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I just got back from a trip to Europe, and comparing the metro to systems there is somewhat difficult; as many people have pointed out, the metro is something of a hybrid between a RER/S-Bahn type system and an actual subway. But if you ask me, it does its job pretty damn well. I was in Paris and Vienna, both of which have regional rail systems (RER and S-Bahn) and actual subways (Le Metro, and the U-Bahn). The systems over there are great; I wish we had something more like them over here (Did I mention Vienna has a FABULOUS tram system? And they don't seem to care about spoiling the view with overhead wires...the opera house supports wires suspending the catenary for the tram). BUT, a subway system such as Paris's, or even Vienna's, with stations spaced approximately as far apart as Gallery Place is from Metro Center everywhere would never work in DC. The cost of constructing so many stations wouldn't come close to being justified, given the ridership they'd experience. Paris is nearly 6 times denser than DC. Additionally, so many stations would slow the trains down a LOT (the average speed of a Metro train in Paris is 12 mph...very, very slow) and mean that the subway would never reach as far as Falls Church, or Largo. DC doesn't need tightly spaced stations. But it does need a bunch of service to the suburbs, given that many people who work in DC also like to actually vote for Senators and Representatives. You could argue that we could have two separate systems: One, a subway, and one, an S-Bahn. But the stations on the subway in DC are already going to be reasonably spaced out, so why not simply extend those lines to the suburbs? It is much less annoying to (when the silver line actually gets built) take a one-seat ride from Dulles to Metro Center that takes close to an hour than it is to take a 25-minute commuter rail ride (where the headways are half an hour) to Wien-Mitte, transfer to the U-Bahn, and take a 10-minute ride to your hotel, while carrying all your stuff. Plus, we still have MARC and VRE, for people who live really far out. (Another note: Paris and Vienna do not really have Central Business Districts, so their systems aren't based on a core. But DC does have a downtown, so a hub/spoke system makes sense).
Comparing our system to others in the US, many of the same arguments apply. Boston (once you adjust for all the water that counts as part of the city) is about 2 and a half times as dense as DC, has a subway more like Vienna's (though not as ridiculously cramped together as Paris's) and an extensive commuter rail system. The only difference is that they are based around a downtown. New York is about 3 times as dense as DC, and, of course, much bigger. Same deal. Subway with closely spaced stops in the city (plus express tracks...cause it's New York) and then LIRR, Metro North, and NJ Transit.
Chicago is only slightly more dense than DC, but, like New York and Boston, has a much older rapid transit system. This means more frequent stops, though some of the lines do run quite far into the suburbs. And, again, it has a large commuter rail presence.
Each city has a system that suits its own needs. I would argue that the Metro fits DC better than the L or the T fit Chicago or Boston.
As far as basic things go (cleanliness, simplicity, reliability) DC beats pretty much every subway I've ever ridden. Compare transferring at any of the downtown stations in DC to pretty much any transfer in any subway system, and you will find that DC is much more intuitive to navigate. No labyrinthine passageways with more stairs than the Empire State Building. And you don't have to walk half a mile to get to the other line (Ahem, Paris). We're cleaner (duh) and, as consequence of having been built recently, more reliable, as well as faster. Everybody complains about how much the escalators break down, but the only other alternative is stairs. And when escalators break down, they're basically stairs. If people stand and block the escalator, you're moving at about the same speed as you would be if you were walking up/down stairs. If people stand to the right, you move twice as fast. What, exactly, is the problem?
DC's transport system may not be world class, but it gets the job done. And that's what it's meant to do.

by Nick on Jul 28, 2010 10:50 pm • link • report