Best Heavy Rail (Subway and/or Elevated) Transportation Systems

GetOnDaTrain · July 26th, 2005, 05:11 AM

Vote for which city or cities have the best heavy rail transit system, whether it be a subway system or an elevated "El" system.

New York City

Chicago

Boston

Philadelphia

NY/NJ - PATH

NJ/Philly - PATCO

San Francisco

Washington, DC

Cleveland

Atlanta

Los Angeles

Miami

DarkFenX · July 26th, 2005, 05:25 AM

NYC got cover. NYC win without doubt.

gych · July 26th, 2005, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkFenX

NYC got cover. NYC win without doubt.

Is this even a contest? NYC has the only system comprable to Europe's mass transit, and it is BY FAR the best in the United States (even it has some gliches). No other city's pathetic system even comes close. WHO in the world is voting LA? That is a complete joke and we know that is the freeway/car capital of the world.

Chicago is a distant second to NYC, and while CTA and Metra are decent when combined, they are too downtown hub and spoke oriented. In Chitown, if you want to go from Lakeview to say, Ohare, you have to take a 15 minute red line train completely out of your way to downtown and then connect with a Blue line train that is probably wasting another 15 minutes to get back to the same north Lakeview lattitude where you started. That or you can take a 20 minute bus ride (but come on, buses?) west from Lakeview to cath up with the middle of the Blue line and save tons of time--but we are talking rail here, right?

TexasBoi · July 26th, 2005, 11:10 AM

To make this a better poll. You should have excluded New York and probably Chicago as well.

Rail Claimore · July 26th, 2005, 11:21 AM

NY is the ONLY metro in the US that can match the coverage and usage of the larger European systems. NY matches or exceeds every European system except London's, and London is head and shoulders above the rest of the Western Hempishere. There is only one system that could make London's look like shit, and it's located across a different ocean.

Chicago, Boston, and DC are the only other ones that have a decent combination of coverage and quality that come close to average European systems.

wheelingman · July 26th, 2005, 02:16 PM

NYC is definately the best and most comprehensive. Chicago is the second best.

CarsonCaliBrotha · July 26th, 2005, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gych

Is this even a contest? NYC has the only system comprable to Europe's mass transit, and it is BY FAR the best in the United States (even it has some gliches). No other city's pathetic system even comes close. WHO in the world is voting LA? That is a complete joke and we know that is the freeway/car capital of the world.

Chicago is a distant second to NYC, and while CTA and Metra are decent when combined, they are too downtown hub and spoke oriented. In Chitown, if you want to go from Lakeview to say, Ohare, you have to take a 15 minute red line train completely out of your way to downtown and then connect with a Blue line train that is probably wasting another 15 minutes to get back to the same north Lakeview lattitude where you started. That or you can take a 20 minute bus ride (but come on, buses?) west from Lakeview to cath up with the middle of the Blue line and save tons of time--but we are talking rail here, right?

Me. Why? Because I've used it quite a few times, buses and trains, and I'll tell you, even though LA's the freeway and car capital, we also got a great bus/train system. They work really well together, and they get you where you gotta be. You know, LA and NY have very similar systems. Probably the only difference is that most white people are scared or don't like riding the Blue Line because it's the "ghetto" line(it runs through Long Beach, Compton, Watts, and South LA). And one thing you gotta big up LA for is even though many people ride the trains, they still keep the trains and stations pretty clean. And if you don't believe me, look at the system map: http://mta.net/images/System_Map.pdf

PeterSmith · July 26th, 2005, 04:55 PM

NYC for sure. Chicago, DC and Boston are decent too. Philly kind of. Here in Miami it's an absolute joke.

Azn_chi_boi · July 26th, 2005, 09:40 PM

NYC, Chicago, DC, SF.

chicagogeorge · July 26th, 2005, 10:35 PM

1) New York City

2) Chicago a distant second.

samsonyuen · July 26th, 2005, 11:50 PM

Washington
Boston
Chicago
NY

JivecitySTL · July 27th, 2005, 01:01 AM

Baltimore also has a heavy rail subway system.

New York by far, there's no point in having a poll like this as long as NYC is on it.

the pope · July 27th, 2005, 03:14 AM

well considering i've only ridden on four of them, (cleveland, chicago, nyc, Dc)I don't think i'm fit to vote.

However, cleveland does receive a * next to it, because it was the first city in the US to have its airport directly linked to its downtown via rail. (someone correct me if i'm wrong)

GetOnDaTrain · July 27th, 2005, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JivecitySTL

Baltimore also has a heavy rail subway system.

I knew that! Somehow my head went blank for a minute -- I forgot about putting Bmore (MTA Metro Subway) in the poll.

Anyways, NYC and Chicago top the list as top notch rail systems with 99% coverage of both cities.

Philly is third despite having only two heavy rail lines in the system -- except the density.

But, honestly, I am a sucka for modern day rail systems because I lived in the Bay Area. So for me BART tops my list as the top notch rail system in the West Coast and in the modern rail system age, with DC Metrorail second up. My other pics are Atl and Mia.

LA has yet to finish building under Wilshire from the WEstern station all the way out to UCLA and the Ocean, and I don't give a damn if Bev Hills don't want it, just tunnel it and don't build a station in those city limits.

Jayayess1190 · July 27th, 2005, 04:23 AM

not Philly

90 degrees · August 1st, 2005, 11:14 PM

DC and New York are a tie with me.

oshkeoto · August 2nd, 2005, 08:40 AM

Chicago's biggest issues are 1) there's only two crosstown east-west lines, and they both come straight out of downtown, making travel from, for example, the far North Side to the far Northwest Side an enormous hassle, and 2) not all lines run 24 hours, which is really a problem on Sundays, when they stop particularly early (1:30 or 2 in the morning, for a lot of lines; usually they go until 4 or so).

CincoRanchHoustonRes · August 2nd, 2005, 06:41 PM

Washington D.C. has a really nice and effective subway system.

AZian · August 5th, 2005, 11:47 PM

DC! The trains ate on schedule most of the time and the interiors are imaculate!
Nice stations too.

PeterSmith · August 10th, 2005, 10:19 PM

The more I think about it, the more I feel the gap between NY and DC is smaller than I had previously thought. DCs is getting more and more ineffective though due to sprawl. They are working on improving it though, which is good.

View Poll Results: Which city(s) has the best subway and/or elevated transportation system(s)?
New York City - MTA Subway System	30	50.85%
Chicago - CTA El System	15	25.42%
Boston - MBTA The T	7	11.86%
Philadelphia - SEPTA	2	3.39%
New York/New Jersey - PATH	4	6.78%
New Jersey/Philly - PATCO	1	1.69%
San Francisco - BART	7	11.86%
Washington DC - METRO	22	37.29%
Cleveland - RTA Red Line	0	0%
Atlanta - MARTA	5	8.47%
Los Angeles - METRO Red Line	5	8.47%
Miami - Metrorail	3	5.08%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 59. You may not vote on this poll

July 26th, 2005, 05:11 AM	#1
GetOnDaTrain Urban Contemporary Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Texas-size Concrete Jungle Posts: 147 Likes (Received): 0	Best Heavy Rail (Subway and/or Elevated) Transportation Systems Vote for which city or cities have the best heavy rail transit system, whether it be a subway system or an elevated "El" system. New York City Chicago Boston Philadelphia NY/NJ - PATH NJ/Philly - PATCO San Francisco Washington, DC Cleveland Atlanta Los Angeles Miami Last edited by GetOnDaTrain; July 26th, 2005 at 05:23 AM.

July 26th, 2005, 05:25 AM	#2
DarkFenX A B C Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boston Posts: 1,686 Likes (Received): 0	NYC got cover. NYC win without doubt. __________________ Boston needs to be about....20% cooler. BOSTON - CITY OF CHAMPIONS NE Patriots 2001 - NE Patriots 2003 - NE Patriots 2004 - Boston Red Sox 2004 - Boston Red Sox 2007 - Boston Celtics 2008 - Boston Bruins 2011

July 26th, 2005, 02:16 PM	#6
wheelingman Pittsburgh rocks!! Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Wheeling, West Virginia Posts: 937 Likes (Received): 0	NYC is definately the best and most comprehensive. Chicago is the second best. __________________ Chicago rules! I love Pittsburgh Toronto is great!! Montreal is unique!!

July 26th, 2005, 09:40 PM	#9
Azn_chi_boi BANNED Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bridgeport + Chinatown, Chicago Posts: 4,258 Likes (Received): 0	NYC, Chicago, DC, SF. Last edited by Azn_chi_boi; July 26th, 2005 at 11:58 PM.

July 26th, 2005, 11:10 AM	#4
TexasBoi Texas-NoVA Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: NoVA Posts: 2,251 Likes (Received): 0	To make this a better poll. You should have excluded New York and probably Chicago as well.

July 26th, 2005, 11:21 AM	#5
Rail Claimore Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Huntsville, AL Posts: 1,170 Likes (Received): 2	NY is the ONLY metro in the US that can match the coverage and usage of the larger European systems. NY matches or exceeds every European system except London's, and London is head and shoulders above the rest of the Western Hempishere. There is only one system that could make London's look like shit, and it's located across a different ocean. Chicago, Boston, and DC are the only other ones that have a decent combination of coverage and quality that come close to average European systems.

July 26th, 2005, 04:55 PM	#8
PeterSmith Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Miami/Baltimore Posts: 4,176 Likes (Received): 25	NYC for sure. Chicago, DC and Boston are decent too. Philly kind of. Here in Miami it's an absolute joke.

July 26th, 2005, 10:35 PM	#10
chicagogeorge Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: South suburban Chicago Posts: 5,303 Likes (Received): 135	1) New York City 2) Chicago a distant second. __________________ for the Pelasgians, too, were a Greek nation originally from the Peloponnesus The Roman Antiquities of Dionysius of Halicarnassus http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/...assus/1B.html Macedonia, of course, is a part of Greece". Strabo, VII, Frg. 9 http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/...ragments.html But north of the gulf, the first inhabitants are Greeks called Epirotes.... Procopius http://books.google.com/books?id=9m6...page&q&f=false

July 26th, 2005, 11:50 PM	#11
samsonyuen SSLL Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Canary Wharf > CityPlace Posts: 8,505 Likes (Received): 0	Washington Boston Chicago NY

July 27th, 2005, 01:01 AM	#12
JivecitySTL The Jive is Alive. Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: St. Louis Posts: 1,553 Likes (Received): 0	Baltimore also has a heavy rail subway system. New York by far, there's no point in having a poll like this as long as NYC is on it. __________________ You can't spell STYLE without STL. www.stl-style.com

July 27th, 2005, 03:14 AM	#13
the pope unRegistered User Join Date: May 2004 Location: mansfield Posts: 296 Likes (Received): 0	well considering i've only ridden on four of them, (cleveland, chicago, nyc, Dc)I don't think i'm fit to vote. However, cleveland does receive a * next to it, because it was the first city in the US to have its airport directly linked to its downtown via rail. (someone correct me if i'm wrong)

July 27th, 2005, 04:23 AM	#15
Jayayess1190 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Philadelphia/Pittsburgh Posts: 1,383 Likes (Received): 2	not Philly __________________ My Flickr Photo gallery, Visit and comment! or see 4 years worth of Pittsburgh! Camera: Sony NEX-C3

August 1st, 2005, 11:14 PM	#16
90 degrees Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Silver Spring Posts: 72 Likes (Received): 0	DC and New York are a tie with me.

August 2nd, 2005, 08:40 AM	#17
oshkeoto Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 565 Likes (Received): 0	Chicago's biggest issues are 1) there's only two crosstown east-west lines, and they both come straight out of downtown, making travel from, for example, the far North Side to the far Northwest Side an enormous hassle, and 2) not all lines run 24 hours, which is really a problem on Sundays, when they stop particularly early (1:30 or 2 in the morning, for a lot of lines; usually they go until 4 or so).

August 2nd, 2005, 06:41 PM	#18
CincoRanchHoustonRes Proud Houstonian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston Posts: 113 Likes (Received): 0	Washington D.C. has a really nice and effective subway system. __________________ Houston Architecture Info Forum

August 5th, 2005, 11:47 PM	#19
AZian Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chandler (Phoenix), AZ and Irvine (LA), CA Posts: 196 Likes (Received): 0	DC! The trains ate on schedule most of the time and the interiors are imaculate! Nice stations too. __________________ In middle school back in California, I asked my band teacher who had taught in Arizona what it was like before I was forced to relocate. "Three words" he said. "Hotter than hell."

August 10th, 2005, 10:19 PM	#20
PeterSmith Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Miami/Baltimore Posts: 4,176 Likes (Received): 25	The more I think about it, the more I feel the gap between NY and DC is smaller than I had previously thought. DCs is getting more and more ineffective though due to sprawl. They are working on improving it though, which is good.

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