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I rode London's famous Underground system for a week — and I saw why New York's subway will never catch up

It was the summer of hell, and I needed some relief.

To take a break from the swamp that New York City becomes in the summer, I took a week-long trip to the sunny paradise of London for a well-deserved vacation.

OK, fine. London may not be that sunny, but it is a transportation paradise. When comparing it to New York, anyway, London seems like a city that actually cares about its public transportation. Its trains run often, its buses have a priority network, and there's even a congestion charge for private cars driving in the city center, which feeds money back into the transportation projects.

Things are not so great in New York right now. The state and city are in an interminable battle to escape blame for the crumbling infrastructure that millions of New Yorkers rely on every day. But some fixes being suggested now, like congestion charging, have already been at work in London for years.

I decided my vacation would be a good opportunity to see how London's public transportation system works. Not once did I get stuck in a tunnel or even have to wait longer than four minutes for a train — and with countdown clocks at nearly every station, I always knew when the next train was coming. I also never had to detour because of track work, which is done overnight in London.

I think it's best summarized in the status update you hear over the PA system every so often in the Underground: "There is good service on all London Underground lines." You definitely don't hear that every day in New York.

While New York often uses the age of its system as an excuse, I saw how London overcame its ancient architecture — some of which dates back to the mid-19th century — to build a modern transportation system. Honestly, it felt strange to be in a city where the denizens didn't constantly gripe about how long it took to get wherever they were.

[continues]

The subway has double tracks allowing during-the-day maintenance...big bonus

....because its got double tracks and can run & maintain at once

It's also not that often you hear the 'good service on all London Underground lines' message either. There's ongoing weeknight closures in the Met, problems with the night tube, Overground always seems to have a section closed somewhere or other. And the recent incidents as already mentioned.

I suspect if the author had stayed for, maybe a month or two, the novelty would've worn off and his or her rose tinted spectacles would be letting through a lot more light...!

@trainor....seriously? You can getca direct tube from St Pancras to PAD....the Circle or H&C line to Hammersmith!

Which drops you at platforms fully equipped with lifts to ground level....and (English) escalators & lifts back down into the station.

@trainor....seriously? You can getca direct tube from St Pancras to PAD....the Circle or H&C line to Hammersmith!