Oh HK metro, how I love thee!

Maybe you haven’t already heard, but I am a nerd. This may come as a shock to many of you who know me well, but it’s true. To prove my point I am about to expound on my sincere love and fascination with public transportation, specifically subways. Feel free to stop reading at this point unless you happen to also be a big geek, and find traveling at high speeds underground through small tubes to be highly enjoyable, as I obviously do.

Of the places I have visited so far, Berlin has the best public transportation. It is particularly well developed, easy to use, albeit expensive. But the Honk Kong subway has got Berlin beat—if not totally then at least as far as the quality of the stations, trains, announcements, etc.

You have got to see this to really understand the amazing quality of the subways here. If you have ever been to New York you know how a subway system can degrade and how poorly it can be designed. The HK subway is the opposite entirely; it is “fresh, clean, and tidy” as the announcements say. Granted the system is newer than and not as extensive the NYC metro, but there are a lot of lessons we can learn. Here are a few of the coolest features of HK’s system:

• Stations feel like you are inside a building, not underground, i.e. air conditioned, brightly lit, spotless, completely odor free.
• All stations are similarly laid out and signage is completely clear. Each exit is labeled with a letter and lists indicate which exit will lead to which landmarks.
• On the platforms in most stations the tracks are separated from the station by glass doors that open when the train doors open.
• All announcements are automated and clearly audible, plus they come in three languages—Cantonese, Mandarin, and English.
• Above each door on the trains a panel indicated direction of travel, all the stations in the system, the next stop, and which side of the train to exit on.
• The MTR trusts people—the paid parts of stations are only separated from the unpaid parts by a half-sized glass wall.
• Instead of swiping a magnetic card, riders use a card that they only have to hold next to a proximity panel, which avoids mis-swipes and saves a lot of rummaging in bags—you just hold your bag up to the turnstile.

I have some pictures of the stations that I will post sometime, I’m sure you are all desperately interested and can’t wait to see them. Stay tuned for more updates from HK.