WonL
The random thoughts of an architect-turned- lawyer from the deep south living in Washington, DC...
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Tube vs. Metro
So last night, I decided to venture into north London to my guy's house. He and his flatmates got new sofas so they did what any adult male does, they put the old ones in the front yard, bought a bunch of beer, and invited people over. Anyway, I hopped on The Tube and was on my way. I am finding the Tube to be quite like the Metro. No one really talks or makes eye contact. Standing on the escalators is only allowed on the right side. I bought an Oyster card much like my Smart Trip. I believe having mastered Metro enabled me to take to the Tube so quickly.Anyway, I was listening to my IPod and not paying much attention to what was going on. The train stopped at Seven Sisters and never started again. Everyone was getting off the train, so I paused and asked what was going on. "There was a light malfunction at Walthamstow so they have closed the last four stations. Everyone has to get off here." Um, and do what? With one simple movement, they shut down four stops on the Victoria Line. During rush hour. I followed the crowds up to the street to find hundreds and hundreds of folks lined up for the busses. Inconvenient, but not the end of the world. I could not help but laugh when I thought of how this sort of situation would be handled in DC. Seriously, what do you think would happen if they just lopped off the last four stops of the Red Line and told everyone they were on their own to get home during rush hour (and did not refund the fare)? Mass hysteria comes to mind.