The subway system in Hong Kong is called the
MTR, or Mass Transit Railway and is the most common mode of transportation due it to its efficiency and affordability. You are immediately transported to the future once you step foot in a subway station in HK. It is extremely convenient and user-friendly and all signs are written in both Chinese and English. Each station is underground with air conditioning which comes in really handy especially in the summer, unlike in NYC where you are soaked in sweat just waiting for the train. Every station also has a built-in shopping center (surprise surprise) where you'll find at least a 7-Eleven, a bakery, a Starbucks, and novelty shops. As I mentioned in a previous post, you use your Octopus card to get in and out of the subway and the fare is automatically deducted from your card. Most people leave their card inside their purse or wallet and slap their entire wallet on top of the turnstile so it can register and read the card. I like to leave my wallet in my butt pocket so I can hop on top of the turnstile before entering. You should try it sometime.
The stations are also immaculate - no trash and definitely no rodents! The tracks are glass encased to prevent people from falling in or littering or committing suicide (as is very common in Tokyo) and the glass doors only open when the train arrives. They even hang plasma TVs on top of the tracks so you can watch TV while waiting for your train. HK's metro system is light years ahead of other big cities, but to compare it with India's trains is just cruel. As you may recall, I was pretty traumatized by my train ride in India - people pooping in the tracks, us sleeping right next to the foulest smelling toilet imaginable - I'm getting chills just reminiscing.
The subway system in Hong Kong is called the MTR, or Mass Transit Railway and is the most common mode of transportation due it to its efficiency and affordability. You are immediately transported to the future once you step foot in a subway station in HK. It is extremely convenient and user-friendly and all signs are written in both Chinese and English. Each station is underground with air conditioning which comes in really handy especially in the summer, unlike in NYC where you are soaked in sweat just waiting for the train. Every station also has a built-in shopping center (surprise surprise) where you'll find at least a 7-Eleven, a bakery, a Starbucks, and novelty shops. As I mentioned in a previous post, you use your Octopus card to get in and out of the subway and the fare is automatically deducted from your card. Most people leave their card inside their purse or wallet and slap their entire wallet on top of the turnstile so it can register and read the card. I like to leave my wallet in my butt pocket so I can hop on top of the turnstile before entering. You should try it sometime.
The stations are also immaculate - no trash and definitely no rodents! The tracks are glass encased to prevent people from falling in or littering or committing suicide (as is very common in Tokyo) and the glass doors only open when the train arrives. They even hang plasma TVs on top of the tracks so you can watch TV while waiting for your train. HK's metro system is light years ahead of other big cities, but to compare it with India's trains is just cruel. As you may recall, I was pretty traumatized by my train ride in India - people pooping in the tracks, us sleeping right next to the foulest smelling toilet imaginable - I'm getting chills just reminiscing.
1 comment:
I love those glass doors at the MTR. I loved it so much that I wanted to write a paper about it back in college. HAHA
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