Hello, I am Minato Ku, a new member !

[Minato ku 631]

Hello, I am Minato ku and contrary to what my nickname might suggest I am from Paris in France (but I am a big fan of Japan).

I love public transit from all over the world and I am more and more interested by how the New York subway works.

IRT, BMT, IND, the four tracks section, express services, the fact that several lines can use the same track.

Coming from a network where lines metro are segregated in commercial service, NYC subway is very exotic to me.

I am also interested by other train networks (PATH, LIRR, METRO NORTH) and obviously by all the heavy urban and suburban train networks all over the world.

 

I also want to share with everybody news and facts about my local networks.

 

Sorry if my English is full of mistake, it is not my native language and unfortunately it is not much better in French especially using a computer.

[checkmatechamp13 2,269]

Welcome aboard Minato. I'm sure we'll all learn something about foreign rail operations, thanks to you.

 

And your English was actually pretty good.

[User 2,251]

Hello Minato! Welcome to the forums!

[FamousNYLover 557]

Bonjour, Minato Ku. I love all kind public transportation too.

Have you ever seen Amazing Race (you could watch on internet)?

Is is American reality game show that 11 teams race around the world, using all kinds of mode of transportation by driving themselves, taking taxi, ferries, public transportation, cycling.

[Turbo19 2,509]

Salut! Bienvenue à les forums! I parler et comprendre le français de base. N'hésitez pas à poser des questions sur le site.

 

Hey, welcome to the forums. I speak and understand basic French, so feel free to ask any questions regarding the site.

[Minato ku 631]

Thank you everybody for the welcoming.

 

I never watched the Amazing race but I know this show because we have a french version of it.

I don't really watch TV.

 

I like the stats about the transit network, ridership, km, number of stations, etc. I can spend hour searching informations.

Believe me in France, it is not easy to find the ridership of the network, we have just began the opendata.

 

I also like to take picture of metro

An example of my numerous pictures, the line 3 platform westbound of Saint Lazare during moring rush hour.

I am small but there is an exit just here, so i could make a picture above head.

 

Here a MF01 stock of the line 2 that broke down, unfortunately I couldn't make more picture.

[GojiMet86 4,694]

Welcome to the forums, Minato ku!

[Metro CSW 1,507]

The more, The Merrier.

 

Welcome and Enjoy your stay!

 

 

[NYCRailfan523 90]

Hello and welcome Minato Ku! Welcome to the forums! Hope you enjoy your stay on NYCTransit Forums!

[mtattrain 1,185]

Hello, I am mtattrain and contrary to what my nickname might suggest I am from Seoul in Korea (but I am a big fan of NYC).

I love public transit from all over the world and I am more and more interested by how the JR works.

JR-East, Tokyo Metro, Seikyo express services, the fact that several lines can use the same general right of way.

Coming from a network where lines metro are segregated in commercial service, NYC subway is very exotic to me.

I am also interested by other train networks (Shinkansen) and obviously by all the heavy urban and suburban train networks all over the world.

 

All trolling aside, welcome.

[Minato ku 631]

It is true that Tokyo railway system is complicated with the through services between suburban lines and metro lines.

Anyway, I managed it well when I visted Tokyo five years ago, you need a few minutes to understand how the fare system and after you find it more convienant than at your home.

 

Well, it is not necessary more convienant but it is faster to buy a ticket in Tokyo metro than in Paris metro.

More ticket machines and you don't have to do all the confirmation to buy a single ticket, you just put the money and select the price, there are other options and there are optional.

In Paris metro, you have few ticket machines even in busy station, you need to select the fact that you don't a smart card, what of ticket you want, the number of ticket and then confirm you purchase.

It even get slower when this is a tourist that uses the vending machines and unlike in Tokyo the number of tourists in Paris is quite high.

This is not unusual to wait 15 minutes to buy a single ticket.

[NYCRailfan523 90]

Thank you everybody for the welcoming.

 

I never watched the Amazing race but I know this show because we have a french version of it.

I don't really watch TV.

 

I like the stats about the transit network, ridership, km, number of stations, etc. I can spend hour searching informations.

Believe me in France, it is not easy to find the ridership of the network, we have just began the opendata.

 

I also like to take picture of metro

An example of my numerous pictures, the line 3 platform westbound of Saint Lazare during moring rush hour.

I am small but there is an exit just here, so i could make a picture above head.

 

Here a MF01 stock of the line 2 that broke down, unfortunately I couldn't make more picture.

 

I love the Paris Metro too (along with it's new line, Line 14) and I heard that even if it's too expensive they still do extensions, signal stuff, etc.

[Minato ku 631]

Paris is not China or Spain during the 2000's, extension are done slowly for the moment.

One station opened in 2007(Olympiades line 14), two in 2008 (Les Agnettes and Les Courtilles line 13) and one the last year (Pointe du Lac line 8). A new one will opened the next week (Front Populaire line 12) and an other one in March 2013 (Mairie de Montrouge line 4).

After 2013, no new station will open before 2017 but there are planned extension for lines 4, 11 12 and 14 that should open before 2020.

 

When I say that it is done slowly, the first extension project to Mairie de Montrouge was planned in the 1930's.

 

It is true that we have an embitiious plan called Grand Paris Express with 200 new km of metro, the first part of this plan should open near 2020 with 33 km and 16 station. Work should began in late 2013.

[NYCtrainfan01 586]

Welcome to the forums! Great photos of Paris Metro by the way!

[FamousNYLover 557]

By the way, it true in France you cannot take picture of child, even if non-French family tourist with children taking together?

[Minato ku 631]

Laws about diffusions and individual protection are more strict than in USA for the picture but you can take a picture of a child as long you have the autorisation of the parent or you are the parent or familly.

Laws mostly restricts the diffusion, not the fact that you take a picture.

Obviously I would avoid to take picture of a child without the autorisation.

 

My biggest propblem in France is taking picture inside mall or train station, you should avoid guards.

In the second city of France, Lyon there is a mall where trains run inside it. It not usual to have an elevated train tracks inside a mall

Unfortunately the line is not really frequent and the mall don't allow pictures.

 

[Brighton Express 567]

Welcome to NYCTF!!! Enjoy your stay!!!

[kevinetics 35]

Love the pics Minato! Welcome!

[realizm 4,456]

Sup Minatu Ku!! It's official, welcome to NYCTF! Yo thanks for the hat tip on the anime flick that inspired your avatar! My girl and I watched some of it and loved it. Speaking of which one of my faves is Spriggan, now that is a bad ass flick. Guns, guns and more guns.....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJp_HplW4wo

[CenSin 3,248]

My biggest propblem in France is taking picture inside mall or train station, you should avoid guards.

In the second city of France, Lyon there is a mall where trains run inside it. It not usual to have an elevated train tracks inside a mall

Unfortunately the line is not really frequent and the mall don't allow pictures.

Fortunately, there are cameras that are small enough to be undetectable.

[Minato ku 631]

Thank you for these answers.

For the moment, I don't really have a lot of money to buy a small camera with a good quality.

Anyway I don't understand the policy against people taking photo in space open to the public. 

[realizm 4,456]

Thank you for these answers.

For the moment, I don't really have a lot of money to buy a small camera with a good quality.

Anyway I don't understand the policy against people taking photo in space open to the public. 

 

Possibly, it has to do with the July 2005 Al Qaida terrorist bombings experienced in Britain, ultimately as a security measure.

[Minato ku 631]

Allowing or not to take photos changes nothing of the threat.

It is like banning the use of the cell phone in the subway because some terrorists use it as an activator.

 

The security against terrorism are much older than the 2005 bombing, I have always seen military men patrolling with weapon in big trains stations.

It is called Vigipirate in France, sometimes my mother coordinated these missions (she is a former military).

But my problem is not the military, I never had problem to take photo with them, the problem is the private guards or the employees of the public space.

Some are zealous, there is nothing secret about the public space of a trains station or a mall.

[realizm 4,456]

 

Allowing or not to take photos changes nothing of the threat.

It is like banning the use of the cell phone in the subway because some terrorists use it as an activator.

 

The security against terrorism are much older than the 2005 bombing, I have always seen military men patrolling with weapon in big trains stations.

It is called Vigipirate in France, sometimes my mother coordinated these missions (she is a former military).

But my problem is not the military, I never had problem to take photo with them, the problem is the private guards or the employees of the public space.

Some are zealous, there is nothing secret about the public space of a trains station or a mall.

 

That happened with us in the aftermath of 9/11. We had military personel patrolling the subways in Downtown Brooklyn, armed with M-16s, particularly the IND Jay Street station, the days after the incident took place. The thing was the Bloods had a at the time new initiation rite to get in with the crew, they would tell he newbie to snatch the guardsmen's auto rifle and his grenades. They actually tried to do this too. It's in the newspapers with in the New York Daily News whenever you got the time to google it.

[via White Plains Road 192]

Welcome to NTCTF.....please enjoy your stay on here!