Quote:
Originally Posted by astrogaijin
Chicago has the Metra which runs from all the major suburbs to Union Station and only that one station. There is also the El which runs over the roads but I've only been on that once and don't want to again. Not clean at all. As for the Metra, I've been on it many times going into Chicago but it's takes 2 hours while to drive takes 1 or less since it has to stop at every single station if your not on it during rush hour.
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Metra uses more stations than just Union Station. I've taken Metra from Ogilvie Station, which is just down the street. There is the station close to the Art Institute as well...
I've taken Metra quite a few times to go to the suburbs and I would get irked if the trains were more than a few minutes late, especially the time right after my return from Japan. I was so used to the Japanese trains, I was, like I said earlier, spoiled.
I also don't like the fact that most train stations in the States aren't set to the level of the car door. One has to climb onto the train and for an elderly person, it can be quite an ordeal.
Since I live in the city, I've used the CTA's El (for Elevated) system countless times. It's filthy, unreliable, the train conductors are mostly rude and loud, some of the clientele leaves much to be desired, the tracks are rickety and rusting, and in dire need of upgrading. It does get you from here to there, but I do miss the JR and subway lines in Tokyo.
Next year I'll venture out to Osaka and see their transport system. As far as any others I've been on in Japan, from the Shinkansen to the local trains between towns, I don't have a bad thing to say about them.
I've been so far removed from Spain in both time and space that I know things have been radically changed since the last time I was there to take the Talgo from Madrid to Barcelona. Their trains, which aren't the fastest or the best compared to the Japanese, still puts anything the US has to shame....