I like public transport. Mass transit systems, like the El in Chicago, fascinate me. I figure on day I’ll end up doing some sort of work for them (and then going insane with the horrible management of it). So, part of the appeal of moving to London was being able to experience the Tube up close and personal. This will be the first of what might be too many posts about it.

Today I wanted to focus on the Tube during rush hour. Now, from what I’ve seen, London has their trains running at full tilt during rush hour. there is maybe 1-2 minutes between each train. And yet it still doesn’t matter. People constantly stream down to the platform. I tried to get on the Tube the day I arrived to go back to my hotel from the office and it took 10 minutes to get through the turnstyle (imagine 200 people trying to get through 3 gates).

This morning it dawned on me that the London Underground is about one step away from becoming the Tokyo during rush hour. Right now,there are not people with white gloves. But there are 2 or 3 people standing along the platform to signal that the trains are as full as they can get. A train arrives at the station and there is NO room. Two people get off and somehow, 10 people squeeze their way on the train. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced in the US. And, having a blog and all that, I thought I’d share. Soon I’ll secretly snap a photo of it so you can really get an idea of how crowded it is. Once I’m moved (tomorrow, I hope!), I’ll be taking the bus! 🙂

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007 at 1:12 pm and is filed under Life Abroad, London. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.