Quote:
Originally Posted by one very bored guy
^^ Lack of air conditioning in buses is an odd thing, I certainly agree. Only a handful of them have it here in Frankfurt and we damn well need it. Though I know the German reason. They are all a bunch of hippies here and think AC is both bad for you and the environment.
Stuff that when it's hot.
But honestly, what is so much better about HK and Singapore's rail infrastructure besides both being so new (which means for a long time they had no subway system and thus really bad public transport). Yes, it's cheaper as well, but both Singapore are tiny island nations with incredibly dense populations - this does make public transport (and infrastructure) unbelievably cheap in comparison. Both are quite limited in their coverage, though I do agree they seem to cover a good area for tourists.
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HK's daily ridership is not that much lower than London's so it's on the same scale when it comes to coverage because the population of the city is also roughly the same.
Trains there are spacious, air conditioned, quiet and through (i.e. you can get from one end to the other), more reliable (no delays) and stations are more spacious. You can also use your mobile phone (including 3G services such as HSDPA which require a very reliable reception) while deep underground in a fast moving train...
One might agree that this is because it's new, but again, this is the
reason (or one of the reasons) why it is so. That doesn't change the fact that it
is so.
As about whether it was good (or existed at all) in the past... I don't really give a damn :|
I'm basing my criticism on what I see, what I've tried and how I experience it when I need to travel from a to b.