Comfort Underground

Sometimes on this blog I will treat metros as one thing: the existence or absence of one standing in for a certain kind of urban infrastructure and planning.

But of course we know that's not true. And while there are myriad distinctions, small and large, between the physical systems as a transit design, I want today to talk about a slightly different feature: the comfort for the riders on a system, both aesthetic and physical.

1. Platforms

A platform is a necessary function even for the most frequent subway system, since people need somewhere to walk in and out of the train and to wait for the train before it comes.

But these can vary widely in how pleasant they are to be on.

I love the NYC system, but the platforms are usually pretty unpleasant, for instance. I actually like an island platform, so that's not an issue here, but they're crowded, smelly, and rarely have any seating or other amenities.

Amsterdam's platforms are much less dirty and smelly, but that's a function of lack of use: they don't bring a lot (or anything) to the table in terms of actual benefits or positives.

The TTC in Toronto, in my experience, does a slightly better job, though more so outside the downtown core. There are some places to sit, and the smell and noise are not as extreme.

Overall, this is a hard thing to work on, because the more use a system gets the more crowded stations get, and the harder it is to find time, space, and general opportunity to clean them effectively--especially on a 24-hour system.

2. Decor

One way to make a station less unpleasant even if it is crowded, noisy, or smelly, is to appeal to other senses. Now,  I don't have pictures of the Stockholm metro, which is famously gorgeous. But I do have pictures of how other stations I have actually been to make this work. Start with the Toronto station above: those little geometric patterns aren't much, but they break up the monotony of the station.

This public art in Chicago's Midway station is a little further from the trains, so it does less to brighten the mood actually down at the platform level, but it's a nice flourish when you're hustling to the train.

The Montreal metro does, I think, an even better job of a similar approach, and I love the above piece very much.

And of course I'd be remiss if I didn't mention WMATA, where the DC Metro makes the overall station design its own aesthetic feature that makes waiting much more pleasant (also note all those seats!).

3. Trains

And of course, another major element of "comfort" and "ease" in and around a metro/subway/underground/El/etc. system is the actual trains themselves.

Open gangways, like Amsterdam's trains have, make a big difference to me: the feeling that you're able to move around the train if you need to (whether that's for efficiency reasons of getting off where you want at the next stop or comfort reasons like finding a seat or even finding a friend) creates a sense of comfort and relaxation that a more cramped traditional car can't equal.

The Elizabeth Line in London isn't technically a metro, but it was the picture that I had of the moquette on the seats: this kind of branding (different on different lines) combined with comfort (much better than hard plastic seats) can contribute significantly to a sense of place and a sense of ease.

I have fewer pictures of interiors because I tend to avoid taking pictures with recognizable people in them, so even though I don't actually mind the DC Metro's interiors this will have to do as a picture of a less pleasant interior. The lighting is less strong, the car feels less open, and the seats are less comfortable.

Sorry DC. As I said, I actually quite like the riding experience, but it's not Amsterdam or the Elizabeth Line (there are certainly London Underground lines that would also be lower on this kind of ranking though).

What makes you feel comfortable on a metro? How does a subway catch your eye?