4 ms·
Lived in Beijing for 2 decades. I think in Beijing and Shanghai, a private car is almost always slower than their subway systems. Beijing subway network has 18
by theseadroid 10y ago
Lived in Beijing for 2 decades. I think in Beijing and Shanghai, a private car is almost always slower than their subway systems. Beijing subway network has 18 lines, 334 stations and 554 km (344 mi) of track in operation and is the second longest subway system in the world after the Shanghai Metro (588 kilometres). Beijing subway also has extensive expansion plans call for 1,050 km (650 mi) of track by 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_Subway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_Subway
- jjgod 10y agoAgreed. In Beijing/Shanghai I've always preferred subway to Taxi or ridesharing services, except when it's terribly bad weather and I have to talk over 1km or so, or when I carry tons of luggages.
- shimon_e 10y agoUber/Didi are a nonbrainer in second tier cities and below.
- rahimnathwani 10y agoA private car driving from one subway station to another subway station _on the same line_ will generally be slower than a train. But most journeys require a change of lines, and most journeys require walking at either end. But aside from that, perhaps we're just traveling to/from different places, and hence have a different set of experiences. Here are some specific examples of journeys that are almost always faster for me by car than by public transport. - Dongzhimen area (5 mins walk from the station) to Financial Street (10 mins walk from Fuchengmen station) - Jiaodaokou to Tuspark in Wudaokou - Jiaodaokou to Xi'erqi - Anywhere to Sanlitun (except on Fri/Sat night)
- seanmcdirmid 10y agoI've lived in Beijing for the last 9 years. I beat the subway in a taxi on my commute from work to home except during peak rush hour. I work and live on 4th ring, it is a straight shot on line 10 without a transfer (ideal subway shot, routes are identical). Couple that with the subway never having seats, being ultra crowded (say hello to your neighbor's BO), and often having long lines to even get in the station via BS security, I've completely given up on the subway unless the traffic is really really bad. I also hate the subway so much that I've shifted my schedule so that a taxi always makes sense (goto work around 6AM, come home before 4PM). Now Shanghai is completely different, but Beijing is still way behind.
- jacquesm 10y agoWhat is a 'BO'?
- seanmcdirmid 10y agoBody odor.
- hx87 10y agoUgh, this was the part I hated most about commuting on the MBTA in Boston. It's not too bad in the winter (cold) or summer (AC is on all the time), but the shoulder seasons, when humidity is high but temperatures are moderate so the AC isn't on, were brutal.
- seanmcdirmid 10y agoYa, it often isn't very comfortable. Even our office has this problem, they can never see the bigger picture that humidity is just as bad as temperature for getting work done.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- rahimnathwani 10y ago"lines to even get in the station via BS security" Yup, at Wudaokou this adds >5 minutes at rush hour. "Now Shanghai is completely different" I used to think that, until I started a lot of time in Shanghai. Surprisingly, getting from Hongqiao airport to somewhere in Pudong can be faster by car, even the whole subway journey is on line 2. The difference is not as stark as in Beijing, but it still exists. "I've shifted my schedule" Yup. It makes so much sense.
- 10y ago
- barry-cotter 10y agoYou're comparing the metro and the traffic in Shanghai to that in Beijing. They're not comparable. Beijing is far, far worse on both. A scooter is probably faster for most purposes than either but the metro in Shanghai is amazing, better than Seoul. Beijing is a horrorshow.