Hello you sexy new mass transit line, I love you already and you've only been open for 3 days! Are you perfect? Umm, almost. You are clean. You work efficiently and generally without incident. The closed exit at Tuanjeihu South West was not cool, nor the escalator being out of order on Monday morning at Shuangjing station as I made my way down about 150 stairs with a 3 year old in tow but I am willing to forgive you for all that because you are just so darn useful.
Who knew it was physically possible to go through the CBD at rush hour and pop out at San Yuan Qiao in less than 15 minutes!?!? At 2rmb a trip, you are as easy on the budget as you are on the eyes. But even better, here in the armpit of the summer season while temperatures are reaching the mid thirties every day, you are air conditioned and greet my descent into your shiny new tunnels of love with a blast of cold air that is beyond compare.
If you are interest in improving things, may I gently suggest you give the bicycle parking folks some change? I just don't always have a couple of miao kicking around my pocket, especially now that we use those most excellent transit pass cards on your delightful train systems. (I hasten to add that my love of the new fully bilingual ticketing machines could also probably fill a whole other posting!)
While you're at it, somehow alter those annoying but necessary security screening machines so that the lines allow people to flow through the station rather than bump into one another. And please, stop yelling at me through megaphones when I change lines at Guomao. It hurts my head and kills the nice Zen-like atmosphere the station offers.
Finally, just get vending machines already. You've kicked out all the little shops and newspaper stands around the older stations, and there aren't any built yet at the new ones. Just think! Profits for you, and a cold drink for me . . . bliss!
In closing, as someone without a car you've absolutely changed my mental map of Beijing for the better. Don't ever leave me. You make living on the east side of the city worthwhile, and its been worth the wait for your arrival. |
