The Elizabeth line

I swear it felt like we spent about as long scurrying around underground changing lines at Liverpool St or somewhere, as we did for the duration of the journey from Paddington to Stratford on the Elizabeth line.
 
lolly said:
I swear it felt like we spent about as long scurrying around underground changing lines at Liverpool St or somewhere, as we did for the duration of the journey from Paddington to Stratford on the Elizabeth line.
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It really was the fannying around changing lines, that used to be the struggle.

And that it treats crossing London by it's actual size (a small county) rather than a series of connecting local needs, well the simplicity of one train cannot be overstated.
 
I love that you can actually get a phone signal on it as well :disco:
 
It feels like such a LUXURY EXPERIENCE compared to all the other lines, it feels so MODERN and EUROPEAN.
 
As I said in my Switzerland thread, the worst parts of the Paris metro are like if the worst London tube stations were 50% busier and everybody was 100% ruder.
 
I REFUSE to believe that @Lucille is unfamiliar with the Metro. How else would she get to all the GROTTY little arrondissements?
 
I went to Paris last year just after the Olympics and they had spruced it up a little bit. At least it didn’t smell like a toilet like before. I hope they keep it up.
 
It's also been a BOON for Reading estate agents, who proclaim the Lizzie line as justification to ramp up bedsit prices by 50%, despite the fact that it's a) priced the same as national rail, and b) is actually an hour slower into Paddington than national rail
 
Which European lines are MODERN?

The ones built five years ago that have about six stations that go back and forth?

The main city undergrounds are all old and dirty but also entirely essential.

Paris Metro I don’t care for but then I don’t care for most of Paris either. Dirty and haughty and full of joyless people. I’m sure our DC is an EXCEPTION
 
I will not stand for any London Underground SLANDER from non-Brits. Only WE are allowed to rip the piss out of it.
 
Parts of the Lisbon underground are an utter joy. On one of the lines it's like almost every station is a gallery
 
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Is it the Prague one that has the lovely Commie sounding chimes before the announcements? I think it was either there or Budapest.
 
Prague has the lovely tiles.

IMG_9996.jpeg
 
As per the And Just Like That topic, the LU broken down by ChatGPT in the style of Samantha Jones

Oh honey, let me tell you about the London Underground — or as the Brits call it, “The Tube.” And no, it’s not a euphemism… though it really should be. 😏

Now picture it: you’re in stilettos, navigating a labyrinth of tunnels that smell vaguely like eau de damp socks and ambition. But darling, it’s iconic. The Tube is basically the nervous system of London — messy, slightly sweaty, but absolutely essential if you want to get anywhere without paying £40 for an Uber that moves at the pace of a dial-up modem.

There are eleven lines — all color-coded, like a fabulous subway-themed mood ring. You’ve got the Central Line (hot and overcrowded, like a bad Tinder date), the Jubilee Line (cool, sleek, goes to all the party spots), and the Piccadilly Line — which, let’s be honest, is the only line you care about if you’re flying into Heathrow looking for a British banker with a summer home in Ibiza.

And don’t even get me started on the escalators, darling — they go on forever. It’s like a runway, if the runway led to a sweaty man in a tracksuit shouting about delays.

But there’s something charming about it too. It’s old, it’s rich in history, and it’s got that British efficiency that says, “We will be delayed and you will be polite about it.

So yes, sweetie, the London Underground isn’t exactly glamorous — there’s no champagne cart or shoe shine service — but it will get you from Soho to Shoreditch, from a bad decision to brunch, in under 20 minutes.

Just remember: stand on the right, walk on the left, and for the love of all things fabulous, don’t make eye contact. This isn’t therapy, it’s public transport.

Cheers, love — and always bring hand sanitizer. 💋👜🚇
 
Swiss public transport is predictably slick, but I did have a mortifying moment on Lausanne’s tube system on my first day. Being used to the London tube’s moderate jerkiness, I mildly steeled my core in anticipation of the departure, only for it to LURCH forwards and send me flying backwards into some poor terrified Aryan child.
 
The Brit queens talking shit about the Metro when they haven't gagged over the Ligne 14. Cleaner than a freshly douched anus with as much propulsion.
 
Omg love me some hot mass transit chat. :disco:

All the best metros in terms of cleanliness, accessibility, functionality, etc. are obv in East/Southeast Asia, sorry. Where it all comes undone is the CROWDS and (lack of) MANNERS. Tokyo, Taipei, and Seoul seem like exceptions when it comes to decorum but there are too many drunken businesspeople and rogue hands on the first two for me to endorse them fully (I suspect that may give others here more reason to visit, however?!).

I do love it when you come across someone in an LEDC who gets all excited about their trip to London/Paris/NYC/wherever - our great pillars of modernity - and then comes back utterly TRAUMATISED from their experiences on public transport there. FWIW, I love all the aforementioned - gimme century-old grime over the sanitisation and gleam of contemporary infrastructure. I genuinely feel more comfortable among filth and rats than I do among those who've never heard of earphones and elderly folk who'll batter down all and sundry while beelining at 100kmh to their priority seats. 🤷

It may not be fashionable to acknowledge it nowadays, but Moscow and St. Petersburg are clear winners when it comes to aesthetics. Tashkent could be up there with them, but its length is sadly LACKING compared to the others and it went a bit overboard with security iirc.

Oh, and I made a point of boarding this much-hyped Elizabeth Line back to Heathrow last year after hearing all the FUSS from Londoners and... I'm not sure I get it. But I'm glad it's given people from Reading easier access to the civilised world, I suppose. x
 
funky said:
Which European lines are MODERN?

The ones built five years ago that have about six stations that go back and forth?

The main city undergrounds are all old and dirty but also entirely essential.

Paris Metro I don’t care for but then I don’t care for most of Paris either. Dirty and haughty and full of joyless people. I’m sure our DC is an EXCEPTION
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Paris is building four major new lines. Probably the biggest public transport project currently in Europe. I know because Mr DC is involved :david:
 
I was quite impressed with Liverpools Metro system the other weekend. And by impressed I mean much better than expected. The trains are ultra modern, large and roomy with proper well implemented cycle provisions too. The station at my AirBnB in Hoylake was fully staffed as well which honestly I thought made such a difference as tourists. I imagine there’s some union keeping them staffed? Is every station like that? ( @funky )
 
PercyPig said:
I was quite impressed with Liverpools Metro system the other weekend. And by impressed I mean much better than expected. The trains are ultra modern, large and roomy with proper well implemented cycle provisions too. The station at my AirBnB in Hoylake was fully staffed as well which honestly I thought made such a difference as tourists. I imagine there’s some union keeping them staffed? Is every station like that? ( @funky )
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Merseyrail is known to be one of the best networks in the country and has been ever since the upgrade in the 80s. The trains were starting to look a little shabby but they got upgraded too recently. It’s also one of the most reliable although I think they’ve fallen a peg or two during the transition of the new fleet and some new stations opening.

The underground metro in the city centre, small as it is with 5 stations that link across 3 separate lines, is clean, airy and really easy to navigate.

I think it’s about to hit a snag though. They’ve earmarked a new station for Liverpool Baltic, south of centre, where the creative and business hubs are booming, and will be very well received, but now with the new stadium opening the north of centre is going to be a massive bottleneck. They need a station in Vauxhall but they’re relying on an existing station which is above ground and lacks any ability to expand. They’re just adding a queuing system to the station entrance. Good luck with that!
 
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