John:
My impression of the DC Metro is very mixed: On one hand it has much nicer
trains than those in most (if not all) US cities (where present).
On another hand, the frequency of the trains is not that great.
(My impression is that even in Boston and Manhattan, the train frequency
is better, but I might be biased.)
My impression, that the coverage of the city in DC is subpar.
And yes, while writing my previous response, I was also thinking about a
few "hidden jems" - subway stations in NYC. However, that doesn't change
the otherwise extremely low key appearance of the extremely utilitarian
NYC subway. (And don't take me wrong, NYC subway is very useful.)
The aspect that bothers me about NYC subway is the layout of the lines.
It is far from being _logical. I know, on one hand it is a historic
inheritance (of how competing companies were running parallel lines
which is, btw, rather fascinating). On another hand, it is also a
reflection of the socio-economic layout of NYC.
E.g. in Manhattan, there are no lines east of the green lines. And the
organization of lines/routes along the same tracks is idiosyncratic.
As for Moscow Metro being a "show place", - it's always been difficult for
me to imagine people living in the beautiful palaces and castles in Europe
or in the RI mansions in the US. But I was somewhat surprised (or amused?)
seeing tourists photographing subway stations in Moscow until I saw
Chicago's L with my own eyes.
Igor
John Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:55:47 -0700 wrote:
Hong Kong, Nanjing & Beijing subway systems were all pretty much like
the DC Metro (except newer & not as worn from deferred maintenance);
very Mies van der Rohe, lots of polished steel & glass à la the IBM
building in Chicago.
The Moscow Metro was built as much for a show place as it was for
transit. Compare NYC's closed City Hall Station. It was a beauty when it
was built.
On Wed, 5 Oct 2016, Igor PDML-StR wrote:
I agree with Dan: While I haven't used London Underground, I have not seen a
large-city subway system that would unequivocally bit Moscow Metro.
(But I haven't been to Chine or Korea.)
Besides the beautiful architecture, there are many advantages of Moscow
Metro:
1. Open long hours (most stations are open for entry from about 5:30am till
1:00am, while typically the last train starts from the end station at about
1am).
2. The frequency of trains during the day time is 2-4 minutes, and can be 10
(or even close to 15) minutes at late night.
3. Trains are long, and hence have high capacity.
4. Low cost (very affordable) and simple payment system (per ride, regardless
of length or line changes).
5. Fairly large and mostly logical coverage (unlike e.g. lopsided subway
system in NYC).
The biggest negative aspect is the lack of temperature control inside the
trains (no AC), - until about 2010. These days there are still many trains
without AC.
Unfortunately, subway systems in the ConUS are by far inferior to Moscow
Metro (and some are crappy or nonexistant).
Igor
Daniel J. Matyola Tue, 04 Oct 2016 18:32:15 -0700 wrote:
When we were there, after the fall of the Soviet Union, it performed as
well as it looked. The trains arrived and departed precisely on time.
They were clean, comfortable and cheerful. It is, in my opinion, better
than the Paris Metro and the LondonUndergrounf in all respectsd.
Dan Matyola
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/danieljmatyola
On Tue, Oct 4, 2016 at 5:41 PM, P.J. Alling <webstertwenty...@gmail.com>
wrote:
The Metro was so beautiful because everything else about the old Soviet
Union was so crappy. Probably under the gilt the Metro was crappy too, but
it still looked good.
On 10/4/2016 4:42 PM, Daniel J. Matyola wrote:
When we were in Russia, 20 years ago, I was quite impressed by the beauty
of the Moscos Metro stations, and the steep, speedy and thrilling
escalator
rides down to the stations.
I don't have any decent images from back then, but here are a few someone
else took and posted:
http://themetapicture.com/moscow-metro-stations-are-magnificent/
Dan Matyola
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/danieljmatyola
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