MTR Appreciation
Chatteris' own Alice Sherlock on how the MTR has captured her heart and left the Tube struggling to compete.
I must begin with the utter cheapness of
the MTR. My daily commute to work is one MTR line, six stops, just over eight
miles and costs a mere HK$7 (70p). I mean 70 pennies for one journey? Unheard
of in most European cities, where the underground can bleed you dry. Plus, the
MTR doesn’t engage in peak or off-peak prices, so it’s one single price
whatever time of day, meaning no penalty for actually working at a normal hour.
But, the cherry on top of the cake is the MTR is the world’s most profitable underground train organisation, so it’s not
only amazingly cheap for passengers, it’s also an incredibly successful
business.
Alongside the vibrant mosaicked stations, one thing
I absolutely love are the flashing lights on the little network maps inside the
train. There are flashing arrows indicating the direction of travel, flashing
station lights to inform you which station is next and flashing lights directing
you to the side of the train to exit upon arrival at the next station. I am a
big fan of pretty lights anyway, but never have I enjoyed flashing lights as much
as I do now. They make it so easy to lose myself in a book and not have to
worry about listening for the next station or looking like a numpty waiting the
wrong side to exit.
Above: A commuter's dream (also known as the inside of an MTR carriage)
Every journey entails a short wait and a clean
atmosphere, two simple yet vital qualities. I swear there is never more than a
four minute wait at any platform and the no food or drink onboard or at
stations rule is strictly enforced, meaning a superbly spotless platform and train
greets you for every single journey. I actually once watched a man sneak a
cheeky bite of his takeout char sui bao to have the little lady next to him tutting
and raising her voice at him. What a brave soul he was to even attempt a nibble.
Throughout the day, the wonderfully cute MTR staff,
dressed in an adorable shade of yellow, guide you onto the train, hold up ‘stop
boarding’ notices before the doors close and oversee people toward the
escalator with least queues for exit. They are incredible! I’ve even made firm
pals with the ladies at my local station as we exchange a wave and a smile
every morning.
Above: One of the wonderfully cute MTR staff members, doing their thing
Finally, the moment I knew an MTR appreciation post
might be brewing was the moment I realised, deep in thought one post work day,
I have perfect phone signal deep underground at every station and on every
journey. It’s so crazy yet brilliant catching up with loved ones, browsing the World
Wide Web and listening to podcasts 20 metres underground. What other
underground train grid offers all that, eh?
I’m so in love with the MTR, I (almost) never want
to use another underground train system again. Dammit Hong Kong, why you so
amazing?
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