What the U.S. Can Learn From Hong Kong’s Subway System
Perfecting The Little Things Can Go A Long Way
One of the most stunning parts of Hong Kong’s masterful city infrastructure is their MTR (Mass Transit Railway) — a subway system that serves an astounding 1.6 billion passengers each year, with an unheard of on-time rate of 99.9%.
In 2014, the MTR once went 120 consecutive days without a delay of more than 8 minutes. Hard to comprehend, but it’s true.
I knew all of this before my recent trip to Hong Kong, so while it was still a foreign feeling to see things operating smoothly, I knew to expect it. What was a surprise was how the MTR did all the little things right. They weren’t content with just a massive system of tunnels alone. Rather, every single detail was perfectly executed — everywhere, every way, by everyone.
I’m sharing a few highlights from these small perfections of the Hong Kong MTR in a hope that some transit systems and planners in the U.S. will pay attention. Unfortunately, it still takes us decades (if ever) to build any new transit lines in this country, but why can’t we start with a few of these improvements to existing systems?
*Note: Most of my reference here is for San Francisco’s BART and MUNI, both notoriously bad. I realize some US transit systems have some of the things described below, but I don’t know of any which excel.*
1.) Have Points of Interest Maps — EVERYWHERE
Every single subway has multiple maps which showed all major points of interests nearby — from hotels to popular restaurants to parks — and how to get there from the current station. It’s such a simple idea to save people time and anxiety. There’s no reason this shouldn’t be able to be finished in a few weeks at a couple hundred bucks per sign.
2.) Have Detailed Maps IN Trains
In most trains in the United States, you’re on edge and hoping not to miss your stop. This is a reasonable feeling given that most trains don’t show your current location, and many stations don’t have their names clearly visible to passengers in transit. This sort of ambiguity won’t do in Hong Kong. Each train is equipped with real-time locations on multiple signs. Additionally, look at that little yellow signal that shows which side of the train to exit. Clever. I doubt this is a simple installation, but it’s unacceptable that this isn’t widespread in the U.S.
3.) Practice Cleanliness
Hong Kong’s subways are impeccably clean. This is no accident. Surfaces are cleaned and auto-sanitized many times each day by a large cleaning crew. And, a no food and drink policy is actually enforced at a hefty fine of ~$250 US dollars. This shouldn’t be that hard. Have some respect and ownership of your subway — hire more cleaners, enforce policies, and add more trash cans so people don’t litter.
4.) Show Balances, Clearly
Unless you have an unlimited monthly pass, it’s likely you have little to no idea how much fare you have left on a card. Some transit systems in the U.S. show fares on small cracked screens or in ink splotched readouts on tickets. I’ve never seen anything so large and clear as the digital screens on every turnstyle in Hong Kong. Investing in showing this balance will speed crowds up (so every third person who tries to swipe doesn’t have to jump out of line) and increase usage (I often skip the subway because I don’t know if I have any fare left and I don’t want to spend 20 minutes trying to add more money)
5.) Know Where Your Riders Are Going
If your subway train is headed to the airport, wouldn’t it be nice if it displayed real-time information about flights and which terminal you should go to? This is how things are in Hong Kong. This small service could easily be subsidized by advertising, and these screens could show up when lines are close to airports, major city centers, and sporting events.
6.) Feed People (Good) Food
This final piece isn’t critical, but if you’re going to get this far, why not? On the 3rd level of MTR’s Hong Kong Station you will find the world’s least expensive Michelin starred restaurant: Tim Ho Wan. It’s a dumpling den, a haven of happiness. Stick something this delicious anywhere in the U.S. and people would be a lot more forgiving about any broken transit line.
Perfection = Profit (and mass usage)
Surely this level of excellence means massive operating losses for the MTR?
Not even close. 2014's net profit clocked in at $1 billion USD.
Hong Kong’s MTR realizes that keeping stations impeccably clean, educating residents and tourists on how to correctly use the system, and providing amenities for comfort are just as important and perhaps more impressive than the actual tunnels underground. It’s a big part of why over 90% of Hong Kong relies on public transit every day — the highest rate of any place in the world.
Sure, we’re a terrifyingly long way off from this in the United States, but we can inch our way there by starting with the small things. Why not?
