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A comment on The New Paris Métro Is Coming, and It's a Big Deal. Parent comment

Re:The New Paris Métro Is Coming, and It's a Big Deal by GuB-42 on Saturday November 25, 2023 @10:35PM (#38418941)
Every metro feels like a miserable experience when compared to what you have in Tokyo. This extends to trains in Japan in general. Transport is expensive in Japan, but quality is unmatched on all aspects I can think of: timeliness, reliability, service, comfort, security, cleanliness, extensiveness,... From what I've heard, working for JR (Japan Rail) is considered a honor.

I think the Paris metro is average-good compared to my experience in other countries. It has its quirks, and strikes are a thing but I have used it extensively (I have lived in Paris for several years) without big problems, and I arrive most of the time within a few minutes of the expected time (in Tokyo, that's seconds!).

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Re:The New Paris Métro Is Coming, and It's a Big Deal by adrianN on Saturday November 25, 2023 @11:34PM (#38419184)
When I was in Tokyo a couple of years ago I didn't find transport expensive.
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Re:The New Paris Métro Is Coming, and It's a Big Deal by bmoxb on Sunday November 26, 2023 @08:47AM (#38421547)
As a foreign tourist from presumably from NA or Western Europe, then it will seem pretty affordable compared to your home country. Relative to Japanese cost of living and average income however, certain lines and services can be pretty expensive (particularly the shinkansen and certain JR services).
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Re:The New Paris Métro Is Coming, and It's a Big Deal by bevesce- on Sunday November 26, 2023 @01:14AM (#38419573)
Unless you're traveling in pick hours and the train is so overcrowded that you can't even lift you hand inside...
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Re:The New Paris Métro Is Coming, and It's a Big Deal by samus on Sunday November 26, 2023 @02:07AM (#38419776)
Unavoidable except if you price it up so much that people start using the car again. For the same reason why there will always be be traffic jams no matter how many streets there are and how many lanes they have.
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Re:The New Paris Métro Is Coming, and It's a Big Deal by petesergeant on Sunday November 26, 2023 @02:58AM (#38419969)
> Every metro feels like a miserable experience when compared to what you have in Tokyo

I’ve never taken it, but I’ll note I’ve never personally taken public transport to match Bangkok’s BTS and MRT, which are both excellent, although it’s very irritating they haven’t implemented cross-system billing yet

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Re:The New Paris Métro Is Coming, and It's a Big Deal by traceroute66 on Sunday November 26, 2023 @06:32AM (#38420849)
> working for JR (Japan Rail) is considered a honor

Also the thing to remember is that part of the reason JR works so well is because of the defined career path.

For example, you don't just become a Shinkanzen driver, you have to follow the career path:

    - Work two years as station attendant
    - Work two years as a conductor
    - Work two years as a standard (non-Shinkanzen) train driver
Only then can you progress to the Shinkzansen training and examination.

The result is you have people working on the railways who are intimately familiar with both the system as a whole and the impact they and their actions can have on others. Which is a very Japanese thing, life is not just about you but your impact on others around you.

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