Hi all -

It's easy to bitch about the Underground, and to compare it
unfavourably with metros in Singapore, Hong Kong and so on. To redress
the balance, I thought I'd share details of my recent trip on the Rome
Metro.

My girlfriend and I were getting a train from Termini (the major
station; I guess KXSP would be the best comparison) to Circo Maximo
(historical bits, public park - Green Park-ish). The time was about
11:30am on a Sunday, so not quite the peak...

Approximate order of events:
* we discover staircase from station forecourt to Metro station stinks
of ****.
* we discover there are no ticket machines and no ticket office, so
have to seek out a newsagent to buy our travelcards.
* on getting the ticket, we get sent on a gigantic wild goose chase
through dingy, graffiti-ed ****-stinking passages, eventually reaching
the platform.
* the platform is absolutely rammed, reflecting the crap train
frequency.
* when the train eventually arives, it's clearly 30 years old,
unrefurbished and entirely covered in graffiti.
* the on-board temperature is well over 40 degrees C.
* there are no seats to be had; girlfriend almost faints from heat and
humidity
* Circo Maximo station also stinks of ****, although it's less
confusing than Termini
* we abandon all thoughts of getting the Metro anywhere else during our
stay and stick to the buses.

Using the Victoria Line at rush hour this week has been an absolute joy
by comparison.

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org