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I guess you're too young to remember when New York had way way more graffiti not only on it's trains but everywhere than what you are showing in Europe. New York City went through a hella uv a whole lot of trouble to get rid of all that graffiti. Yeah some of it looked good but it was mostly just ugly. Tags on top of tags on top of tags. I'm not sure if you want to go back to those days.
It just boils down to being a capitolist government.......and NIMBY-ism..
. I don't even think it's about the style of government. Just in this country where most of the growth in the past 50 years has been in suburbia or sprawling cities we value roads and highways more than mass transit.
Also unionized employees for the most part are unwilling to make major concessions even when tax receipts are way down in this economy. So they'd rather get the guaranteed annual pay increase while service is cut and union employees without seniority are laid off.
I guess you're too young to remember when New York had way way more graffiti not only on it's trains but everywhere than what you are showing in Europe. New York City went through a hella uv a whole lot of trouble to get rid of all that graffiti. Yeah some of it looked good but it was mostly just ugly. Tags on top of tags on top of tags. I'm not sure if you want to go back to those days.
lol. i'm not too young to remember.
the difference between nyc and the other cities named in this thread is that stuff happened in nyc decades ago. we're talking 1989 and back.
the stuff you see in europe in those pics and vids is from 2003-2010. they're still trying to emulate us decades later.
rome in 2010 is pretty much or at least was pretty much at what nyc was at in the 70's-80s. all i'm saying is that ppl are praising these systems for being so clean when they let their graffiti filled cars run, regardless of shutting the system down for hours or not. they have no excuse...meanwhile ppl on CD look down on ny because of some of our stations without noting that you won't find a car with graffiti like that running. and our system is 24 hours.
Eek I was praising the Asian systems for being spotless not the European ones. Though the smell of urine, especially in some of the NYC transfer tunnels, bothers me more than graffiti. Especially if I'm lucky enough to see anything done by Banksy.
Eek I was praising the Asian systems for being spotless not the European ones. Though the smell of urine, especially in some of the NYC transfer tunnels, bothers me more than graffiti. Especially if I'm lucky enough to see anything done by Banksy.
I am originally from Philly and have been a lifelong subway enthusiast and rider, since the 1970’s to school 7th grade thru 12th grade and to work for a few years. I have also ridden subways in New York, Boston and Washington, DC.
My questions are this:
In Philly there are express tracks where you have tunnels that are 4 tracks wide in North, South, Center city and West Philadelphia -2 tracks for local trains and 2 tracks for express trains, other than New York do other cities have this arrangement? This is a cool effect when two trains are riding side by side heading in the same direction-it's almost as if they are racing.
There is a line in Boston with a single express track designed for use in the majority direction (ie toward downtown in the AM, away from downtown in the PM. However, it has never been used. The extension was cut short of the original planned destination and the express track was truncated.
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In Philly there are certain instances where you have tunnels that are 6 tracks wide -2 tracks for local trains, 2 tracks for express trains and 2 tracks for spur trains (in North Philly Between Girard and Fairmount avenue and at Erie avenue) do other cities have this arrangement?
There are a few sections in Boston that are like this, but rather than grouping express trains with locals, they group heavy rail with regional rail, sharing the same ROW.
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In Philly you have instance where there are 4 track wide tunnels and 2 of the tracks either raise up to another higher level tunnel or sink down to a lower level tunnel. This is a cool effect when two trains are riding side by side heading in the same direction-when the other train either rises up or lowers into a deeper tunnel right next to your train.
It's called a flying junction. These exist in most systems that involve branch lines. You'll find them in L.A., Boston, Washington, San Francisco, and no doubt a few other locations.
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In Philly at a major hub station-(Suburban Station) the tunnel is from 8 to ten tracks wide, other than New York’s Penn station and Grand central Terminal, do other cities have this arrangement?
Do you mean multiple heavy rail tracks side by side? Or are the tracks serving regional rail? If the former, not in Boston, if the latter, very much in Boston.
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In Philly you have double and triple level stations, I know that New York, Boston and DC have double level stations where two tunnels intersect, do other cities have triple level stations?
Boston had a triple level station until recently. North Station served the Orange Line (HRT) bellow ground, the C-Branch of the Green Line (LRT) at grade, and the E-Branch of the Green Line, elevated. The Green line is now entirely subway at this station, and the El. is gone, with the portal having been moved a few blocks away. The station is now on two levels, not three. Harvard Square is kind of a four level station, but two of the levels serve buses or trackless trolley, so that might not count. Likewise, North Station has a third level if you consider regional rail, as does South Station.
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In Philly you have certain locations where you have several lines in separate tunnels merging together at one location (i.e. City Hall and 8TH STREET- Commuter Lines Train station 4 tracks- Market Street Line-2 tracks- Ridge Ave train 1 track –Patco train -2 tracks) do other cities have this arrangement?
Kenmore Station, Copley Station, Park Street, Umass/JFK station, Government Center, maybe some others I'm not thinking of.
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In Philly you have abandoned subway stations and tunnels, other than New York do other cities have this arrangement?
Yep, we have some of those in Boston, quite a few, actually.
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In Philly you have a train that runs over a major bridge over the river right next to automobile traffic (Patco line on the Ben Franklin Bridge) and tunnels that run under the river, other than New York do other cities have this arrangement?
It doesn't compare to the Ben Frankline, which is so cool regarding the trains, but the Longfellow Bridge crosses the Charles with the Red Line (HRT) running down the middle. At one time, the Charlestown Bridge hosted surface street cars, running under an El., all with cars running on either side. There is also the B.U. bridge, which runs above a rail bridge. The rail bridge crosses the car bridge at an angle, so it's quite visible.
I'm not worried as much about the grafitti, or even the urine smell (as bad and unsanitary as that is) as about no railings or barriers at end of platform between where passengers stand and the subway train itself. For heaven's sakes at overlooks in national parks you have barrier or fence or guardrail or something to keep someone from falling off cliff, why not to keep people from falling onto tracks and being electrocuted or run over by train (and oftentimes light is subdued or even downright dark in those underground subway stations, and lots of kids running around not paying attention). Just wondering.
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