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Truthfully, it's mostly a problem caused by the sheer population density. It's common for people to just head for the subway without knowing when the next trai

Truthfully, it's mostly a problem caused by the sheer population density. It's common for people to just head for the subway without knowing when the next train's arriving, which at off-hours can mean a 10-15+ minute wait for the next train. By which I mean: The concept of waiting around for an unknown amount of time for the next train isn't a huge deal. The problem is how miserable the whole experience becomes when it's an unexpected delay at peak hours. If unexpected delays meant just hanging out on an uncrowded platform for 15 minutes to wait for an uncrowded train, the amount of complaining would be significantly lower.

heliodor 9y ago
> "it's mostly a problem caused by the sheer population density" That might seem like the obvious reason, but it's not the case at all. Read up on the NYC subway and its recent problems and their causes. Politicians use the growth in ridership as a scapegoat. There's more to the story than that. There's no physical/mathematical reason why a metro system of a bigger scale is precluded from running well. Here's an article that offers a glimpse into various other angles and reasons: https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/03/13/the-trains-are-slower-because-they-slowed-the-trains-down/ https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/03/13/the-trains-are-slowe...
- wgerard 9y ago
  Sorry, I meant that the experience for riders becomes miserable because of the population density (the third paragraph). If delays just meant waiting on an uncrowded platform for an uncrowded train, it wouldn't be nearly as much of a sore point. I certainly agree with you that population density isn't the root cause of the recent subway issues - as evidenced by the fact that Tokyo's train system is working just fine.
  - Bahamut 9y ago
    As someone who currently is on a train to Osaka from Tokyo & who has lived near NYC, one thing I can say is while Tokyo’s system is well run, the rush hour crunch is real - basically everyone is nut to butt on the train. Sometimes you can’t even get on the train and have to wait for the next one.
    - adrianN 9y ago
      Luckily trains in Tokyo run in really short intervals during rush hour.
      - jac_no_k 9y ago
        Unless one lives way out in the suburbs and the train ride is 90 minutes. The first thirty minutes into Tokyo isn't too bad. It's the remaining sixty minutes which would shock most Westerners. Not looking forward to summer... Which is why I bicycle into work. Sure it takes 90 minutes (I'm as fast as the train with all the stops) but my soul isn't squashed out by all the other sad salary men.
  - addicted 9y ago
    The density argument is probably incorrect. The city wasn't significantly less dense 6 years ago and things were a lot better. This is a reflection of under investment and lack of maintenance and upkeep which was exacerbated by Hurrixane Sandy damaging the subway system significantly. It brought the chickens home to roost.
    - dnautics 9y ago
      Is it under investment or mismanagement?
deleted 9y ago
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heliodor 9y ago

> "it's mostly a problem caused by the sheer population density" That might seem like the obvious reason, but it's not the case at all. Read up on the NYC subway and its recent problems and their causes. Politicians use the growth in ridership as a scapegoat. There's more to the story than that. There's no physical/mathematical reason why a metro system of a bigger scale is precluded from running well. Here's an article that offers a glimpse into various other angles and reasons: https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/03/13/the-trains-are-slower-because-they-slowed-the-trains-down/ https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/03/13/the-trains-are-slowe...

wgerard 9y ago
Sorry, I meant that the experience for riders becomes miserable because of the population density (the third paragraph). If delays just meant waiting on an uncrowded platform for an uncrowded train, it wouldn't be nearly as much of a sore point. I certainly agree with you that population density isn't the root cause of the recent subway issues - as evidenced by the fact that Tokyo's train system is working just fine.
- Bahamut 9y ago
  As someone who currently is on a train to Osaka from Tokyo & who has lived near NYC, one thing I can say is while Tokyo’s system is well run, the rush hour crunch is real - basically everyone is nut to butt on the train. Sometimes you can’t even get on the train and have to wait for the next one.
  - adrianN 9y ago
    Luckily trains in Tokyo run in really short intervals during rush hour.
    - jac_no_k 9y ago
      Unless one lives way out in the suburbs and the train ride is 90 minutes. The first thirty minutes into Tokyo isn't too bad. It's the remaining sixty minutes which would shock most Westerners. Not looking forward to summer... Which is why I bicycle into work. Sure it takes 90 minutes (I'm as fast as the train with all the stops) but my soul isn't squashed out by all the other sad salary men.
- addicted 9y ago
  The density argument is probably incorrect. The city wasn't significantly less dense 6 years ago and things were a lot better. This is a reflection of under investment and lack of maintenance and upkeep which was exacerbated by Hurrixane Sandy damaging the subway system significantly. It brought the chickens home to roost.
  - dnautics 9y ago
    Is it under investment or mismanagement?

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]