London underground is an experience in itself. The whole transport structure is woven beautifully, providing the most modern public transport system yet withholding the era of yesteryears. I was intrigued by the whole map system there. Trust me, it will take more than a while for someone to figure out the station and the line. The map seems to be a big mesh of colored lines intersecting each other repeatedly at different points. The Delhi metro map looks like a piece of cake. Probably a tourist would find difficulty making sense out of "Badarpur" as a station.
I somehow managed to figure out where I was and which ride will be best suited. The underground stations give you a feel of being "underground". The platforms are crowded and dingy. The real shocker is to see the train, which by all standards is smaller than the Purple line of Delhi metro. There is space for not more than 30 people in the carriage. I felt claustrophobic by looking at the approaching train. More than once I asked myself if it was a wise decision to travel by the tube. The "tube" is an apt name, for you feel crowded and trapped. Not that Delhi metro gives you a space to breathe easy. Lately, it seems the number of commuters is directly proportional to rising temperatures with people preferring metro over other transport. Hike in petrol prices is another culprit.
The carriages are small and seating space is very limited, though the seats are very comfortable. Commuters are very patient in London, even though it was a Friday evening nobody seemed to be in a rush. Books and head-phones were with every commuter just like in Delhi metro. It was refreshing to see people carrying books, Kindle and iPad are yet to replace books here.
I enjoyed my brief stint with the tube, it lasted only for a day. However, it was very enjoyable and I loved watching people. Its amazing to know that they developed the system in 1863 and countries like India still have a long way to go!!
I somehow managed to figure out where I was and which ride will be best suited. The underground stations give you a feel of being "underground". The platforms are crowded and dingy. The real shocker is to see the train, which by all standards is smaller than the Purple line of Delhi metro. There is space for not more than 30 people in the carriage. I felt claustrophobic by looking at the approaching train. More than once I asked myself if it was a wise decision to travel by the tube. The "tube" is an apt name, for you feel crowded and trapped. Not that Delhi metro gives you a space to breathe easy. Lately, it seems the number of commuters is directly proportional to rising temperatures with people preferring metro over other transport. Hike in petrol prices is another culprit.
The carriages are small and seating space is very limited, though the seats are very comfortable. Commuters are very patient in London, even though it was a Friday evening nobody seemed to be in a rush. Books and head-phones were with every commuter just like in Delhi metro. It was refreshing to see people carrying books, Kindle and iPad are yet to replace books here.
I enjoyed my brief stint with the tube, it lasted only for a day. However, it was very enjoyable and I loved watching people. Its amazing to know that they developed the system in 1863 and countries like India still have a long way to go!!
Tube - well said Bhavna. Have u been to New York underground - its whole lot more messed up than London. It is still fairly easy to figure out the London underground. Maybe you will be writing up about the NY underground soon! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I did travel in NY underground (during peak hours), its another experience worth mentioning ;)
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