CTA overlaid onto NYC

[tpe]

Originally Posted by untitledreality

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the Underground stop running at Midnight or 1am? In that circumstance NYC definitely has a case for an argument.

There are some great advantages with stopping service for part of the early morning. For one, they do cleaning and maintenance during those hours. You don't see NYC and Chicago subways as clean as you see them in Paris and London. And you have fewer service changes during the weekends.

Among all the systems discussed here, the most excellently laid-out, IMO, is the Paris Metro. The interconnections and convenience of transferring from one line to any other is probably the best. You can actually quantify this my using the measure called "entanglement" which is used in some areas of Physics and Applied Mathematics.

[untitledreality]

Originally Posted by Northsider

For me though, the times when I need a subway past 11pm are few and far between...I'd just take a taxi (at least in Chicago). It's nice that Chicago and NYC run 24/7...but I really don't rely on that.

I guess for the vast majority 24/7 running really doesn't matter, but I cannot even begin to count the amount of times I have ridden the Red Line between 1-4am after a long day of work... 70+ blocks at that.

[Northsider]

Originally Posted by tpe

Among all the systems discussed here, the most excellently laid-out, IMO, is the Paris Metro. The interconnections and convenience of transferring from one line to any other is probably the best. You can actually quantify this my using the measure called "entanglement" which is used in some areas of Physics and Applied Mathematics.

You gotta look at the city though, Paris is dense as hell, more so than even NYC. They can afford to have a tight net of transit lines and stations every 200m. There's no way any city in the US will ever have that sort of transit coverage.

[tpe]

Originally Posted by Northsider

You gotta look at the city though, Paris is dense as hell, more so than even NYC. They can afford to have a tight net of transit lines and stations every 200m. There's no way any city in the US will ever have that sort of transit coverage.

It's also worth observing that many adjacent Metro stops in the central part are a bit (too?) close to each other -- especially when compared to Chicago, NYC, and London, where the average distances between stops are larger.

[Northsider]

Just the nature of the city/system I guess. They value accessibility over speed?

[tpe]

Their being typically on-schedule helps a lot. Predictability is usually better than speed in many instances.

[ParadiseLost]

Originally Posted by Northsider

You gotta look at the city though, Paris is dense as hell, more so than even NYC. They can afford to have a tight net of transit lines and stations every 200m. There's no way any city in the US will ever have that sort of transit coverage.

New York city has crazy density over a much larger area and larger population. Way more than enough than is needed to sustain or warrant subways. Paris has an area of 2 million that has a density of 20.000, of course there is more beyond that but when you compare that to the 8 million in New York with a density of about 15.000 (if you substract staten island and add the other side of the Hudson). There's no math at all that gives you 8 million Parisians with such densities, or even 6 million.

Both systems have pluses and minuses, but yeah at the end of the day when you consider the coverage of the system.... even NYC doesn't really hold a candle to its European peers. By the simple virtue that it's much easier to draw extra lines on the MTA network map that make sense than it is to do on the tube or Metro map.

Originally Posted by tpe

Their being typically on-schedule helps a lot. Predictability is usually better than speed in many instances.

Not really that important in a high frequency system no? The Paris system in my experience is fast enough. NYC is very speedy though no doubt.

[Northsider]

Another one for you folks, Chicago L over Buenos Aires

[Catmendue2]

Originally Posted by tpe

There are some great advantages with stopping service for part of the early morning. For one, they do cleaning and maintenance during those hours. You don't see NYC and Chicago subways as clean as you see them in Paris and London. And you have fewer service changes during the weekends.

Among all the systems discussed here, the most excellently laid-out, IMO, is the Paris Metro. The interconnections and convenience of transferring from one line to any other is probably the best. You can actually quantify this my using the measure called "entanglement" which is used in some areas of Physics and Applied Mathematics.

Originally Posted by untitledreality

I guess for the vast majority 24/7 running really doesn't matter, but I cannot even begin to count the amount of times I have ridden the Red Line between 1-4am after a long day of work... 70+ blocks at that.

Originally Posted by Northsider

Another one for you folks, Chicago L over Buenos Aires

Love to see CTA over LA and Houston

[Northsider]

Originally Posted by Catmendue2

Love to see CTA over LA and Houston

LA





Not sure how to do Houston. Chicago L really doesn't translate with such a city...really doesn't with LA either. Anyways, here it is...

[LtBk]

I like to see you do Baltimore please.

[Northsider]

Originally Posted by LtBk

I like to see you do Baltimore please.

commuter rail (metra) in black


zoom

[ParadiseLost]

Originally Posted by Northsider

Another one for you folks, Chicago L over Buenos Aires

Kind of puts into perspective that the L and so bad at all! The density in capital federal is crazy, yet the subte coverage is not that great.

[paytonc]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

^ thank you. looking at that makes me want to throw in the towel on chicago and just move to london.

If you really want to admire trains, even London can't hold a candle to Tokyo either in extent or quality of service. Just Shinjuku station handles almost 4M passengers -- half the population of Greater London, or almost 1.5X Chicago's population -- every day, and it's just one the largest of several huge transfer stations.

[mohammed wong]

wow very cool thread.
definitely gives you an idea how cities compare to each other.



Oakton Yellow stop almost done, looks pretty darn done
but havent seen anyone at the stop yet.
It must be nice for people who live right by there to get a new stop!!!


I think this will bring Skokie Blvd more life and Downtown Skokie in general more street life.

[Northsider]

Milwaukee: http://i.imgur.com/yzq0a.png

[mohammed wong]

Chicago is big!!! Imagine if Milwaukee had such a system of subways or elevated trains? That would help MKE out alot.

[Northsider]

Trying something a little different. Detroit:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=http:%...69666&t=m&z=12

[bayviews]

Originally Posted by Northsider

Just tinkering around with some GIS data. CTA map flipped to to fit...scale is accurate.

Remarkable comparison!

Instead of riding the "L" up to my old Northside neighborhood, Edgewater, I'd end up somewhere near Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NYC.

[flapane]

Originally Posted by mohammed wong

Chicago is big!!! Imagine if Milwaukee had such a system of subways or elevated trains? That would help MKE out alot.

A Wisconsin Ave line and a lakeshore line (going southern up to MKE, and going western on Capitol Dr.) would be nice.
More realistically, if they'd increase the frequency of the buses it'd be great.