In my opinion, getting around Beijing using the subway system, like you would in NYC, is not only cheaper - 2 yuan a fare (50 cents CAN) - but it also saves time and headache from traffic.
Following up on
my previous post about Beijing's public transit system, I want to note some of the things I can't wait to see Toronto implement into our subway system:
On-train features like flat screens on either sides of the entrance that play ads, movie trailers, etc.
Electronic route maps above the doors that show you exactly where you are and which direction you are travelling to.
Platforms on newer stations have tall barricades at the edge - this would prevent jumpers in Toronto - and indicate where the train doors will open.
Plastic tickets are purchased at station booths, scanned through the entrance and inserted back into the exit before leaving a station. It's a greener system.
Train seats are prioritized - via signage - not just for the elder or disabled, but also for pregnant women and parents with young children.
Every station - the ones we saw, at least - is patrolled by government officers.
The stations are so clean, well from the ones we saw. This could be because there are no in-station convenience stores nor free papers like Metro or Eye.
You have to pass your bag through an airport-style security x-ray machine before entering the station.
The downside - as I've said before - is that there are so many people that it's pretty nauseating at times. But it certainly beats the above ground traffic!
3 comments:
pass your bag through an airport-style security x-ray machine before entering the station??? What the.. how efficient is this every morning (or in case of HK, all day long) rush hour?? I can't imagine..
It somehow works. :) The subway stations here are much better staffed than the ones in Toronto - at least from what I saw.
sounds like a cool subway system.
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