Figuring Out Public Transportation: Subways

Using public transportation in foreign countries can be one of the most intimating aspects of travel. All those crazy maps with different colored lines intersecting. Buses zooming by with millions of numbers written on the stop, but nothing in English. How can you decipher which one you need to take? What if you get lost and can’t find your way back? In this 3-part series, I’ll unpack just how to use public transportation in a foreign country without winding up lost, dead or just plain humiliated. Let’s start with subways.

First of all, let’s get one thing straight. I have yet to encounter a public transit map that featured only foreign characters and no English (though I am open to being wrong about that at some point). If the map doesn’t have English subtitles, it at least has a Romanized (English lettering) version of the word so that, worst case scenario, you can at least read the name and hopefully sort of pronounce it.

Another thing to remember is that, in a lot of places, public transit goes by different names. In much of the world, the subway is known as the metro, and often, the metro is made up of a subway system, as well as city buses, street trams and trains. In other places, subways are known as the underground – the most famous example of this would be the London Underground, which is also known as The Tube because of it’s distinctly tube-shaped tunnels and cars.

So how do you survive this metro/subway/underground/street tram mayhem? The first is to have a basic working knowledge of how a lot of public transportation systems work. Today we’re going to hash through subways.

Subways

In most places, subways are operated by one company that puts all the lines together, but in some places (like Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo), there are multiple companies operating multiple lines, which means you might need more than one ticket. But don’t freak out. Just take these on an individual basis and assume they will not be the norm (because they won’t).

Tickets: I know, you are scared of the language barrier, right? No worries. Almost all public transit stations (and train stations, for that matter) now have automated ticketing machines, most of which have an English-language option (that you sometimes have to look closely to find).

Again, with ticketing, you’ve got to do some reading about the individual city beforehand, to find out whether one ticket will last you all day or a certain number of hours and if you’ll be able to transfer between lines with that ticket or not.

Getting on/off: This is fairly straightforward, but before you actually get into the subway car, you have to figure out which direction you’re heading. Don’t just blaze down the escalators and onto the first subway car you see. Each side of the platform has cars operating in opposite directions, which are usually labeled with overhead signs by their end destination stations.

Right, so, you probably aren’t going to know the end station (unless you were super smart and checked the end station on the map before you descended), but you are going to know which station you want to get to.

Armed with this information, have a look around. Located above your head or along the wall above the tracks somewhere, you are going to find a list of stations along this particular route of the subway. Usually, it’s pretty obvious which direction that track is headed because the stations that it just came from will be greyed out. With an overhead sign, you might see the entire line’s stations listed out with arrows to the right-hand platform for one side of stations and the opposite for the left-hand side.

If you still aren’t sure, wait for the train to approach the station and look at the front of the car. Usually, the train’s destination (end station) is listed on the front somewhere.

The key here is knowing which station you’re heading for, otherwise you’re screwed.

All of this changes only a little bit when you need to change lines to get where you’re going. Just check the map for the station where the line you’re on intersects with the line you need to change to and memorize (or write down) that name.

Most subways operate all of their doors automatically, but some have small buttons that must be pressed to get the doors open. If you find yourself faced with a closed door, look around for a button that you can push either on the door or next to it. The same applies when you’re getting out.

It is also good courtesy to stand to the sides of the doors to let others exit the train before you shove your way on, and some subway systems even have marked out lines with arrows for ongoing and outcoming passengers.

Inside the train: Once you’re on, you will need to pay a little bit of attention, especially if you’re in a non-English speaking country. All subways have announcements about the current and upcoming stations, but only some have English-language announcements (Chinese subways do, Prague does not).

With this in mind, look around inside the train and you’ll see a map, either of the particular line you’re on or of the entire subway system. Some subways also have a nifty LED light display to show where you are on the map currently (love those!). Keep track of each station as you pass it, looking out the window or at the overhead LED displays to find out where you are so that you don’t miss your stop.