Morning Commute by Train: the People's Choice

Typical morning commute by train is effieicnt once you get over the crowded escalators

The last post "the rich people's Masserati" (as I was told) -- got me a few negative comments. It's nice to see luxury cars and talk about celebrities and the once in a while startup millionaire. But what about real daily life? What about public transportation? The buses in Israel are notoriously inefficient. The train system is clogged on rush hour commute and seems to be always stopping for repair or improvement. Car commute can hardly be described better. With clogged arteries resembling an old man's cholesterol ultrasound just before a stent transplant (less then 10% traffic flow). Essentially Israel is always on the move. The last few years, trains started to become a preferable form of transportation. 

Yet with all the complaining from train commuters, the flow of people is usually smooth. On Sunday mornings, when soldiers return to their base, the trains are almost standing-room-only. The last few years, trains are also a good choice to people who combine bicycling in their commute. Except for peak commute hours, electric and folding bicycles are allowed on special cars. This makes commuting by train into the city a nice way to go. Overall the train system is a nice addition to public transport. The train's popularity is pushing capacity to the limit, especially in stations which were not built to handle morning commute volume. As with every success here, this is a good problem to have.