been on, but it's safe and clean and runs on time.

And the Athens metro isn't that bad. I was there while they were upgrading it in anticipation of the olympics. The new lines were soooo nice - Marble floors, nice trains...but the old ones that hadn't been upgraded were dodgy.

That's so great that the Toronto metro is getting money! It's sooo time. Those lines really need to be lengthened and new ones added. I hope it's enough.

[rbisset]

Beijing shouldn't be on that list. They still issue paper raffle ticket style tickets! The new lines are very nice though and use Japanese style trains and ticket machines. Don't go anywhere a tourist would be interested in though.

[whereshegoes]

1. Thanks for that list Simon. Very thorough, if not true.

2. Jess...Spookey...I was about to post those same words " the Athens metro isn't that bad. I was there while they were upgrading it in anticipation of the olympics."

Was that in the summer of 2002...I think I saw you!?!

3. I like that people still say: Hardy har (that makes me smile)

[Jessica_CDN]

Carm,

Nope, I was there the summer of 2001....missed you by a year

[sarahindenmark]

I absolutely love Paris' metro system. As someone who lived there for a month, and did travelling mainly solo, the metro system allowed me to wander all over the city without fear of getting lost. Just walk another 5 minutes and you were bound to find an entrance. I also found it really easy to navigate, which some people don't. The negative side was no airconditioning, a heat wave, and rush hour made for some smelly gross times.

Also, I haven't been to Tokyo, but I have been to Kyoto. They only have 3 lines, I think but in general I like the whole Japanese way trains work. Always on time to the second...can't beat that. The Kyoto lines weren't always convenient but way more reliable than Paris. Also, it was amusing to watch the business men make the 30 second connection between trains as they ran across the station.

[rbisset]

The negative side was no airconditioning, a heat wave, and rush hour made for some smelly gross times.

When I got back from London yesterday the first thing I had to do was take a shower! Using the underground during the summer is a horrible experience. Had to wash London off!

[Jessica_CDN]

Wow - the Kyoto subway sounds like something I'll have to experience! Nothing I love more than an efficient people-mover...and one that's on time to boot! People making 30-second connections - not something you'd see in the rest of the world! Well, with perhaps the exception of Germany....haha.

Yeah - metros in the height of summer can get pretty nasty.

I'm really looking forward to seeing San Francisco's transit system - it sounds rather elaborate!

[kitkatgo]

Do I have to choose? I LOVE riding on metros, subways, undergrounds!

Love the Paris Metro. London Underground is cool. Tokyo/Japanese trains are so crowded sometimes, but definitely efficient. Chicago and NYC are fine too.

I wish I had done the one in Lyon, France...that sounds so cool!

Many more to try...

~Kit