12 Facts about subways (you can even predict where the doors will open on the platform)

Metro trains — affectionately called subways — are one of the most popular modes of transport in the world. More than 150 million people use them every day, a number tens of times greater than that of air passengers. Speaking of the most popular subway system in Brazil, São Paulo, there are almost 5 million passengers a day! The subway, its particularities and curiosities are the subject of this post.

Many of the team members of the awesome.club they are daily subway users, pass through its turnstiles and face crowds at peak times. Therefore, we decided to research the topic and clarify some secrets of the operation of this incredible underground transport system. Check with us!

For those who prefer to get in the car first to get a good seat, there is a trick. As a rule, trains always stop at the same place, so the floor at the edge of the platform where the doors open is usually more worn because of the feet of millions of passengers passing through. Thus it is easy to predict where the doors will open.

However, this trick is not always necessary. There are more and more stations with special doors or signs to indicate where the wagon doors will open – as is the case with the yellow line in São Paulo. See in the photo below, of the Singapore subway, how convenient this system is.

This door system and floor signage help improve passenger flow. Both can be found in many subways around the world, such as the yellow line of the São Paulo subway (as already mentioned), in Moscow and in Singapore.

Many people consider it a courtesy to hold the subway door open so that a “late” passenger can run onto the platform to catch the train, but this attitude affects the entire train schedule, which ends up reducing the number of trips. Consequently, subsequent trains will be more crowded than usual.

Each time the subway door does not close as scheduled, it delays the operation by about 10 seconds. At peak times, when the train flow is higher, this can become quite a problem for train drivers.

Trains sometimes slow down or even stop in tunnels, but this is nothing to worry about. The main reason for these sudden stops is the regularization of travel times between stationswhich end up being deregulated during peak hours due to the longer time needed for passengers to get on and off the wagons.

By the way, the people who hold the door, as we talked about earlier, contribute to the greater frequency of these stops. As well as those who want to get on the wagon when the doors are already closing. Better not do that.

This arrangement is necessary to better use the space, taking into account people’s comfort. The seats, in fact, occupy most of the car, and as it is impossible to remove them completely, their number is reduced and they are arranged in such a way as to leave as much free space as possible. This way it is also easier to get up and down at the correct station. But there is a less common form of organization, found in cities with a smaller population or with a smaller daily number of passengers, as in the photo below. It all depends on the planning of the train operator.

In this second configuration, the seats are arranged so that people are seated facing each other. That way, in a proper model, even if you’re sitting at the window, the person sitting next to you won’t have to get up for you to get up to leave the car. Of course, the passage through the aisle is reduced, but as there are fewer passengers, there is not so much discomfort.

“Women only”, in free translation

This measure is necessary to avoid possible situations of harassment, unfortunately still quite common in Brazil and in some countries around the world. So, in Japan, wagons for women are common and men are prohibited from using them during peak hours. However, the rule does not apply to other schedules. This practice is also used here in Brazil, as in the Brasília subway, where the first car is reserved for the exclusive use of women and people with special needs.

For many, turnstiles are the hallmark of the subway, but there are metropolitan trains with a different entry system. For example, in Vienna, Austria, there are no gates or controls at the entrance or exit of stations. — the system works on the basis of trust that people will pay to use it; that is, the entrance to the platform is completely open. However, if someone is caught without a ticket by one of the controllers, it is good to be prepared to pay a very “salty” fine.

Such a free entry/exit system also works in other cities, especially in Europe, and makes life a lot easier for people who use transport daily.

This is not exactly a rule and can vary from country to country, but according to statistics, the corners of the wagon tend to be dirtier, as people feel less watched and therefore end up leaving garbage. And when you’re sitting by the door, there’s always a flow and people coming in and out, which isn’t always comfortable. The places closest to the doors are also the most dangerous: a thief may try to steal your phone or purse just as the doors closerunning out of the wagon.

If you are in a city where the subway has doors at the entrances of the stations, you will find that it is common to have to lean to open them. They are much heavier than the ones we have at home or see in offices or stores. This is due to the fact that the movement of trains through the tunnels ends up generating air flows that are strong enough to open ordinary doors.

And there’s a little secret in it that can help in everyday life. As the air pressure inside the station is higher, when the doors open, air comes out. So, when entering the subway, it is easier to open the door by pulling it towards you, and when getting out, pushing it.

There are several reasons why the subway sometimes lacks toilets. One of them is the huge flow of passengers in relatively limited spaces. In addition, according to general standards, if the subway journey takes on average less than 60 minutes, there is not much need to use the restroomdo you agree?

However, it is still possible to find restrooms in some stations around the world. In São Paulo, for example, its use is completely free and the restrooms are well distributed throughout the network. Furthermore, in case of an urgent need, you can always talk to a subway worker who will be able to take you to the service bathroom🇧🇷 They exist in all stations, but are restricted to employees.

Ventilation system creates regular drafts and gusts of wind and the most interesting thing is that trains play a central role in this system — they are primarily responsible for pushing air through the tunnels. Apart from that, ventilation shafts (special structures that allow the exchange of air from the underground system with the surface) remove the gases that end up forming inside the tunnels and renew the air. So when a train is moving through the tunnel, it creates an area of ​​increased pressure in front of it, which pushes air up through the ventilation shafts and forms the flow we feel as it approaches the station.

That specific smell we feel when we are at the subway station may become a thing of the past — in some places the companies responsible for the service have already started using products to eliminate or disguise it. nicer. Thus, in cities like New York, London and Amsterdam, flavoring devices are being installed next to ventilation systems. However, this fashion has not yet arrived in Brazil, and we only have to deal with the classic smell.

The smell of the subway is the result of a whole complex: it is a mixture of creosote, a chemical product applied to preserve the wooden sleepers that support the tracks; metal with lubricating oil, which appears especially when the train is decelerating through the station and finishing materials of the tunnels, which are subjected to the closed and ventilated subway system for a long time. Other than that, of course, there is also the “scent” of all the passengers together.

Most everyone knows that there is a kind of “rule of etiquette” that you should leave the left side of the escalator free for anyone in a hurry. However, as a group of London researchers has shown, this method does not reduce the flow of passengers on escalators; on the contrary, it can increase it up to 31%.

the best methodeven recommended by the rules of use of most subways in the world, is for passengers to stand on either side of the escalator.

Are you a frequent subway user? Share your experiences of this underground world with us in the comments section.