I’m a Londoner and I used to complain about the tube all the time then I went to live in New York for two months.... I have never complained about the tube since
OceanBlue lol, I can guarantee you’ve never been to London. More vibrant? It’s an artificial creation drowning out the oxygen in the City. London is statistically the most diverse city in the world, so much much more vibrant. If you wanna say nyc is better because it has more businesses then good for you, majority of us don’t rly care about the amount of businesses in a city, we care about the accessibility and the environment around us, not how many businesses can fit in a scyscraper
The most importent difference and really unique is: New York has express trains because they built 4 stracks even not only at Line 7. So, it is really amazing to drive with the Subway in parallel with another one. And yes, NYC Subway system is not easy to understand, but I know from the Hamburg Subway system, that you at some Stations you must know in wich direction you want to go before entering the Station, by the way it is the same as at Budapests eldest Subway line. And: if you want so change the line as a connection Station, in London, you must change the Platform with time Lost. That is even in Hamburg better than in London - and in New York. So: New Yorks Subway is much more amazing than London. You can go by different Subway lines to an Atlantik beach, or line 7..... And the tube in London is noting for people taller than 1,80 meter really not comfortible.
@@rudolphochsena3215 Yeah London has that on a couple of lines! (Metropolitan and Piccadilly) Also sometimes when two lines are going between the same stops one will be fast (express) and the other will be stopping.
Rudolph Ochsena um there are seats for ppl taller than 1,80 meters in London... have you tried sitting on one of em? I’d say you’d have more of a hard time being stupidly wide than tall & I have no clue why you’d want to confuse yourself with several lines going to the same place although there are plenty in London that do it, which is where you can change lines.
True story; many years ago I was waiting for a Circle Line train on a day that many of the drivers were on strike. The trains were so messed up that nothing seemed to be working. This wonderful angel of a lady comes on the intercom to list the sheer volume of delays in a thick Nigerian accent and just stops in the middle of her list, sighs and says the best line I've ever heard on the underground. "God bless you all." And hangs up.
@@jalaaldous3511 I'm 30 and i still do, nothing wrong with it, enjoy every moment of your life and forget about the people around you if they see it as strange
As a native New Yorker, the Tube is SO MUCH BETTER than the subway. Especially now that some lines are going 24 hrs. And Evan - you nailed it when you said the US needs to invest in infrastructure. That really is why the US has such crap public transportation compared to the rest of the world.
yeah everyone says America's infrastructure is falling apart, and we had been saying it for years now. I don't remember how many years i have watched essentially the same documentary. ugh
I'm sure the Tube is much better, but I feel like some of it wasn't that hard - I mean, local/express is usually pretty well labeled, and if you live there you learn that 1=local, 2/3=express, etc. Doesn't seem too difficult.
Nah for locals maybe. I have been to many many countries tubes and subways. A really good design let tourists with minimal experience pick it up easily.
London is WAY better, and I’m an American who has spent a lot of time in New York. Surprised you didn’t get into the biggest differentiator between the two - the price. The price capping in London is brilliant. As a tourist, I knew exactly how much I’d spent on travel for a day. New York is $2.75 no matter how long or short your ride, which is probably great if you take long trips every day, because it’s cheaper than going out to zone 6 or wherever in London. But every trip is $2.75 no matter how many you take. That really adds up. Knowing in London after you hit the cap that the rest of your underground and bus journeys were free is the best. Oh, and Oyster Cards are so much easier than MetroCards. You still have to swipe a freaking MetroCard. Gimme that tap.
True, for me I paid it as a monthly cost in both cities, so it didn't occur to me on a daily basis. But you're totally right. And yes, swiping the metro card is a skill I never 100% mastered. But I did love taking one from a tourist and swiping it for them.
NYC subway is implementing the tap this year. In fact some stations already have it...also there are plenty of apps available to help the confused to ride the subway and all stations now,finally, have countdown clocks. I only get to NYC about every 3-4 years and I have no trouble riding the subway. None. BUT when you ride the subway..expect delays and trains that are late. And of course it is dirty. But it does run 24/7/365.....unlike every major city in the World except Chicago...and I know every line does not run 24/7/365....next time I go there I will use it.
I recently found out that there is a reason why London tube trains don't have air-con (and it's not just because we're cheap-ass Brits who don't want to spend money on it). Different tube lines were built at different levels below ground; some are just below the surface while others are really very deep underground. It was difficult enough digging down to those super deep levels back in the day, so those particular tunnels were made just barely big enough to accommodate the train carriages. This means that on those deep-level lines there is literally no space to fit the air-con units, and nowhere for the vented hot air to escape to. However, for tube lines that don't use the really deep level tunnels (e.g. Metropolitan, City, Circle, District), those tunnels were built much bigger and they're easier to vent because they are closer to the surface, so those lines all now have air-con installed. The irony is that these larger 'just-below-surface' lines are the ones that least need air-con. It's the deepest lines that are the hottest, but they're also the smallest tunnels that prevent air-con from being added. I'm not sure if there will ever be a cooling solution for deep lines like Bakerloo, Central etc. (other than having to completely re-dig the tunnels to make them larger).
Good news. The new Siemens trains for the Picadilly line will be arriving at around 2025 and will feature air conditioning. It'll use regenerative braking which reduces heat from braking, allowing air conditioning be installed and not cook the passengers at the station.
Evan: If we are goin to try to compare subway systems, how's LA's? Me, someone who has lived in LA their entire life: Hold up we have a subway system??
I find it strange that people say the train is late in New York, simply because I never knew it to have a schedule. I literally show up to the train stop and wait for the train to show up. Which I have done for my whole life, and I have never been late because of the train.
I visited London for about a week a few years ago, and honestly, the tube really impressed me. I’m used to taking city buses here, which are always late, and the only other subway system I had used before was the one in Montreal, so maybe I don’t have much to compare it to, public transportation-wise, but I still thoroughly enjoyed London’s underground. I loved how fast and easy it was, but my favourite part was that we knew exactly when the next train was coming. Anyway, unrelated but I’d looove to go back! One~ week is not enough.
ye but it's so crowded where I am... the buses are so packed.. a double decker usually is full top to bottom on school days at 7:50 to 8:10 and 2:50 to 3:10 for me
In NYC, you have to know whether or not you are going uptown or downtown. If you aren't paying attention you'll end up in the Bronx. Trust me I've done that before!!! LOL!!!
I've been feeling pretty jaded about London Underground until I saw this and I realised that actually we have it pretty good. I mean lets face it, it would be better with air-con, but then we are talking about the oldest underground train system in the world. Its been doing us proud for over a century and a half so making changes are not all that easy, but as you say they are trying. The maps are everywhere and really easy to follow. On the lines that have now been modernised you do have the glass barriers that prevent accidents and suicides, which is definitely a good thing. I do have a criticism on the exits - sometimes when there are multiple exits its not always quite clear where you are going to come out or where you should head if you need a different exit. The other criticism I have is that when it is so much deeper you do have a problem when the escalators are out of action and they dont always advertise which stations are exit via the lift. I also get frustrated with reliability but apparently we have it much better than I thought in terms of reliability. Maybe I should give the Tube and TFL more credit. I really feel they should extend the tram link though - that would be very helpful. Lets face it, its only when you get into central London that you have a reliable way of connecting North with South and East with West - anyone living on the fringes has to go into London before they can come out again
I've never experienced it increase congestion. Plus I'd still rather that than have the entire line blocked because someone went under a train - which has happened to me all too many times
terex9 - They don’t always fall into the pit and even if they do, you can’t just leave them there, you have to stop the trains, turn off the power and get them out and since (other than in 2 specific scenarios) only a doctor can pronounce someone dead, even the dead ones have to be treated as alive and got out with care. So yes ‘one unders’ are an issue, but one that is common to many train systems the world over - sadly.
Sommatore Nero that's so harsh, everyone is welcome here, everyone is a combination of different backgrounds and I'm proud to say people in Britain are from everywhere and we are quote diverse.
I actually like the circle line 😂 I use it to get home and back to work but I did like the DLR as I used it for the first time to get to SitC last year.
"If you see something that doesn't look right, speak to staff or text the British transport police at 0800405040" I take the train to school every day, I think its really sad that I've memorised this...
Pro about NYC subway you guys forgot: You don't have to pay per zone like you do in the Underground. You pay once and it doesn't matter if you start at the bottom of brooklyn and go to the far end of the bronx.
Yes! Theoretically, for one subway swipe, I think you can- 1. take a 2 train from Wakefield 241st to E 180th in the Bronx 2. transfer to a 5 train to 3rd Ave, 149th, Bronx 3. Walk underground to the 149th Grand Concourse 4. take the 4 train uptown to Yankee Stadium 5. take a B or D to 145th in Manhattan 6. transfer to an A or a C and go to Columbus Circle 7. take the 1 train to Times Square 8. take the shuttle to Grand Central 9. take the 7 to Court Sq 10. take the G train to Bergen Street 11. Transfer to the F train and go to Delancey Street / Essex St 12. Transfer to a J or Z train and go to Broadway Junction 13. Take a C train to Franklin Avenue 14. Take the S to Prospect Park 15. Take the Q train to 14th Street - Union Square 16. Get on the L train and go as far as you want This won't have you take every train letter/number in the City, but it should have you take every line color, except for Staten Island. For completion, though (but this would probably be more than 1 subway ride)- 17. take the L train to 14th St., 8th Ave 18. Take an A or E back to Columbus Circle 19. Take a 1 train to South Ferry 20. Take the Staten Island Ferry 21. Take the Staten Island subway 1 stop 22. Go back to the station you were just at 23. Take the Staten Island Ferry back to Manhattan 24. Take the 1 train to Times Square 25. Transfer to Port Authority Bus Terminal, and take a NJTransit bus into New Jersey
haha, spent like half an hour staring at the subway map to get it right. I really have better things to be doing with my life... I'm now tempted to spend a day actually doing this route and then challenging other NYCers to see if there's a more efficient route than what I would have done.
That can be taken either way though. Although I as a Londoner would love no zones because the tube is expensive, I will admit a lack of zones seems to be one of the factors depriving the subway of adaquete funding and investment
I enjoyed the London Tube for all the reasons mentioned. I also like how you can see a map of all the stops near where all the ads are, so you can see how many stops away from your stop you are. Also, idk how it compares to the NYC metro card, but I loved using the oyster card. Just a speedy tap and you're done.
NYC subway system is nutso. As a tourist I found it adventurous. But if I lived there, I would go mad. My mom was super excited to see her first subway rat. Lol
i definitely agree with the london underground being super easy for tourist because it was so easy to use that i didnt even need to use google maps or anything like that cos they had clearly marked signs and maps everywhere on where to go. plus they had staff around the place so you could always ask them for directions and they were always polite in helping. but the things yall didnt mention were the pets that are allowed on public transport.. i never knew that was possible unless theyre service animals and they were so cute and the escalators and how even that is efficient where if you want to stay then you stick to one side while those who wanna walk up can do so without having to ask people to move over. i have never seen that before and it was so cool but now im sad cos it doesnt happen in new zealand and going through the tube ended up being one of my favourite things to do in london. the only complaint i can think of is the amount of stairs the underground has and now my expectations for public transport are too high
New York Subway maps are at every platform I've been to (I'm from NNJ) and in every subway car. White dot = express, black dot = local. It's hard sometimes, yes, but very learnable. And now there are minute counters as to how long until the next train at most platforms (and it's pretty reliable). But all the other complaints are very valid. The key to NY subways is to recognize they don't have a schedule, they just show up every bunch of minutes. It's never late because there is no time it was supposed to arrive!
Apart from the actual tube/underground train network which is very extensive, there is a massive suburban network of above ground lines and stations especially in south London, which is why the tube is less extensive in this area. Add that to the Docklands Light Railway in east London, and Tramlink which is centred in the suburb of Croydon, also the London Overground (which despite it's name does include a few underground stations) plus the hundreds of bus services, a good deal of which run 24/7 and you'll see London is well catered for in terms of public transport.
You know all the tube stations were deliberately designed to be distinct and recognisable? So they all have different tilework or decoration because the assumption was that not everyone using it would be able to read, but should be able to recognise when they got to their stop. It's really obvious on some stops, a bit more subtle on others, but still very helpful - makes it easier to look up and be "oh fuck, this is me!" and jump off the train before the doors closed. They stopped doing it with some of the newer Jubilee stations, which is actually kind of irritating because sometimes if it's really crowded, you can't see he station name or the on-board announcement.
@@juliettebravosprteam4072 Audio descriptions are good, but it's not an either/or - both would be best. I think it's useful to have something where each station is visually distinct, so even if you can only see a sliver of the station, you can tell where you are. Plus, I think it'd make them more interesting - yellow bird mosaics at Canary Wharf! Something naval at North Greenwich! Maple leaves and geese at Canada Water! Could even have a competition, get some more public art on display.
This is the case for older stations as there were a lot of people who were unable to read and write, so people didn't know what each stop was. New stations are pretty similar because the majority of the population in London can read
As a New Yorker I appreciate the roast. Here's a few tips: -There's a NYC submay app that works offline that you can use to know all of the lines, and how to get everywhere. -Local trains have a circle over their number, and express trains have a diamond. So that's how you know the difference between local and express.And there are clocks at the platforms that let you know how long until the next train is coming. -You know if you're going uptown or downtown by the stop that's listed on the train. It'll have the number/letter and then the name of the last stop in the direction that it is going in. It's a very efficient system, but I do think the fare is too high, it is too dirty, and the MTA doesn't do enough to improve it. Trust us we complain about the MTA all the time.
Reading some of the comments I really dont understand the argument that America doesnt have a good train system because its just too big. I really dont accept that as an excuse. America has all the ingredients to have one of the best if not the best train system in the world and yet the majority of people appear to complain that outside a few forward thinking cities the American public transport system in general is pretty poor. With so much money, so much world class engineering at their fingertips, so much open space, such a huge population and so much reason to have a great transport system I just really get why no one has put all that together to come up with something world class and yet outside those few cities it just doesnt seem to bother. I think American citizens are being given a raw deal, but if they want to make the argument that they are just too big then I guess nothing will ever change for them
It is honestly my biggest criticism of America is that it appears to do what the corporations and organisations with the most money want before it will consider the overall needs of its citizens. It goes against everything I had understood America to stand for and the basis on which it was founded. How can everyone in America have a fighting chance if the system is designed to constantly favour those who have the money to buy power? How can it hold itself up to be a land created by the people for the people if its motivating factor is not the people? American politicians, how about you do what is right for the average American for once
Sarah Baker haha I completely agree. I’m from the U.S. and I definitely believe that we can upgrade the subway. I live in LA but when I went to NY for vacation the subway gave me headaches because they use symbols and numbers that were kind of hard to follow especially if you don’t use it often or if you are a tourist. To be honest, the London Underground is so much better. When I visited the city for about a week I rarely opened the Citymapper app to get me around because the Tube just made sense. Idk (this is just from my experience) but if you live in the older, bigger American cities, such as NY, the work mentality is so strong and enforced that having an inconvenience such as closing a train line for remodeling would drive half the city population insane. Bc people need to get to work, they would much rather have a really terrible system that somewhat works rather than have it closed for months and have it better. If you haven’t noticed Americans are also very, very impatient such as myself lol. I’ve only been on the LA subway once but it’s kind of useless because the entire city was built in order to be transported by car.
Trains in the US were doomed from the beginning. If you are interested in that story, there is a book called Railroaded, by Richard White that does a great job. It's LONG and dense though.
I love love LOVE the London Underground! My only issue is the lack of air conditioning! They’re every two or three minutes, 5 maximum, I just hate that the northern line makes you change at Kennington and the whole split because I never know if I’m going via bank of Charing Cross! Also I love that there is a map of that tube line on the wall of every carriage!
Bubbles Hugs that’s kind of like the DC metro system, the trains are generally on time, we have easily seen maps plus AC. My only complaint is that while the DC metro is really good for the city it’s not as good for the suburbs surrounding it, the stops are too far from everything in the suburbs but luckily we have the Metrobus system to get us to the metro
Uma Karunakaran ah slightly different in London, no matter where you are you’re never more than ten minutes walk from a tube station, and undoubtedly you can ALWAYS see a bus stop, even far out in the suburbs! :) London is kinda a compilation of lots of tiny cities to make one big city so there’s always something nearby
The Underground is honestly like a dream. The fact that the trains run more often than once every 10 minutes is beyond me, and they go EVERYWHERE you could need to go as a tourist. When I had to use the Melbourne Metro system again it was heartbreaking (did someone say slow, unreliable and NO LINE TO ST KILDA FOR GODS SAKE?), I dream of the efficiency and convenience of the London Underground daily
The London Underground is amazing. My only gripe (as a Londoner) is that the trains are so noisy! That horrible screech!Only DLR spares you the screech!
New York subway is confusing - I was there a couple of months ago and the lines are so confusing, when you get on the train they sometimes skip stations....whyyyyyy????
it's to ease the amount of people on the trains. express trains will go to the most important and popular stop (times quare, 14th street etc) so there aren't too many people because then that causes congestion
The NYC subway is now implementing signs with time to arrival (about effing time!). The trains are clean, the platforms are not. Stops that are directional (ie, only going downtown on that side) will say, for example, F [station name] Downtown at the street level entrance. If it doesn't say Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn, Queens, or some other direction, then it's the same entrance for both ways.
My beef is a LOT of NYC stations have no signs to inform you of which way the train track is bound, so how do you know which side of the platform to get on? In London you just swap sides, in NYC you have to walk all the way outside go up to street level and cross over the road then go back down to underground level and get on the correct side. SORT IT OUT!
My dad worked for London Underground for a really long time so I’ve kinda inherited the ability to navigate it well, but also, it’s so good, the map is so cleverrrrr
What's so hard about the New York subway system? I read it fine and I'm not from either there or London, both easy to get around on I think. The New York trains did feel grimier though.
When I was in Paris I found that the Metro was like a perfect mix of the two.They were often late, but also there were announcements and signage showing how many minutes late it would be. They also announced on the platform, before you got on, and on the signs where the next train would be headed. Once you got on they were kind of dirty and you probably didn't want to sit on the seats, and you definitely couldn't understand the intercom, but it always had a map of that train line showing every stop it went to, including where you got on.
The tube was the first rail system I ever used, and I loved it instantly. The map, while getting cluttered, is so much nicer than NYC or Paris. Figuring out that the front of the train shows the line on shared-platform was a bit confusing for the first trip, but was easy after that. I think that part of why the stations are so much nicer other than maintainance and color scheme, is that they still try to give each station an identity as is tradition from the early days when not everyone who used it could read, so had to use the tilework patterns. I haven't been on the NYC system, but Paris felt like a disaster in comparison, the stations looked like they were falling apart, and they were absolute rabbit warrens. That said, at least those cities actually have prolific systems, my local Sacramento lightrail goes hardly anywhere, so there's no point in it.
The most annoying thing about the London underground is that every station has 10+ ways of getting onto the platform. AND they change the exits and entrances depending on the time of day so you can memorise your route IF you get the train at a similar hour every day~~ other than that, i'm grateful for the London underground ^_^ hahaha Never been to New York, but my parents went in like 1980's and they found it great back then but hated the rubbish and rats etc lol
As someone who has used the Stockholm metro, I don't see how you can't tell the trains apart. It says it on the digital information board hanging from the roof. It'll tell you the line number and destination for every train arriving on that track. And you can also reach all platforms from any entrance, which is great.
Tech from 30/40 years ago in New York? Hah, Underground still has 1920s signalling equipment! Also Northern, Victoria, Central and Jubilee are all automatic, having drivers is still required on those routes for now.
I can't comment on American subways, but the biggest issue I have with the London underground is the majority of stations are not wheelchair accessible (except the Overground line) which means if you are in a wheelchair you have to take buses which obviously take a lot longer.
I'd agree with that. I went with my friend and her Guide Dog and we had to walk up so many flights of emergency exit stairs and stopped escalators (she doesn't live in London so her dog isn't trained for them). They really need lifts in stations - I was shocked at how few main stations did although I understand the reason is because the stations are so old. We had to get from Euston (I think!) train station to Kings Cross for the tube and it was easier to walk between the 2 than try the underground. I can't remember if the lift was broken or just didn't get to the platform we needed. It was hopeless anyway.
This really does show that to fully appreciate something you've got to try something worse yet claims to be better. It's a similar story with chocolate in the US and UK
@@ElleYama There are 15 stations on the Glasgow Subway. It is actually the third oldest underground railway system in the world. Modernised yes, but never has it been extended from its original circular route.
I reject your over complicated sub way, come to Liverpool, we only have 4 stops, its only goes clockwise, and if you dont get off you could end up Chester or New Brighton, or west Kirby, or the 4th place i forget i want to say Hoylake....
The NYC subway system is always a mess but honestly after a year of living there, you get used to it’s delays and different lines and you figure out the most efficient way to get places. Every New Yorker knows the system is a mess but we’re just so used to it at this point so it doesn’t faze us
As a proud New Yorker all I'm going to say is that if you ever get lost or don't know where you are just go to 42nd street and you'll find your way home.
Yeah, but say you're coming from NJ, and you need to take a Q train somewhere. Take NJTransit to PABT, then you have to navigate all the way through Times Sq until you find the yellow routes. It's not the most intuitive.
Okay but in all honestly the confusing part happens in Port Authority and trying to find the right exit into the subway. Every time I have to take NJ transit to like Jersey city, I get so confused because there are like no signs and how the hell am I supposed to find the departure spot for the right bus.
Yup! I come from Bergen county every day, and I have no clue how the bus decides which gate at PABT to let us off at - it's different every time, yet I always go home from the same gate...
Here in Chile we have 6 lines, no two lines use the same tracks, you can cross over to the other side in every station, lines have colours and there are maps of all the lines everywhere, it's sort of clean, sort of secure and the last two or three lines are driverless, almost completely automated with screens with waiting times everywhere Overall it works, it's pretty much the only thing that works as intended or almost as intended
I live in South West England and recently visited London and New York. I couldn’t believe how incompetent the NYC ticket barriers were. With London, it’s a quick “beep” and you’re in. But with NYC you’ve gotta swipe your card about 15 times to get the gates to open! Perhaps I’m biased 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah. Good news it that Omny is being rolled out to replace MetroCard. It will work kinda like London’s Contactless where you just need to tap a credit card, or your phone to pay
The London underground is obviously superior in every aspect BUT I don't think it's easy for tourists. Literally every person I know that's been to London on holiday complains about how confusing it is that the lines split in two. I don't think it's that difficult tbh, but yeah. Biggest complaint for me would be how fxcking expensive it is. And I get it, it's huge and you can go to so many places, but ouch.
But the high price can be seen with how relatively clean the stations are etc. You can't have well maintained stations and lines without the investment. Paris metro is also quite bad, in terms of lack of investment- although still better than NYC subway
I don't own a car and my parents never have either. My Dad cycles everywhere. I pretty much walk everywhere and if I need to go across the city (London) then the buses, trains, tubes come so often and are so easy to use. (Also, Victoria Line is definitely the best line!)
After watching this video, I think the subway in San Francisco is not bad, has AC, on time and relatively easy to figure things out. I did pretty OK when traveled in the city for the first time. I got lost several times in Boston subway system in comparison.
I swear they sometimes don't even clean bathrooms- we don't have underground here but my god do the bus stop bathrooms look horrid 99% of time, I prefer to just go to a nearby bar and order a drink and go to the bathroom there compared to something that smells horrible, people don't clean after themselves so everything possible is on the lid and it's full of flies x.x
Ironically it was an American - Charles Yerkes who was heavily involved in the early days of the Underground. Also in 1902 - 03 the central line trains were formed into multiple units using a control system developed by Frank Sprague in Chicago.
They're working on the subway in New York. The conductors have gotten better, The trains have been relatively cleaner, and they now have an app. Also, New York is the oldest modern city and was built gradually. It isn't that hard to figure out if you look at maps on every platform and in every train car.
I voted for NYC bc I cant compare to London bc I’ve never been there. Even though I’d probably like the London Underground I feel it would be unfair to vote London.
As Londoners we complain all the time about the tube and any slightest inconvenience on it (delays, etc.) But the reality is that it’s beyond better than any other metro system out there. Travelling on the NY subway helped me to appreciate just how good the tube is.
Rufioh British trains are far better the only thing American trains are better for is for strength and pulling heavy loads, UK trains are about speed and reliability
I haven't been to the US and ik their trains are shit. The trains/transportation is so good here that you don't even need a car (unless you live in a very rural area), and if your train is more than half an hour late, you get a full refund.
LOL. Even if we had nice trains in the US nobody would use them because it would take forever to get anyway. County is just too big. Trains are decent in the Northeast to get between places like NY, Philly, Boston & DC but that’s it. Oh and the Pacific Surfliner between LA and SD because it runs on the beach.
The UK overground / intercity train system is WAY superior than anything in the US. However, it's a different story when you compare UK trains to countries in Europe (or to Japan or China). They make our train system look like a complete pile of crap.
I went to Seoul recently and their public transportation is unbelievably amazing! It's easy to figure out which line or bus route you have to take and all of it is integrated in a map app. You can type in your destination and then choose the mode of transportation you wanna take. It then will literally show you which bus/train to take, where to get off, where to transfer, how long you have to walk, how long you have to wait, when it will arrive, and whether the train/bus is crowded or not. It blew my mind away.
My worst experience on the subway was when two guys literally started a fight in the compartment. Compare this to London where we get the occasional marching band on the train, much more friendly. Also the Victoria line is cool because it's the only tube line that's underground for the whole duration of its journey and each station has a tiled mosaic corresponding to the name or history of the station. Wish it went further south than Brixton though because I'm in zone 5 in the south east and you can forget about getting a tube anywhere nearby
The NYC subways run 24/7. For late at night trains, you might have to wait 45 minutes for a subway, but they will eventually arrive. As a New Yorker, I think the subway system is dirty, often covered in trash, but for the most part it is pretty reliable. The biggest tip I have is just find your bearings and walk to the cross street Google Maps recommends, know where you transfer and make sure you're going the right direction when you do. It also helps to have a basic geography of the 5 boroughs so you know that Bronx bound trains are going North, Brooklyn bound trains are going south-east, etc. You can easily get around the 5 boroughs, and it's a flat rate for buses, subways, and ferries (of $2.75 or you can get a monthly for $130.) London's system was super clean, but I felt like I had to wait longer for most of the trains I used, especially off peak. The tube does really get you close to where you were going though which I appreciated. The main issue with NYC subways is that the rest of NY state uses it as a piggy bank and so major improvements (like updated traffic signals) hadn't happened. Once NYC makes the subways a priority again, it'll improve.
If you think the London underground is a perfect system, you should try the one in Stockholm. You'll be blown away by being able to travel the same distance in (up to) half the time.
Ali! Woah. Your channel was one of the first I ever subscribed to to improve my English listening... must have been nearly 10 years. The way you speak brings back memories.
The ticketing system in NYC is decades behind. Yes it is cheaper than London but you have to buy a physical ticket or card and the ticket machines are often broken. Contactless payment on the Underground is so much easier and works out the best fare for you. Also once you're on a Subway train there's no map and if it's crowded and you can't see the platform signage as you pass through stations you don't know when to get off. Madness.
You need to have lived here for your whole life to actually understand how the subways work. It's really rare for someone who hasn't lived here for ever to be able to understand them.
The Paris Metro quite good - you just look for the end destination to find your line. The rubber tyred trains on some lines are interesting too if you don't mind the smell of rubber and the tunnels are lit.
Of the largest metro systems I've been on: London's is fairly clean but it pays off to learn what the shortest & longest interchanges are (because Oxford Circus is right across the platform between two lines while green park has incredibly long corridors connecting the lines). Also there are a lot of really beautiful listed stations which are worth taking a detour to see. Paris' Metro is very easy to enter/exit and is noticeably clean but pretty much every interchange between lines is long and it's a shame RER services have separate ticketing Montreal's system is beautifully built and has great interchanges but some central stations are kind of hard to navigate in terms of entrances/exits. Tokyo's system is very clean and easy to navigate but the interchanges seemed to most of the time be very long with one getting up to 450m and I know that because it was written on the sign! New York wasn't too hard for me to navigate and express services were quite useful for getting places fast but I'm a transit map geek so I really can't speak for all tourists, and stations ranged from unkept to grotty. Madrid's metro is a BTEC Paris, but I like how lines built during different periods look very different. Osaka felt like what New York could be if they actually made an effort. Lyon is very novel because there are 3 rubber tyred lines iirc, nice and clean and speedy, then there's a converted fernicular with the steepest metro platform in the world apparently and it's interesting which parts are above ground because of Lyon's hilly geography. Berlin is interesting because some stations are like NY but clean and others look old but well kept and aesthetic.
Taken both and definitely more in love with London Underground it’s the best, subway was an interesting experience somehow using maps did work but honestly even got caught on that whole local vs express thing 😭
I went to Singapore last year and the underground was actually amazing!!! It was super clean and really really cheap! And the trains were super efficient and came every like 6 mins! Seriously if you ever go to Singapore, the underground is so good, use it!
Only complaint about the Tube is that the Central line needs to be updated so that the carriages have the capacity of District line because traveling into the centre on Central in the rush hour was an experience that made me understand why claustrophobia is a thing
I completely agree about what you said about both the New York subway and the London Underground. Random lines on the New York subway were closed down for the day with no warning or explanation/alternative when I was there, and the entrances being blocks away from each other was soo annoying. The London Underground can feel stifling, but the maps are easy to read, and it branches out so far. Of course, being Norwegian, I also like our tube system in Oslo. It is of course very small compared to those cities, but it's very clean and (often) efficient, and sometimes it goes above ground, which is lovely.
I live in the greater Vancouver area (Canada) and we have a skytrain. It’s the same as the underground but above the street and it’s amazing. All of the trains are automated so they’re never late, they’re clean, air conditioned, and the go basically everywhere. It is annoying if you’re on the wrong side of the platform because you have to go all the way back down and back up to the other side but the gates are before all the stairs so you don’t have to worry if you’ve already paid. Also we have compass cards which you can use to get on any bus or skytrain. It’s pretty great
The NYC Subway does have an app it's called Transit App, they do work 24 hours they just don't run every 10 min, also theres monitors on the train that tells u what stops is next. Don't blame New York subway just because u don't know how to navigate yourself.
It isn’t just the NYC Subway. I used it in Montreal, Albany, London, Denmark, Cardiff, and Amsterdam. I’m pretty sure it works in other major cities too.
tbh the thing that stands out to me the most, as a singaporean watching this video, is the fact that the singapore mrt has none of the flaws mentioned in the video! then again it is significantly newer and has much fewer lines since it's a small country.
Montreal subway has 4 lines including one with only 3 stops... U can't compare it to NYC or london. They have like 15 lines. (And I'm saying this as a montrealer)
The New York subway needs a LOT of updating, but as someone who has lived in both London and New York, I think New York is WAY better for the walking tourist. The grid system means it's almost impossible to get lost on foot (above lower Manhattan), whereas London, being an ancient city, is much harder to navigate by walking.
The NYC Subway is adding CBTC and they are still modernizing with new trains CBTC is Computer Based Train control. Which will make the trains be able to drive automatically. The President of the MTA has also been changed so many things have changed. Plus new train cars are being added with the ATO system. The CBTC system has only been added to the Land 7 lines at the moment. Plus platforms are being renovated as well as the signaling system. There are already official apps and the new Countdown clocks being installed in stations.
The announcements on London trains are something else. My favourite: "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, if you look to your right you will see a jubilee line train traveling beside us that's being driven by my mate Gordon. Let's see if we can beat him to Wembley shall we?" (9 minutes later, pulling into Wembley) "Wooo, we won! Eat that Gordon!"
I’m a Londoner and I used to complain about the tube all the time then I went to live in New York for two months.... I have never complained about the tube since
Daryl Sledge why?
OceanBlue London, while not quite as important as New York is still a very important city with all the qualities you just described
OceanBlue I’m guessing you live in New York. If you’ve been to London you’ll see it’s better.
OceanBlue lol, I can guarantee you’ve never been to London. More vibrant? It’s an artificial creation drowning out the oxygen in the City. London is statistically the most diverse city in the world, so much much more vibrant. If you wanna say nyc is better because it has more businesses then good for you, majority of us don’t rly care about the amount of businesses in a city, we care about the accessibility and the environment around us, not how many businesses can fit in a scyscraper
OceanBlue London is the best City in the world, nothing compares (been to both)
everyone seems to know the phrase MIND THE GAP BETWEEN THE TRAIN AND THE PLATFORM
PineappleSocks it's drilled into my head at this point
Why can I hear this phrase being spoken in head
PineappleSocks *spirals into insanity*
Or PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS
CHANGE HERE FOR THE DLR, HAMMERSMITH AND CITY LINE, AND NATIONAL RAILWAY SERVICES
me, a new yorker, listening to this: ur not being fair thats not true
me, internally: the subway system is trash
So true!
Also, sort of random-
יש סיכוי שאת מבינה ויש לך אחות עם השם חנה?
Traitor
The most importent difference and really unique is: New York has express trains because they built 4 stracks even not only at Line 7. So, it is really amazing to drive with the Subway in parallel with another one. And yes, NYC Subway system is not easy to understand, but I know from the Hamburg Subway system, that you at some Stations you must know in wich direction you want to go before entering the Station, by the way it is the same as at Budapests eldest Subway line. And: if you want so change the line as a connection Station, in London, you must change the Platform with time Lost. That is even in Hamburg better than in London - and in New York. So: New Yorks Subway is much more amazing than London. You can go by different Subway lines to an Atlantik beach, or line 7..... And the tube in London is noting for people taller than 1,80 meter really not comfortible.
@@rudolphochsena3215 Yeah London has that on a couple of lines! (Metropolitan and Piccadilly) Also sometimes when two lines are going between the same stops one will be fast (express) and the other will be stopping.
Rudolph Ochsena um there are seats for ppl taller than 1,80 meters in London... have you tried sitting on one of em? I’d say you’d have more of a hard time being stupidly wide than tall & I have no clue why you’d want to confuse yourself with several lines going to the same place although there are plenty in London that do it, which is where you can change lines.
True story; many years ago I was waiting for a Circle Line train on a day that many of the drivers were on strike. The trains were so messed up that nothing seemed to be working.
This wonderful angel of a lady comes on the intercom to list the sheer volume of delays in a thick Nigerian accent and just stops in the middle of her list, sighs and says the best line I've ever heard on the underground.
"God bless you all."
And hangs up.
If she stopped in the middle of her list to say that, then hung up, it was the end of her list or she didn't finish the list????
I love sitting at the front of the DLR and going through canary wharf. Its so pretty.
Me too. Whenever I want to go to the DLR from my hometown Island Gardens to Canary Wharf I go to the front seats instantly.
YES!!!!! OMG I knew I wasn't the only one that thought that. When you go over the river and the buildings are just so amazing ugh...
And when I was little I pretended I was driving the train XD
Yess
@@jalaaldous3511 I'm 30 and i still do, nothing wrong with it, enjoy every moment of your life and forget about the people around you if they see it as strange
As a native New Yorker, the Tube is SO MUCH BETTER than the subway. Especially now that some lines are going 24 hrs. And Evan - you nailed it when you said the US needs to invest in infrastructure. That really is why the US has such crap public transportation compared to the rest of the world.
yeah everyone says America's infrastructure is falling apart, and we had been saying it for years now. I don't remember how many years i have watched essentially the same documentary. ugh
I'm sure the Tube is much better, but I feel like some of it wasn't that hard - I mean, local/express is usually pretty well labeled, and if you live there you learn that 1=local, 2/3=express, etc. Doesn't seem too difficult.
Nah for locals maybe. I have been to many many countries tubes and subways. A really good design let tourists with minimal experience pick it up easily.
Fair, but Ali was saying how he was trying to live there... Super confusing for tourists, though.
I do wish we had express trains though. Some lines stop too often.
London is WAY better, and I’m an American who has spent a lot of time in New York. Surprised you didn’t get into the biggest differentiator between the two - the price. The price capping in London is brilliant. As a tourist, I knew exactly how much I’d spent on travel for a day. New York is $2.75 no matter how long or short your ride, which is probably great if you take long trips every day, because it’s cheaper than going out to zone 6 or wherever in London. But every trip is $2.75 no matter how many you take. That really adds up. Knowing in London after you hit the cap that the rest of your underground and bus journeys were free is the best.
Oh, and Oyster Cards are so much easier than MetroCards. You still have to swipe a freaking MetroCard. Gimme that tap.
True, for me I paid it as a monthly cost in both cities, so it didn't occur to me on a daily basis. But you're totally right.
And yes, swiping the metro card is a skill I never 100% mastered. But I did love taking one from a tourist and swiping it for them.
NYC subway is implementing the tap this year. In fact some stations already have it...also there are plenty of apps available to help the confused to ride the subway and all stations now,finally, have countdown clocks. I only get to NYC about every 3-4 years and I have no trouble riding the subway. None. BUT when you ride the subway..expect delays and trains that are late. And of course it is dirty. But it does run 24/7/365.....unlike every major city in the World except Chicago...and I know every line does not run 24/7/365....next time I go there I will use it.
"If you get rid of the humans, it might work." -Evan Edinger 2018
Thanos said the same
*CGP GREY INTENSIFIES*
I recently found out that there is a reason why London tube trains don't have air-con (and it's not just because we're cheap-ass Brits who don't want to spend money on it). Different tube lines were built at different levels below ground; some are just below the surface while others are really very deep underground. It was difficult enough digging down to those super deep levels back in the day, so those particular tunnels were made just barely big enough to accommodate the train carriages.
This means that on those deep-level lines there is literally no space to fit the air-con units, and nowhere for the vented hot air to escape to. However, for tube lines that don't use the really deep level tunnels (e.g. Metropolitan, City, Circle, District), those tunnels were built much bigger and they're easier to vent because they are closer to the surface, so those lines all now have air-con installed. The irony is that these larger 'just-below-surface' lines are the ones that least need air-con. It's the deepest lines that are the hottest, but they're also the smallest tunnels that prevent air-con from being added.
I'm not sure if there will ever be a cooling solution for deep lines like Bakerloo, Central etc. (other than having to completely re-dig the tunnels to make them larger).
Good news. The new Siemens trains for the Picadilly line will be arriving at around 2025 and will feature air conditioning. It'll use regenerative braking which reduces heat from braking, allowing air conditioning be installed and not cook the passengers at the station.
Evan: If we are goin to try to compare subway systems, how's LA's?
Me, someone who has lived in LA their entire life: Hold up we have a subway system??
Downtown to the beach for like a dollar. So gooood.
Downtown to Hollywood is usually busy and more reliable than driving. Plenty of people use the red line.
Why does no one use it? I’m sooo confused
@@sophiablass3379 sorry I'm a year late, nobody uses it mostly cause of American car is best culture I would assume
The New York subway system is an absolute mess and The tube is the most well organized, easy to use public transportation system I’ve ever encountered
I've used the London underground hundreds of times. I also used the NYC subway when I was there. NYC was fine to use.
To me they were both fine. Just a subway haha. Now if you want a good subway - Seoul, South Korea is pretty bomb.
Brenna Paulson the ones in Singapore are really good too
Lilla Boxall LRT isn’t too bad - but it was often late when I was there and the apps weren’t timing it well.
@@heleddflower8082 when it actually works
I find it strange that people say the train is late in New York, simply because I never knew it to have a schedule. I literally show up to the train stop and wait for the train to show up. Which I have done for my whole life, and I have never been late because of the train.
It really just depends on the line you use. Some are a lot worse than others.
That shows just how out of schedule it is hahaha realistically you just have to make sure you have a lot of extra time
Probably you get the previous train that is late
Rapid transit and buses run on a headway. Only smaller systems run on a schedule.
Ebennixlman: Exactly My thoughts...😂
I visited London for about a week a few years ago, and honestly, the tube really impressed me. I’m used to taking city buses here, which are always late, and the only other subway system I had used before was the one in Montreal, so maybe I don’t have much to compare it to, public transportation-wise, but I still thoroughly enjoyed London’s underground. I loved how fast and easy it was, but my favourite part was that we knew exactly when the next train was coming. Anyway, unrelated but I’d looove to go back! One~ week is not enough.
I don’t need to go to England to know that their public transportation is better
LAZ Worldwide London’s public transport is great! It’s a shitstorm everywhere else😂
Hazel Edinburgh’s not bad for transport
LAZ Worldwide - sadly transport sucks everywhere else in England it’s only good in London
@@abcxyz-cx4mr true
ye but it's so crowded where I am... the buses are so packed.. a double decker usually is full top to bottom on school days at 7:50 to 8:10 and 2:50 to 3:10 for me
In NYC, you have to know whether or not you are going uptown or downtown. If you aren't paying attention you'll end up in the Bronx. Trust me I've done that before!!! LOL!!!
"it's clean, it's nice, it's empty, it just doesn't go any where"... LMAO
London is the best with a lot of things. There are so many things wrong with nyc not just the subway but I won’t rant.
I've been feeling pretty jaded about London Underground until I saw this and I realised that actually we have it pretty good. I mean lets face it, it would be better with air-con, but then we are talking about the oldest underground train system in the world. Its been doing us proud for over a century and a half so making changes are not all that easy, but as you say they are trying. The maps are everywhere and really easy to follow. On the lines that have now been modernised you do have the glass barriers that prevent accidents and suicides, which is definitely a good thing. I do have a criticism on the exits - sometimes when there are multiple exits its not always quite clear where you are going to come out or where you should head if you need a different exit. The other criticism I have is that when it is so much deeper you do have a problem when the escalators are out of action and they dont always advertise which stations are exit via the lift. I also get frustrated with reliability but apparently we have it much better than I thought in terms of reliability. Maybe I should give the Tube and TFL more credit. I really feel they should extend the tram link though - that would be very helpful. Lets face it, its only when you get into central London that you have a reliable way of connecting North with South and East with West - anyone living on the fringes has to go into London before they can come out again
I've never experienced it increase congestion. Plus I'd still rather that than have the entire line blocked because someone went under a train - which has happened to me all too many times
terex9 - They don’t always fall into the pit and even if they do, you can’t just leave them there, you have to stop the trains, turn off the power and get them out and since (other than in 2 specific scenarios) only a doctor can pronounce someone dead, even the dead ones have to be treated as alive and got out with care. So yes ‘one unders’ are an issue, but one that is common to many train systems the world over - sadly.
Sammy Girl, slight change of topic but I'm intrigued now - what are the 2 scenarios when someone other than a doctor can pronounce someone dead?
Decapitation and advanced decomposition
Some lines do have air con now like the met line and the overground
Oh my goodness!! I love this series!!! Thanks for always making these videos. I feel prepared to move to the UK one day!
YOU CAN DO IT
Yes, join the UK
Maybe I can go to us
Lila janick: I do so hope you don't: there are far too many foreigners here as it is!
Sommatore Nero that's so harsh, everyone is welcome here, everyone is a combination of different backgrounds and I'm proud to say people in Britain are from everywhere and we are quote diverse.
I live in NY, I’m only a few seconds into the video and I know it has to be that London’s is 100% better!
Soph k of course it is
Every big city is better than Nyc
qjtvaddict I mean I wouldn’t say it’s worse than every big city, there are definitely cities that are the same size that are worse...
I actually like the circle line 😂 I use it to get home and back to work but I did like the DLR as I used it for the first time to get to SitC last year.
"See it. Say it. Sorted."
Cool
For the longest time I thought it was "See it. Say it. Sort it."
@@StephenBlane It's your responsibility to take down the terrorists.
That's so freaky cheesy, especially with the robotic accent
"If you see something that doesn't look right, speak to staff or text the British transport police at 0800405040" I take the train to school every day, I think its really sad that I've memorised this...
Pro about NYC subway you guys forgot: You don't have to pay per zone like you do in the Underground. You pay once and it doesn't matter if you start at the bottom of brooklyn and go to the far end of the bronx.
Yes! Theoretically, for one subway swipe, I think you can-
1. take a 2 train from Wakefield 241st to E 180th in the Bronx
2. transfer to a 5 train to 3rd Ave, 149th, Bronx
3. Walk underground to the 149th Grand Concourse
4. take the 4 train uptown to Yankee Stadium
5. take a B or D to 145th in Manhattan
6. transfer to an A or a C and go to Columbus Circle
7. take the 1 train to Times Square
8. take the shuttle to Grand Central
9. take the 7 to Court Sq
10. take the G train to Bergen Street
11. Transfer to the F train and go to Delancey Street / Essex St
12. Transfer to a J or Z train and go to Broadway Junction
13. Take a C train to Franklin Avenue
14. Take the S to Prospect Park
15. Take the Q train to 14th Street - Union Square
16. Get on the L train and go as far as you want
This won't have you take every train letter/number in the City, but it should have you take every line color, except for Staten Island. For completion, though (but this would probably be more than 1 subway ride)-
17. take the L train to 14th St., 8th Ave
18. Take an A or E back to Columbus Circle
19. Take a 1 train to South Ferry
20. Take the Staten Island Ferry
21. Take the Staten Island subway 1 stop
22. Go back to the station you were just at
23. Take the Staten Island Ferry back to Manhattan
24. Take the 1 train to Times Square
25. Transfer to Port Authority Bus Terminal, and take a NJTransit bus into New Jersey
My brain hurt reading that. ahaha!
haha, spent like half an hour staring at the subway map to get it right. I really have better things to be doing with my life... I'm now tempted to spend a day actually doing this route and then challenging other NYCers to see if there's a more efficient route than what I would have done.
Omg if you do that please video it and LMK when it's uploaded! Also I admire your dedication to see how far you can stretch 2.75.
That can be taken either way though. Although I as a Londoner would love no zones because the tube is expensive, I will admit a lack of zones seems to be one of the factors depriving the subway of adaquete funding and investment
I enjoyed the London Tube for all the reasons mentioned. I also like how you can see a map of all the stops near where all the ads are, so you can see how many stops away from your stop you are.
Also, idk how it compares to the NYC metro card, but I loved using the oyster card. Just a speedy tap and you're done.
NYC subway system is nutso. As a tourist I found it adventurous. But if I lived there, I would go mad.
My mom was super excited to see her first subway rat. Lol
i definitely agree with the london underground being super easy for tourist because it was so easy to use that i didnt even need to use google maps or anything like that cos they had clearly marked signs and maps everywhere on where to go. plus they had staff around the place so you could always ask them for directions and they were always polite in helping. but the things yall didnt mention were the pets that are allowed on public transport.. i never knew that was possible unless theyre service animals and they were so cute and the escalators and how even that is efficient where if you want to stay then you stick to one side while those who wanna walk up can do so without having to ask people to move over. i have never seen that before and it was so cool but now im sad cos it doesnt happen in new zealand and going through the tube ended up being one of my favourite things to do in london.
the only complaint i can think of is the amount of stairs the underground has and now my expectations for public transport are too high
Saw the first part of the title and thought it was on subway the sandwich shop... That's a goood theme
Great... now I want a sub...
IceMetalPunk lol same... Haha I literally went to get one after watching this.
EsmayCreate The same applies to the sandwich shop - please mind the gap between the 2 slices of bread!
New York Subway maps are at every platform I've been to (I'm from NNJ) and in every subway car. White dot = express, black dot = local. It's hard sometimes, yes, but very learnable. And now there are minute counters as to how long until the next train at most platforms (and it's pretty reliable). But all the other complaints are very valid. The key to NY subways is to recognize they don't have a schedule, they just show up every bunch of minutes. It's never late because there is no time it was supposed to arrive!
Eliran Sobel The being late part I would assume is about the LIRR and Metro-North since they do have timetables of what time they arrive at a station.
Apart from the actual tube/underground train network which is very extensive, there is a massive suburban network of above ground lines and stations especially in south London, which is why the tube is less extensive in this area. Add that to the Docklands Light Railway in east London, and Tramlink which is centred in the suburb of Croydon, also the London Overground (which despite it's name does include a few underground stations) plus the hundreds of bus services, a good deal of which run 24/7 and you'll see London is well catered for in terms of public transport.
You know all the tube stations were deliberately designed to be distinct and recognisable? So they all have different tilework or decoration because the assumption was that not everyone using it would be able to read, but should be able to recognise when they got to their stop.
It's really obvious on some stops, a bit more subtle on others, but still very helpful - makes it easier to look up and be "oh fuck, this is me!" and jump off the train before the doors closed. They stopped doing it with some of the newer Jubilee stations, which is actually kind of irritating because sometimes if it's really crowded, you can't see he station name or the on-board announcement.
It must be much easier for blind people to co-ordinate through.
@@juliettebravosprteam4072 Audio descriptions are good, but it's not an either/or - both would be best. I think it's useful to have something where each station is visually distinct, so even if you can only see a sliver of the station, you can tell where you are. Plus, I think it'd make them more interesting - yellow bird mosaics at Canary Wharf! Something naval at North Greenwich! Maple leaves and geese at Canada Water! Could even have a competition, get some more public art on display.
This is the case for older stations as there were a lot of people who were unable to read and write, so people didn't know what each stop was.
New stations are pretty similar because the majority of the population in London can read
As a New Yorker I appreciate the roast. Here's a few tips:
-There's a NYC submay app that works offline that you can use to know all of the lines, and how to get everywhere.
-Local trains have a circle over their number, and express trains have a diamond. So that's how you know the difference between local and express.And there are clocks at the platforms that let you know how long until the next train is coming.
-You know if you're going uptown or downtown by the stop that's listed on the train. It'll have the number/letter and then the name of the last stop in the direction that it is going in. It's a very efficient system, but I do think the fare is too high, it is too dirty, and the MTA doesn't do enough to improve it. Trust us we complain about the MTA all the time.
Reading some of the comments I really dont understand the argument that America doesnt have a good train system because its just too big. I really dont accept that as an excuse. America has all the ingredients to have one of the best if not the best train system in the world and yet the majority of people appear to complain that outside a few forward thinking cities the American public transport system in general is pretty poor. With so much money, so much world class engineering at their fingertips, so much open space, such a huge population and so much reason to have a great transport system I just really get why no one has put all that together to come up with something world class and yet outside those few cities it just doesnt seem to bother. I think American citizens are being given a raw deal, but if they want to make the argument that they are just too big then I guess nothing will ever change for them
Because the auto and gas industry does not want efficient public transportation in the US. America is run by corporations not the people
It is honestly my biggest criticism of America is that it appears to do what the corporations and organisations with the most money want before it will consider the overall needs of its citizens. It goes against everything I had understood America to stand for and the basis on which it was founded. How can everyone in America have a fighting chance if the system is designed to constantly favour those who have the money to buy power? How can it hold itself up to be a land created by the people for the people if its motivating factor is not the people? American politicians, how about you do what is right for the average American for once
Sarah Baker haha I completely agree. I’m from the U.S. and I definitely believe that we can upgrade the subway. I live in LA but when I went to NY for vacation the subway gave me headaches because they use symbols and numbers that were kind of hard to follow especially if you don’t use it often or if you are a tourist. To be honest, the London Underground is so much better. When I visited the city for about a week I rarely opened the Citymapper app to get me around because the Tube just made sense. Idk (this is just from my experience) but if you live in the older, bigger American cities, such as NY, the work mentality is so strong and enforced that having an inconvenience such as closing a train line for remodeling would drive half the city population insane. Bc people need to get to work, they would much rather have a really terrible system that somewhat works rather than have it closed for months and have it better. If you haven’t noticed Americans are also very, very impatient such as myself lol. I’ve only been on the LA subway once but it’s kind of useless because the entire city was built in order to be transported by car.
Trains in the US were doomed from the beginning. If you are interested in that story, there is a book called Railroaded, by Richard White that does a great job. It's LONG and dense though.
India is a big country and they have a very comprehensive train service.
I love love LOVE the London Underground! My only issue is the lack of air conditioning! They’re every two or three minutes, 5 maximum, I just hate that the northern line makes you change at Kennington and the whole split because I never know if I’m going via bank of Charing Cross! Also I love that there is a map of that tube line on the wall of every carriage!
Bubbles Hugs that’s kind of like the DC metro system, the trains are generally on time, we have easily seen maps plus AC. My only complaint is that while the DC metro is really good for the city it’s not as good for the suburbs surrounding it, the stops are too far from everything in the suburbs but luckily we have the Metrobus system to get us to the metro
see I’m lucky because my mainline train takes me to Euston and then my tube takes me to Kings Cross so I’m basically on the split both ways hahaha
Uma Karunakaran ah slightly different in London, no matter where you are you’re never more than ten minutes walk from a tube station, and undoubtedly you can ALWAYS see a bus stop, even far out in the suburbs! :) London is kinda a compilation of lots of tiny cities to make one big city so there’s always something nearby
I always dread having to take the Subway. The Underground was really organized and easy to use. Tbh my favourite public transport is the Boston T.
chelsea hell naw it's not
Never been to New York, but the Tube is bloody hot right now.
I was visiting London last year June, the heat in the tube drove me crazy...and I live in a tropical country
That_llama_in_a_tuxedo you know when a train in coming for the exact same reason in the tube...
K. Hatton yeah I was there on Tuesday and I was dying!!!! The only good tube service that wasn’t burning hot was the dlr
The Underground is honestly like a dream. The fact that the trains run more often than once every 10 minutes is beyond me, and they go EVERYWHERE you could need to go as a tourist. When I had to use the Melbourne Metro system again it was heartbreaking (did someone say slow, unreliable and NO LINE TO ST KILDA FOR GODS SAKE?), I dream of the efficiency and convenience of the London Underground daily
I love the London underground! Going back to London for the 20th time in a few days. I'll be vlogging it, you could say I'll be on the youTUBE.
terex9 it's bloody hot here right now m8
The London Underground is amazing. My only gripe (as a Londoner) is that the trains are so noisy! That horrible screech!Only DLR spares you the screech!
Hahah the central line train to Ealing Broadway scared me so much because it was the first tube train I've been on.
Some stations are so close in London that it's easier to just to get off from the tube and walk instead of changing over XD
New York subway is confusing - I was there a couple of months ago and the lines are so confusing, when you get on the train they sometimes skip stations....whyyyyyy????
They skip certain stations because its an express line and a local line. An express train is a lot quicker if you need to get somewhere quicker.
And also because sometimes people like to whole the door for others and the train starts running behind schedule so they skip stops
it's to ease the amount of people on the trains. express trains will go to the most important and popular stop (times quare, 14th street etc) so there aren't too many people because then that causes congestion
Omg it makes sense thanks guys
luh nani but that makes no sense! Hahaha what if you needed to get off at a certain place and it just doesn't stop??
The NYC subway is now implementing signs with time to arrival (about effing time!). The trains are clean, the platforms are not. Stops that are directional (ie, only going downtown on that side) will say, for example, F [station name] Downtown at the street level entrance. If it doesn't say Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn, Queens, or some other direction, then it's the same entrance for both ways.
When I was in Camden! ... My jump cut doesn't care about your Camden story Ali.
My beef is a LOT of NYC stations have no signs to inform you of which way the train track is bound, so how do you know which side of the platform to get on? In London you just swap sides, in NYC you have to walk all the way outside go up to street level and cross over the road then go back down to underground level and get on the correct side. SORT IT OUT!
My dad worked for London Underground for a really long time so I’ve kinda inherited the ability to navigate it well, but also, it’s so good, the map is so cleverrrrr
What's so hard about the New York subway system? I read it fine and I'm not from either there or London, both easy to get around on I think. The New York trains did feel grimier though.
When I was in Paris I found that the Metro was like a perfect mix of the two.They were often late, but also there were announcements and signage showing how many minutes late it would be. They also announced on the platform, before you got on, and on the signs where the next train would be headed. Once you got on they were kind of dirty and you probably didn't want to sit on the seats, and you definitely couldn't understand the intercom, but it always had a map of that train line showing every stop it went to, including where you got on.
The tube was the first rail system I ever used, and I loved it instantly. The map, while getting cluttered, is so much nicer than NYC or Paris. Figuring out that the front of the train shows the line on shared-platform was a bit confusing for the first trip, but was easy after that. I think that part of why the stations are so much nicer other than maintainance and color scheme, is that they still try to give each station an identity as is tradition from the early days when not everyone who used it could read, so had to use the tilework patterns. I haven't been on the NYC system, but Paris felt like a disaster in comparison, the stations looked like they were falling apart, and they were absolute rabbit warrens. That said, at least those cities actually have prolific systems, my local Sacramento lightrail goes hardly anywhere, so there's no point in it.
The most annoying thing about the London underground is that every station has 10+ ways of getting onto the platform. AND they change the exits and entrances depending on the time of day so you can memorise your route IF you get the train at a similar hour every day~~
other than that, i'm grateful for the London underground ^_^ hahaha
Never been to New York, but my parents went in like 1980's and they found it great back then but hated the rubbish and rats etc lol
"London is almost perfect"
YOU HEARD IT FROM EVAN FIRST
As someone who has used the Stockholm metro, I don't see how you can't tell the trains apart. It says it on the digital information board hanging from the roof. It'll tell you the line number and destination for every train arriving on that track. And you can also reach all platforms from any entrance, which is great.
Tech from 30/40 years ago in New York? Hah, Underground still has 1920s signalling equipment!
Also Northern, Victoria, Central and Jubilee are all automatic, having drivers is still required on those routes for now.
I can't comment on American subways, but the biggest issue I have with the London underground is the majority of stations are not wheelchair accessible (except the Overground line) which means if you are in a wheelchair you have to take buses which obviously take a lot longer.
I'd agree with that. I went with my friend and her Guide Dog and we had to walk up so many flights of emergency exit stairs and stopped escalators (she doesn't live in London so her dog isn't trained for them). They really need lifts in stations - I was shocked at how few main stations did although I understand the reason is because the stations are so old. We had to get from Euston (I think!) train station to Kings Cross for the tube and it was easier to walk between the 2 than try the underground. I can't remember if the lift was broken or just didn't get to the platform we needed. It was hopeless anyway.
Same in ny too
What about the Berlin Undergound? I really liked it when I went because there were lifts at almost every station!
This really does show that to fully appreciate something you've got to try something worse yet claims to be better.
It's a similar story with chocolate in the US and UK
The true winner is the Glasgow Subway, it's just a circle and you go either clockwise or anticlockwise
Ik221001: Something akin to London Undergrounds' Circle Line then.....
And it only has like 12 stops 😆👍
anticlockwise. you foreigners and your different words for the same thing we're saying. i love it.
@@ElleYama There are 15 stations on the Glasgow Subway. It is actually the third oldest underground railway system in the world. Modernised yes, but never has it been extended from its original circular route.
I reject your over complicated sub way, come to Liverpool, we only have 4 stops, its only goes clockwise, and if you dont get off you could end up Chester or New Brighton, or west Kirby, or the 4th place i forget i want to say Hoylake....
The NYC subway system is always a mess but honestly after a year of living there, you get used to it’s delays and different lines and you figure out the most efficient way to get places. Every New Yorker knows the system is a mess but we’re just so used to it at this point so it doesn’t faze us
As a proud New Yorker all I'm going to say is that if you ever get lost or don't know where you are just go to 42nd street and you'll find your way home.
Yeah, but say you're coming from NJ, and you need to take a Q train somewhere. Take NJTransit to PABT, then you have to navigate all the way through Times Sq until you find the yellow routes. It's not the most intuitive.
Okay but in all honestly the confusing part happens in Port Authority and trying to find the right exit into the subway. Every time I have to take NJ transit to like Jersey city, I get so confused because there are like no signs and how the hell am I supposed to find the departure spot for the right bus.
Yup! I come from Bergen county every day, and I have no clue how the bus decides which gate at PABT to let us off at - it's different every time, yet I always go home from the same gate...
LMAO we should be talking about NJ transit and the headaches it gives us.
ahaha, in London it was always Trafalgar Square for me
Here in Chile we have 6 lines, no two lines use the same tracks, you can cross over to the other side in every station, lines have colours and there are maps of all the lines everywhere, it's sort of clean, sort of secure and the last two or three lines are driverless, almost completely automated with screens with waiting times everywhere
Overall it works, it's pretty much the only thing that works as intended or almost as intended
London is SO much better than NYC!
I live in South West England and recently visited London and New York. I couldn’t believe how incompetent the NYC ticket barriers were. With London, it’s a quick “beep” and you’re in. But with NYC you’ve gotta swipe your card about 15 times to get the gates to open! Perhaps I’m biased 🤷🏻♂️
I'm dead🤣🤣🤣🤣😂,about NYC it's true annoying as hell 😑.
Yeah. Good news it that Omny is being rolled out to replace MetroCard. It will work kinda like London’s Contactless where you just need to tap a credit card, or your phone to pay
The London underground is obviously superior in every aspect BUT I don't think it's easy for tourists. Literally every person I know that's been to London on holiday complains about how confusing it is that the lines split in two. I don't think it's that difficult tbh, but yeah. Biggest complaint for me would be how fxcking expensive it is. And I get it, it's huge and you can go to so many places, but ouch.
But the high price can be seen with how relatively clean the stations are etc. You can't have well maintained stations and lines without the investment. Paris metro is also quite bad, in terms of lack of investment- although still better than NYC subway
I don't own a car and my parents never have either. My Dad cycles everywhere. I pretty much walk everywhere and if I need to go across the city (London) then the buses, trains, tubes come so often and are so easy to use. (Also, Victoria Line is definitely the best line!)
After watching this video, I think the subway in San Francisco is not bad, has AC, on time and relatively easy to figure things out. I did pretty OK when traveled in the city for the first time. I got lost several times in Boston subway system in comparison.
BART or Muni?
I swear they sometimes don't even clean bathrooms- we don't have underground here but my god do the bus stop bathrooms look horrid 99% of time, I prefer to just go to a nearby bar and order a drink and go to the bathroom there compared to something that smells horrible, people don't clean after themselves so everything possible is on the lid and it's full of flies x.x
Ironically it was an American - Charles Yerkes who was heavily involved in the early days of the Underground. Also in 1902 - 03 the central line trains were formed into multiple units using a control system developed by Frank Sprague in Chicago.
Not really the early days. The first trains opened in 1863, almost 40 years before Charles Yerkes entered the scene.
The tube map is the Best Map ever drafted.
They're working on the subway in New York. The conductors have gotten better, The trains have been relatively cleaner, and they now have an app. Also, New York is the oldest modern city and was built gradually. It isn't that hard to figure out if you look at maps on every platform and in every train car.
I voted for NYC bc I cant compare to London bc I’ve never been there. Even though I’d probably like the London Underground I feel it would be unfair to vote London.
As Londoners we complain all the time about the tube and any slightest inconvenience on it (delays, etc.) But the reality is that it’s beyond better than any other metro system out there. Travelling on the NY subway helped me to appreciate just how good the tube is.
Also I disagree about self driving trains. I’d always rather have a driver driving a train ☺️
What about British trains in general vs American trains in general?
Rufioh British trains are far better the only thing American trains are better for is for strength and pulling heavy loads, UK trains are about speed and reliability
I haven't been to the US and ik their trains are shit. The trains/transportation is so good here that you don't even need a car (unless you live in a very rural area), and if your train is more than half an hour late, you get a full refund.
LOL. Even if we had nice trains in the US nobody would use them because it would take forever to get anyway. County is just too big. Trains are decent in the Northeast to get between places like NY, Philly, Boston & DC but that’s it. Oh and the Pacific Surfliner between LA and SD because it runs on the beach.
The UK overground / intercity train system is WAY superior than anything in the US. However, it's a different story when you compare UK trains to countries in Europe (or to Japan or China). They make our train system look like a complete pile of crap.
Rufioh I mean but British trains r quite expensive, it's cheaper for me to travel by car from Hull to Glasgow and back than use a train
I went to Seoul recently and their public transportation is unbelievably amazing! It's easy to figure out which line or bus route you have to take and all of it is integrated in a map app. You can type in your destination and then choose the mode of transportation you wanna take. It then will literally show you which bus/train to take, where to get off, where to transfer, how long you have to walk, how long you have to wait, when it will arrive, and whether the train/bus is crowded or not. It blew my mind away.
even as a proud New Yorker, i have been to London and the Underground is sooo much easier.
My worst experience on the subway was when two guys literally started a fight in the compartment. Compare this to London where we get the occasional marching band on the train, much more friendly. Also the Victoria line is cool because it's the only tube line that's underground for the whole duration of its journey and each station has a tiled mosaic corresponding to the name or history of the station. Wish it went further south than Brixton though because I'm in zone 5 in the south east and you can forget about getting a tube anywhere nearby
I just finished watching your vidcon vlog... TWO EVANS IN A DAY? Or waiT kEiTh? 😂😂
it's craig
The NYC subways run 24/7. For late at night trains, you might have to wait 45 minutes for a subway, but they will eventually arrive. As a New Yorker, I think the subway system is dirty, often covered in trash, but for the most part it is pretty reliable. The biggest tip I have is just find your bearings and walk to the cross street Google Maps recommends, know where you transfer and make sure you're going the right direction when you do. It also helps to have a basic geography of the 5 boroughs so you know that Bronx bound trains are going North, Brooklyn bound trains are going south-east, etc. You can easily get around the 5 boroughs, and it's a flat rate for buses, subways, and ferries (of $2.75 or you can get a monthly for $130.) London's system was super clean, but I felt like I had to wait longer for most of the trains I used, especially off peak. The tube does really get you close to where you were going though which I appreciated. The main issue with NYC subways is that the rest of NY state uses it as a piggy bank and so major improvements (like updated traffic signals) hadn't happened. Once NYC makes the subways a priority again, it'll improve.
Big up, evan, I'm also a Victoria line supremacist. Stan talent, stan the Victoria line.
Lol
If you think the London underground is a perfect system, you should try the one in Stockholm. You'll be blown away by being able to travel the same distance in (up to) half the time.
Woah, what's the name of that attractive guest?!
Ali! Woah. Your channel was one of the first I ever subscribed to to improve my English listening... must have been nearly 10 years. The way you speak brings back memories.
:D That's awesome to hear!
The ticketing system in NYC is decades behind. Yes it is cheaper than London but you have to buy a physical ticket or card and the ticket machines are often broken. Contactless payment on the Underground is so much easier and works out the best fare for you. Also once you're on a Subway train there's no map and if it's crowded and you can't see the platform signage as you pass through stations you don't know when to get off. Madness.
ohhh my god evan you interrupted ali so many times in this video lmao
very true, especially the jubilee line with its platform doors and all lines have automatic operation except sub surface and Piccadilly and bakerloo
You need to have lived here for your whole life to actually understand how the subways work. It's really rare for someone who hasn't lived here for ever to be able to understand them.
I went to NY for 5 days and found the subway extremely logical and easy to use. It was filthy, crowded and noisy but efficient and simple to use.
The Paris Metro quite good - you just look for the end destination to find your line. The rubber tyred trains on some lines are interesting too if you don't mind the smell of rubber and the tunnels are lit.
most of nyc subways are like a staircase down but ALLLLL of the underground platforms are like twelve miles of escalators
I recall taking the London underground from St James Park to Covent Garden and aside from the transfers, the escalators were sooo long.
Of the largest metro systems I've been on:
London's is fairly clean but it pays off to learn what the shortest & longest interchanges are (because Oxford Circus is right across the platform between two lines while green park has incredibly long corridors connecting the lines). Also there are a lot of really beautiful listed stations which are worth taking a detour to see.
Paris' Metro is very easy to enter/exit and is noticeably clean but pretty much every interchange between lines is long and it's a shame RER services have separate ticketing
Montreal's system is beautifully built and has great interchanges but some central stations are kind of hard to navigate in terms of entrances/exits.
Tokyo's system is very clean and easy to navigate but the interchanges seemed to most of the time be very long with one getting up to 450m and I know that because it was written on the sign!
New York wasn't too hard for me to navigate and express services were quite useful for getting places fast but I'm a transit map geek so I really can't speak for all tourists, and stations ranged from unkept to grotty.
Madrid's metro is a BTEC Paris, but I like how lines built during different periods look very different.
Osaka felt like what New York could be if they actually made an effort.
Lyon is very novel because there are 3 rubber tyred lines iirc, nice and clean and speedy, then there's a converted fernicular with the steepest metro platform in the world apparently and it's interesting which parts are above ground because of Lyon's hilly geography.
Berlin is interesting because some stations are like NY but clean and others look old but well kept and aesthetic.
The DC metro is WAY better than the New York subway
And really really small
Molly yes I live in DC and I can tell you it’s so easy to navigate, stay away from the green line tho
My local one is the northern line but here's a lesson. At off peak times, go to Kennington then you can change for the charing Cross branch
*cough* DC has the best public transportation system in the USA *cough*
Sophia Miller yesss
Sophia Miller Agreed. DC is the most like London in how the trains are labeled by line and the final destination, too.
Yes!!!
Oh damn those low standards
it would be if the trains were not so infrequent outside rush hour.
Taken both and definitely more in love with London Underground it’s the best, subway was an interesting experience somehow using maps did work but honestly even got caught on that whole local vs express thing 😭
I went to Singapore last year and the underground was actually amazing!!!
It was super clean and really really cheap! And the trains were super efficient and came every like 6 mins!
Seriously if you ever go to Singapore, the underground is so good, use it!
So is in Spain as well:)
XD been scouring the comments for someone else who's used the Singapore MRT system. Yes!
YES! It's amazing and superrrrrrr clean.
Only complaint about the Tube is that the Central line needs to be updated so that the carriages have the capacity of District line because traveling into the centre on Central in the rush hour was an experience that made me understand why claustrophobia is a thing
trams > the underground
I completely agree about what you said about both the New York subway and the London Underground. Random lines on the New York subway were closed down for the day with no warning or explanation/alternative when I was there, and the entrances being blocks away from each other was soo annoying. The London Underground can feel stifling, but the maps are easy to read, and it branches out so far. Of course, being Norwegian, I also like our tube system in Oslo. It is of course very small compared to those cities, but it's very clean and (often) efficient, and sometimes it goes above ground, which is lovely.
You should try the Singapore trains!! They're great!! Never more than a couple minutes!!!
I live in the greater Vancouver area (Canada) and we have a skytrain. It’s the same as the underground but above the street and it’s amazing. All of the trains are automated so they’re never late, they’re clean, air conditioned, and the go basically everywhere. It is annoying if you’re on the wrong side of the platform because you have to go all the way back down and back up to the other side but the gates are before all the stairs so you don’t have to worry if you’ve already paid. Also we have compass cards which you can use to get on any bus or skytrain. It’s pretty great
The NYC Subway does have an app it's called Transit App, they do work 24 hours they just don't run every 10 min, also theres monitors on the train that tells u what stops is next. Don't blame New York subway just because u don't know how to navigate yourself.
That app saves lives!
It isn’t just the NYC Subway. I used it in Montreal, Albany, London, Denmark, Cardiff, and Amsterdam.
I’m pretty sure it works in other major cities too.
tbh the thing that stands out to me the most, as a singaporean watching this video, is the fact that the singapore mrt has none of the flaws mentioned in the video! then again it is significantly newer and has much fewer lines since it's a small country.
Montreal has wonder subway!!!! I have never been to England.
Yeah I like Montreal subway to
I quite like Toronto's transit system as well (subway-streetcar-bus)
Montreal subway has 4 lines including one with only 3 stops... U can't compare it to NYC or london. They have like 15 lines. (And I'm saying this as a montrealer)
We know because if you’d tried to enter England border force would have sent you back as you cannot grammar
Joey Gwinn Shut up! I dislike ignorant people that try to be something that they are not.
The New York subway needs a LOT of updating, but as someone who has lived in both London and New York, I think New York is WAY better for the walking tourist. The grid system means it's almost impossible to get lost on foot (above lower Manhattan), whereas London, being an ancient city, is much harder to navigate by walking.
The NYC Subway is adding CBTC and they are still modernizing with new trains CBTC is Computer Based Train control. Which will make the trains be able to drive automatically. The President of the MTA has also been changed so many things have changed. Plus new train cars are being added with the ATO system. The CBTC system has only been added to the Land 7 lines at the moment. Plus platforms are being renovated as well as the signaling system. There are already official apps and the new Countdown clocks being installed in stations.
Richie Garcia it’s great that they’re renovating the trains! except the bedford L station is how i get everywhere, so i’m kind of screwed during reno.
Richie Garcia Theirs been automated announcements on new trains since the R142/a deliveries in 2000
I already knew that but in the video they only mentioned the older stocklike the R42 and the other older stock with the PA announcements
The announcements on London trains are something else. My favourite:
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, if you look to your right you will see a jubilee line train traveling beside us that's being driven by my mate Gordon. Let's see if we can beat him to Wembley shall we?"
(9 minutes later, pulling into Wembley) "Wooo, we won! Eat that Gordon!"