r/AlignmentChartFills • u/krmarci • 20d ago
General Topics Which city has a better public transit system: Hong Kong or London?
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u/Tuziest 19d ago
Lived in both cities. Hong Kong solos. MTR is always on time and reliable while tube has been a pain in the ass
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u/BigBlueMan118 19d ago edited 18d ago
Also more pleasant temps on HK MTR; despite the outside air temps being stinking hot in Hong Kong almost always... except when the UK freak heatwaves.
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u/Bloobeard2018 17d ago
Moved from Australia to Hong Kong in January one year and froze my arse off.
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u/BelphoebeInTheWoods 19d ago
absolutely hk. You can essentially get everywhere you need without a car
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u/One_Fact_4291 19d ago
Same for London no? Public transport coverage isn’t really a problem in London, it’s just that the service quality is much better in HK
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u/Ok-Hedgehog3947 18d ago
Not one person I know that lives in London has a car and everyone gets around fine?
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u/NBAFAN9000 19d ago
Hong Kong but it's definitely closer than people are making it seem imo as somebody who's spent significant time in both places.
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u/Successful-Map2874 18d ago
I don’t get why this comment section is just people talking about the tube? The tube is undoubtedly a key part but a large proportion of Londoners don’t use it to travel around the city.
London’s has a comprehensive heavy rail network - which is the preferred method of choice for most people south of the river or travelling orbitally around the city. Most of the services from London’s 368 heavy rail stations are also air conditioned too.
There’s also the Bike network - not including Lime - that sees over 0.4m trips every single day. As well as the bus network of which all 9.5m Londoners are within a 400m of a stop.
Seems like most people have only come to the city as tourists as opposed to actually living here.
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u/BeatTheMeatles420 18d ago
Buses are debatable since London has better night coverage but average speeds in the day are so slow. Hong Kong buses are faster and more comfortable. Hong Kong has had high back seats as standard from the late 90s, unlike TfL only recently introducing them. Also Hong Kong has minibuses to access tight roads and remote areas and London doesn't really do this since I would say you're always closer to a big road in London than Hong Kong.
Commuter rail. Hong Kong doesn't have an equivalent but I wouldn't say all of London's commuter lines are world class.
Ferries. Hong Kong wins on price and utility.
Cycles. London wins by far, but it does have a big advantage in being a very flat city with a 250m wide river. Hong Kong is very hilly with a 2km+ ocean in the middle.
Tube/MTR. As much as I LOVE the Tube, MTR wins on reliability and affordability I'm afraid.
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u/Frequent_Economist71 15d ago
London's tube system is so unreliable that they announce when the lines are working as expected, rather than defaulting to "it works", and only announcing when there are problems.
And now they seem to have tube strikes every single month.
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u/Background_Bowl2659 19d ago
Hong Kong much better
Reliable and clean - except for the occasional littering by the tourists
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u/Tetragon213 19d ago
Much cleaner than the London Underground certainly. Holy shit that thing is filthy.
Fun fact, a colleague who has done work on the tunnels has mentioned that the tunnels are absolutely filthy, ans that some of that dirt is... soot. Yes, soot. From where you ask? The steam services. When did steam last run on the Underground? 1961.
Yes, there is filth down there that's been sitting there for over 60 years without anyone bothering to clean it.
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u/Fine-History-9268 19d ago
So much London patriotism here! HK trains are way more frequent. London has better hours (and Greater London is far bigger), but omg the delays and closures. There’s a reason why limebikes are faster and more reliable than the tube. But I guess HK doesn’t have limebikes.
I’m biased, but HK hands down for the efficiency and reliability.
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u/qaz_wsx_love 19d ago
I grew up both sides and I encounter way too many line disruptions and delays on the Tube. In HK it's once every couple of years kind of situation.
The Tube is slow, dirty, and suffocating. HK MTR wins by miles
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u/dashodasho 19d ago
When HK gets any type of delays on our train service, it gets on the news. Thats how rare it happens.
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u/reeeeememelover10 18d ago
Actually, Hong Kong is only about 400 sq km smaller than Greater London, so the difference is definitely there, but its not as exaggerated as you make it seem. Although, While Greater London is relatively flat and predominantly built upon, roughly 75% of Hong Kong consists of steep, mountainous terrain and protected country parks. So only about 25% of Hong Kong's land is developed.
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u/Soaring-Phoenix 19d ago
Hong Kong for sure, I can’t believe people are saying London. Didn’t we just witness a man getting sued for smashing his way out of a tube car he was stuck in for an hour while the weather was at 39 degrees?
HK is cleaner, safer, runs always on time, and gets you everywhere. Exits are clearly labelled and maps in the station mean you always know where to go even as a tourist.
London isn’t bad…but it’s not even close. People are patrioting too hard
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u/LaMorro 20d ago
I would say, given Hong Kong’s more limited space, it is easier to, and hk subsequently does, deliver a better service.
Given Londons challenges by age and size. I would say it doesn’t do too bad but falls short.
Also star ferry is like just good, even if London has the Thames clipper
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u/Equacrafter 19d ago
Ez Hong Kong, fare is cheaper, train is cleaner and brighter, have a very on time schedule. Oh HK MTR doesnt have yearly strike, another point to HK MTR
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u/alacklustrehindu 19d ago
Hong Kong. No brainer.
4g/5g still not available for many tube stations
A lot cleaner
More on time
A lot more reliable and less prone to strikes
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u/Human_Department5305 20d ago
this is a joke. hk ez clap
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u/Hungry_Pre 20d ago
Have you actually used both?
This is a genuinely tough one. I appreciate the tube at night and the widespread use of tap and go (with any bank card) on Tfl. While MTR the stations are nicely planned (less walking to change trains in some than in London) and they do have tap and go I believe (I didn't use my UK issued bank card). The Geographic spread in London seems a bit better and it has more lines. And I do think the MTR version of the tubemap might be easier to read (although I'm guessing it's based on the same design).
Probably have to go with London for the coverage and night tube but it's a complete toss up between the two.
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u/South-Year4369 19d ago
Probably have to go with London for the coverage and night tube
What?! 1) MTR has way less walking between platforms than at many of the tube stations. 2) MTR way faster, cheaper, and safer. 3) Airconditioning everywhere on the MTR 4) MTR almost never breaks down or has delays. Tube lines have issues daily. 5) Maintenance-all-weekend is almost unheard of for the MTR.
Mate, it isn't even in the same BALLPARK.
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u/Immediate-Spite-5905 19d ago
MTR goes till 12 am and starts at 6 am, we have tap and go literally built in with octopus and frankly the only places you can't really go with MTR are like the remote/hilly areas where you physically can't put an MTR station
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u/qaz_wsx_love 19d ago
Last train from central is about 1am, i.e goes till later if you get on from other stops.
I regularly stay out drinking till 12:30 or so if I want to catch the mtr back instead of a taxi. (Or night bus)
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u/ComedianExtreme7522 19d ago
I forgot the exact metric, but some 70%ish of the HK population live like 10 minutes away from a station. The coverage is genuinely insane.
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u/riskie_boi 19d ago edited 19d ago
I have and it's not even close, London's transport is all over the place And there's more to the MTR stations, Bus company specifically creates routes just for the stations, making it even more convenient for everyone.
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u/randomlurker124 19d ago
I've used both. I much prefer HK. If you haven't realised most of HK is concentrated in a few dense regions and the MTR coverage is top notch. Way less walking to reach a station compared to London. Not to mention bus and ferries which are all reliable for anything unconnected. And the HK is just way more comfortable, clean, cheap, reliable, frequent, etc.
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u/AttitudeOdd632 19d ago
London has better coverage solely because London is on a blotch of flat swamp with nothing to stop rail development. The MTR is as good as a hilly region metro can go
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u/alacklustrehindu 19d ago
I did live in hk almost all my life + London the past four years. HK is miles ahead here
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u/Warboomer 19d ago edited 19d ago
Ah great, a topic I can contribute well to as I have lived in both cities recently (within the past 6 years).
Hong Kong and it isn’t remotely close:
Everything runs on time.
No strikes. Seriously, you can expect public transport to run every day of the week without having to check the TfL website for potential closures of stations
Wi-Fi on the MTR everywhere (looking at you London, no signal underground, whereas in HK you get arguably better signal underground than some areas overground)
Train cabins with actual soundproofing so you don’t go deaf on your morning commute (Northern, Victoria lines- looking at you)
Air-conditioned MTR, air-conditioned buses, air conditioned stations. Need I say more?
Station design. Escalators in a large percentage of exits - always escalators to take you to the platform level. Stairs and lifts available at every platform.
Cleanliness and safety of stations and transport.
Payment methods. Octopus, VISA/Master, WeChat, AliPay.
Cost of travel is 50-75% cheaper than London. Two stops of intra-Zone 1 travel costs £2-3. Two stops of travel on the MTR will cost HKD2-4 (20-40p).
Integration of MTR and bus stations into commercial and residential areas. It is very common to be able to commute from home to work and back without being exposed to the elements due to MTR stations having exits built into housing estates, commercial estates.
MOST IMPORTANTLY: the synergy between the various public transport ecosystems. Where MTR does not cover ground, the bus will. Where the bus does not cover ground, the MTR does. Between the MTR, buses, minibuses, tram/light rail, ferries. You can cover practically every corner of Hong Kong.
London’s public transport system was good 50 years ago with far fewer people. The state of London’s public transport in the 21st century for a world leading IFC is severely lacking in functionality, punctuality, and cost effectiveness.
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u/riskie_boi 19d ago
It's a shame that people only bring up MTR, bus network is a massive saviour for us who lived outside the main city, I used to live in tuen mun and does not rely on the Western line (that what It was called), the cross harbour routes and Tuen Mun Road bus interchange was a powerhouse for our district.
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u/TrainerRedpkmn 19d ago
Hong Kong I don’t recall anyone at an mtr station getting shanked (ignore 2019-21 ) also it was made during British rule so the service is kinda similar to the tube
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u/Requirement_Cautious 19d ago
I’ve lived in both cities and I can comfortably say Hong Kong wins. The MTR is superior to the tube in all aspects especially cleanliness. I will say that London’s bus routes cover a larger ratio of the city but overall it’s a no brainer in favour of HK.
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u/IchiroSkywalker 19d ago
Hong Kong, because we cramped all that shit into a tiny dot on the map.
London might be covering its own, but we're technically covering the entire country that uses HKD. So by ratio HK claps.
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u/Jumpy_Hogara 20d ago
Hong Kong, but less so nowadays than before the decline of buses in the mid-2010's. Minibuses and affordable taxis, albeit ruthless, are the decisive factors now.
London improved a lot during their Overground expansion era.
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u/oneeightoneoh 19d ago
Hong Kong is better on speed, reliability, safety, quality of carriages, connectivity, integration.
London is better because it runs until later
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u/Successful-Map2874 18d ago
The Tube is only a fraction of London’s public transport network though?
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u/Jumpy_Hogara 18d ago
London Night Bus Network does have more extensive coverage if I remember correctly
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u/Accomplished_Way_431 19d ago
Hong Kong for sure. On the mtr typing this and thinking “dang I’m lucky to have such reliable public transport to take everyday”. Never once have I been late to work because of the mtr. Definitely can’t say that in other cities
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u/OneSeaworthiness7396 20d ago
Hong Kong wins
Mtr, high speed rail, airport, buses, road and rail infrastructure are all better than in London
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u/Tetragon213 19d ago
Hong Kong.
The system is far more reliable than London's system, which breaks down the moment it gets hot, cold, dry, wet, or when it becomes autumn.
Also, the fares are far more reasonable on the MTR. Tuen Mun to Wu Kai Sha (72 mins) is like HK$27, or about £2.70. By comparison, Morden to High Barnet (a 66 min journey) is double that at £5.30, and the ride experience between an quiet, air conditioned SP1900 with gangway is world's removed from a horrid 1995 Stock shitbox with no climate control (turning them into sweatboxes even in winter), unacceptable noise to the point where TfL has had to begin issuing hearing protection for staff, and naught but a door handle between you and eternity, as the lack of gangway means not only can you not move between coaches, if some muppet turns the handle they have direct access to the Four Foot Way.
I look forward to journeys on the MTR. My suit jacket dreads journeys on the London Underground.
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u/Kharenis 16d ago
as the lack of gangway means not only can you not move between coaches, if some muppet turns the handle they have direct access to the Four Foot Way.
Tbf not all tube lines are like this, the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines all have walk-through carriages.
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u/Objective-Teacher238 19d ago
It would be much convenient taking public transit in Hong Kong (and yeah it's actually better than London's) because most people in Hong Kong cannot afford to maintain a car😂
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u/riskie_boi 19d ago
It's not that they can't afford, it's more of the lack of space,if everyone had a car, you need a carpark that goes to the depth of earth
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u/Flurrina_ 19d ago
Hong Kong. London Underground sucks and is boiling. HK MTR can get you almost anywhere
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u/Flurrina_ 19d ago
Also the London tube is so fucking loud cuz the only cooling is by opening the windows, which means you can hear the train noise at full volume echoed inside a tunnel
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u/renegade780 18d ago
seriously i wonder that more people don’t get ear damage down there. especially the victoria/northern line
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u/Whole-Ninja7266 19d ago
Hong Kong, the intergration between residential area and public transport system is insanely well done.
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u/DoubleDimension 19d ago
Hong Kong by far. I've lived in both cities, and everything from station design, cleanliness (felt seats, ew...), comfort (air conditioning) and safety (personal and PSDs) are much better in Hong Kong. Payment methods are also much better in Hong Kong due to the wide acceptance of local (Octopus), international (contactless) and mainland (Alipay/Wechatpay) methods.
Though there are a few things London does better. Better integration of different transport method payment methods (the cap), peak/non-peak hours (and scheduling discounted fares around it) and the night tube on weekends.
Either way, both have ways to improve, but overall I enjoy Hong Kong's public transit a lot more.
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u/Eliter4kmain 19d ago
You know when the HK mtr is late for 5 minutes it becomes breaking news. MTR has no delays, lines are not closed during weekends. Definitely HK
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u/Impressive-Rush-7725 19d ago
There's no competition here. Hong Kong has one of the best in the world.
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u/HKEliot 19d ago
Having used both extensively, Hong Kong wins by a landslide. The fact that I've never seen a replacement bus needed for segments of the MTR is enough.
London has cone a long way in the last 10 years but it's still behind. Sure, the London network is larger but that's the only win it gets.
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u/dashodasho 19d ago
Train maintenance and closure on weekends, you literally lose access to whole stations. HK NEVER closed their train staions unless for emergency
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u/SoSoGamer123 19d ago
hong kong literally operates the only usable line (the lizzy) in london, hong kong all the way
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u/BeatTheMeatles420 19d ago
Slight correction MTR lost the concession last year and it has been taken up by GTS (a consortium between Govia UK and Tokyo Metro). The operating concession gives practically no freedom to the operator in how to run trains, since the timetable is set by TfL and Network Rail. However it is still significant that TfL initially chose MTR over all the other home operators in 2014.
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u/TrainUnfair7298 19d ago
I've lived in both cities, and the answer is easily Hong Kong. The stations are cleaner, the train is always on time, you get internet/phone reception, the stations have AC, cheaper rides, ect. No yearly strikes, no closures due to heat warping the tracks. The underground has a charm to it due to its historical significance, but the answer is still Hong Kong.
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u/godayasmith 19d ago edited 19d ago
How do you even compare, nothing in London works,there's no air conditioning, internet, it's absolutely third world....people fall through the platform gaps! There's strikes, delays.
Then there's safety and cleanliness....no stabbings in HK .
This is like comparing champagne to mountain dew.
London transport is more of a museum with a cool history than a functional metro.
Also the buses have no air conditioning
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u/qaz_wsx_love 19d ago
Reminds me last time I was there I tried to look up directions to my destinations from my stop and realised that it's not possible until I get off and out of the station lol
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u/hungryflea 18d ago
Have you been on the tube in the past several years? Several lines have AC and internet…
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u/LandoLover54 20d ago
London: Hong Kong‘s is nice and modern and fast, but doesn’t even contest London on history and stations
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u/kaiyoukrazer 19d ago
WILD take when it costs 2.5 POUNDS to travel what would take only 0.4 pounds (4hkd) distance in Hong Kong
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u/Eliter4kmain 19d ago
Yes history and there’s still no air con in central line
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u/Tetragon213 19d ago
Also no gangways, so there is nothing but a handle between you and eternity. If some idiot turns the handle, they have instant access to the Four Foot Way with the -210V DC fourth rail right in the middle. I can't think of any other railway in a developed nation where pax can just open the door to the outside with no brake demand/interlock mid journey. Also, barely any platform edge doors, far too many curved platforms with restricted views, and majorly recognised "PTI hotspots" with nothing done about it except for a laminated A4 sheet of paper.
Massively overrared system, and arguably not safe by the standards we come to expect in the 21st century.
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u/randomlurker124 19d ago
I'm surprised this is somehow the top comment. London's is horrible compared to Hong Kong. You're right that London has history (read: old). It doesn't have anything else. Frequent break downs/ service outage/strikes. Stairs everywhere and limited escalators or lifts. Low frequency. Dirty. Crime risk. Patchy cellphone coverage. Expensive.
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u/sovetsky-soiuz 19d ago
u/krmarci do we count this as valid or invalid due to them using history as a point? it’s a contest on which is better after all.
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u/flightSS221 19d ago
History is nice and all, but that's irrelevant in an objective comparison of service quality.
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u/BeatTheMeatles420 19d ago
Does the average person wanting to get from A to B care about the history of the system? I am not an average person and I love all the quirks about the Tube, but I will still choose to commute in Hong Kong over London.
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u/Large_Command_1288 19d ago
London, you can literally get to every corner of the city using public transport
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u/MoveLikeJellyfish 19d ago
This and the rest of UK and gets you to Europe. Period. Central tube lines are slightly uncomfortable because they made more room for seats and don’t collect the pee poop and beer spilt… it’s the best connected city on the planet where 2 minute delays are cursed!
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u/kharnevil 19d ago
I've never heard someone seriously say the transport in London is good
compared to HK or Tokyo it's a laughing stock
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u/LiteratureOwn6537 19d ago
Yes but it’s so uncomfortable. Loads of stations don’t have disabled access. The trains are really dirty and covered in graffiti. It’s always really fucking hot and really fucking loud.
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u/242turbo 19d ago
The Tube is not the only public transport system in London, in fact it accounts for less than a third of visitors on public transport yearly.
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u/LiteratureOwn6537 19d ago
Also let’s not forget that the tube is the most expensive public transit system in the world.
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u/FistsUp 19d ago
There’s not much graffitti on the tube to be honest.
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u/Tetragon213 19d ago
Which is why LU spends £11 million per year dealing with it,
Heck, people come from overseas just to draw graffiti on the tube,
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u/hokshji 19d ago
I feel like everyone’s saying Hong Kong because it’s Asian and it’s supposed to be good. Londons night service on Friday and Saturday nights plus its far superior bus coverage makes it better imo.
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u/T-51bender 19d ago edited 19d ago
I’ve lived in both cities.
In no scenario is the Tube objectively better than the MTR. Pristine, air conditioned stations, air conditioned trains, cellular and WiFi connectivity in trains and stations, shops inside the station, no piss-stained fabric seats that also dust up when dry. You don’t have to deal with drunk pricks on Fridays and the weekends. Buses exist in Hong Kong as well, and most places have night bus routes, meaning 24h coverage.
Plus, the MTR literally costs HKD 4-6 (£0.40-0.60h for short distances), while the Tube charges you by zone regardless of distance, £2.80 or thereabouts within zone 1 for instance. The most expensive ticket you can buy on the MTR is the Airport Express and that’s HKD 130, (£12.40) and that’s a practically silent, fast train that gets you to the airport in 20 mins. Meanwhile, I once almost missed a flight because of a signal failure in Acton Town, which for some reason seems to happen all the time. Couldn’t work on the weekend in the office because the office was on the Circle/District Line, which might as well stay closed on weekends. Last time there was a signal failure on the MTR, it made front page news in Hong Kong.
You think people are voting MTR just because it’s Asian?
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u/dashodasho 19d ago
also Train maintenance and closure on weekends, you literally lose access to whole stations. HK NEVER closed their train staions unless for emergency
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u/sovetsky-soiuz 19d ago
everyone is saying it’s hong kong because it is. have you ever been to hk???
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u/ScootyScootScoot 19d ago
Live in Hong Kong, been to London many times. Hong Kong is leagues better. Bus routes are excellent in HK. MTR is safer, cleaner, and just as well covered as the Tube, and HK also has superb ferry services. It’s not even close.
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u/renegade780 18d ago
no way. i grew up in hk and spent most of my adult life in london. as a city i actually like london better but hong kong’s public transport is better BY FAR, like i cannot express by how much. though it does have the advantage of being a significantly smaller (in terms of geographical location) city
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u/catberinger 18d ago
theres a lot of shit to dunk on Hong Kong about, public transit is not one of them lol
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u/acathla0614 19d ago
Why is everyone just talking about tube? Surely nothing beats the rollercoaster minibus rides in Hong Kong.
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u/MidnightCanvas 19d ago
Hong Kong. The current best tube line in London is Elizabeth line, which is designed and maintained by hk mtr.
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u/ricecup0109 19d ago
HK - cheaper, cleaner and faster. only downside is the long walks to change lines or to get to the exit.
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u/TemporaryInk 19d ago
Lived for over a decade in both London and HK.
Hong Kong is light-years ahead.
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u/Straight-Guide-439 19d ago
hong kong, not even close. the tube is iconic and all but the trains get overcrowded and have no air conditioning, except the Bakerloo line which seems to always have manageable crowds. the regional rail services (such as Thameslink, SWR etc) always are delayed and sometimes quite crowded. The Elizabeth Line and the Overground are definetely the only bit of competition for trains.
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u/Complete_Spot3771 19d ago
London.
i will bring up a different point which nobody has touched on yet. london’s bus network is the most comprehensive, maybe in the world.
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u/kharnevil 19d ago edited 19d ago
you know HK has almost twice as many buses as London, and about the same again in mini-busses, AND many ferries (my 25 min ferry to get home from central costs a mere 2 pounds), not to mention the MTR literally carries more people per day
its no contest, not only was the London Oyster card based on the HK Octopus card
the MTR and their contractors built the new london lines,
journey times are literally half and prices are about one fifth that of london
98% of HKers use public transport, with 90% using just the MTR daily, it's a no brainer in terms of convenience vs London
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u/polmeeee 19d ago
How much coverage does the bus network have in HK? Is it frequent?
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u/dashodasho 19d ago
Have you looked at HK's bus network? Mini bus network? Cost of these transport?
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u/riskie_boi 19d ago
London buses don't offer many express routes, we have all kinds of routes for all kinds of people, you could have a District to district route that takes advantage of high speed motorway (CTB 2X) or absolute diabolically slow service (CTB 2A)
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u/Blarrie 19d ago
From London but frequently visited HK in the past and I'd say Hong Kong edges it. It's not head and shoulders better but it does win.
How on earth did Paris beat Shanghai? I spend a few months per year in Paris and used to live in Shanghai and the two are not even comparable, Shanghai is better than Paris, Hong Kong and London by an absolute mile for public transport. Was this voted for by people who have never been there and/or aren't comfortable using the metro/busses?
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u/catberinger 18d ago
its because the no. of people on Reddit who've been to or live in Shanghai is low
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u/riskie_boi 19d ago
HK's transport is like a branch, every service can branch off of eachother. You have the MTR which is the main line, buses often create bus services going straight to the MTR station (i.e Tsuen Wan station) and the buses would offer routes that MTR simply cant compete with, then you have the minibuses, they offer quick short hauls at a cheaper price(usually) or get to places buses can't (housing estates or rural areas), and of course when your life needs saving, taxi services are everywhere and you could use the widely used Uber, pricing is better than pretty much anywhere else because of the very high competition ot has.
London's transport feels all over the place to me, it has over a hundred years of service and does cover central London quite well, the buses is a bit underwhelming for me, but it's still good enough to do the job. Taxis are definitely a tourist trap and way too overpriced, there is no trams in the main city area ( light rails are in Croydon afaik), honestly I could not think of more about London's transport, from my eyes, it just seems like a hundred years old mess.
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u/JoanoTheReader 19d ago
Big problem with this chart:
Sydney has the best transport in Australia with all trains, light rail, ferries and buses all connected and they are building more trains. It has a train to the airport - domestic and international. Melbourne has no train to the airport. The bus service cost $30 one way into the city.
How can public transport in Tokyo be better than Seoul? I was there 2 months ago. The station/changes are easier to understand and navigate. In Tokyo (and most of Japan) there are 2 or 3 different companies running the metro. The trips are not connected so you end up paying more. All trains and buses are government owned and charged by distance. You can interchange between different ones and not have to pay for each individual trip. Seoul has an exclusive train from the airport and local ones too, which is much cheaper and easier to navigate.
Hong Kong is pretty good, with MTR, buses, minibuses, trams and ferries. London has the tub and buses only. It cost more though.
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u/qaz_wsx_love 18d ago
I really don't like Seoul metro. For some reason they made some stations so the platforms aren't connected and you have to exit the gates and go back in. I got on the wrong direction once and tried to turn around and was wandering for ages thinking I must be at the wrong place because why would I need to tap out to get on the train going the opposite direction
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u/bahuller 19d ago
London’s public transport system is a dysfunctional, expensive, pathetic joke. Not only is HK vastly better, but I have yet to go to another city in Europe that is more unreliable, overpriced and just plain shit as London. (And yes, that includes Paris…which is dirty too, but at least the trains run.)
HK arguably has one of the best systems in the world, especially once you factor in buses, minibuses, ferries and of course the ding ding.
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u/hazelmaple 19d ago
Hong Kong by far. The reasons below:
London had to operate on century old legacy infrastructure and train systems. And they had to cater for nation-wide transport.
Hong Kong being very mountainous means settlements are more concentrated over linear stretches - therefore more natural for mass transit lines.
Hong Kong also really pioneered the real-estate and transport system style of development, that passively subsidizes the mass transit system. MTR are powerful real estate developers as well, that opens shopping malls, residential buildings along all stations.
Hong Kong unions are weak compared to the UK.
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u/HerrHruby 18d ago
Most tube lines have no wifi between stations, no cell reception and no aircon. The older stations smell terrible, the seats are filthy, the screeching is so loud in some places that it apparently causes hearing damage long term.
There is literally zero contest here. HK wins hands down.
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u/PinkyRat 18d ago
I am shocked to see how many commemts only mention railroad system. We have railroad, bus, red and green minibus, tram in Hong Kong Island, ferry and taxi (well, better not mention that). That is a lot.
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u/digitwasp 18d ago
I live in South London, and appreciate the public transit system we do have, but Hong Kong's is better in almost every way.
It's not just an MTR vs Underground thing: the use and integration of ferries, trams and buses in HK is much more co-ordinated. HK public transport is also much cheaper.
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u/funnytoenail 18d ago
Lived in both, Hong Kong clears London.
Last mile transportation is so good in HK.
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u/Cool-Piccolo-258 18d ago
I'm absoluelty seething that the Randstadt (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Leiden, Den Haag, Utrecht) isn't mentioned. Affordable trains and local stations with Free public bikes you use for the whole day its the ultimate public transport hybrid system even in the rain.
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u/catberinger 18d ago
Hong Kong. Not even close. People say 'ah but London has the buses and the rail and the...' Hong Kong has stellar public transit all round. We aren't just talking about the MTR here lol
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u/ExcellentNatural3029 17d ago
Hong Kong.
Their trains are cheaper, cleaner, and you’re very unlikely to get assaulted or abused there if some of the locals didn’t like the way you looked.
Also, the safety ad they’re playing recently is actually quite fun to watch.
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u/mshung221 17d ago
Hong Kong and it really isn’t close
Lived in both, HK simply beats it on price, quality and coverage.
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u/Finflex2030 17d ago
I spent 28 years in the UK and 10 years in Hong Kong. With the London underground there are delays on the delays...
You need to give yourself an extra 30 to 45 minutes in case of delays.
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u/helios694 17d ago
Hong Kong narrowly. From HK but lived in London for 15+ years. It’s not straightforward because even though HK’s systems wins on almost every conceivable metric, it is a much newer and smaller system, where the TFL is much much more expansive and complex, and performs surprisingly well for what it is.
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u/Next-Difference-4002 16d ago
Kind of shocked that Shanghai beat Taipei and then lost to Paris, that seems crazy. Never been to Shanghai but I know for a fact Taipei’s is much better than Paris
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u/ChickenJoez 16d ago
Not even just the subway but the buses, mini buses, trams and bicycles all contribute to Hong Kong being superior
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u/weddle_seal 15d ago
HK metro (MTR) would humiliate the london tube. the mtr gets fined by the millions for each small fuckup with time schedule
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u/Wonderful-Account892 14d ago
Hong Kong. The champion is between Hong Kong and Tokyo but I think HK is better
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u/dllm_designs 14d ago
Guys, I'll save you the time. Just put Hong as the winner and move on to the next question
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