Thoughts from the Metro : Chatelet

I have a love/ hate relationship with Chatelet (line 1,4,5,7,11, rer a, b, d). It is a nice station to change because of the variety of directions that it offers, but sometimes it is not worth walking 1.5 miles just to arrive at the station. You will understand once you have done it.

For example, getting off at RER B and having to take line 11 or 7. You have to pass two moving sidewalks and it includes stairs. Usually I do not mind taking the stairs, but when I had to stand for 45 minutes in the RER, the escalator seems to be my best friend.

Also, I do not usually mind the musicians in the stations, there is a handicapped man, who plays contemporary music between the main corridor and line 14 who is pretty good. But recently at the main corridor ( the ticket counters and the walking sidewalks) there has been a man singing and he usually attracts a large crowd, at first it seems like no problem. But add rush hour night traffic and people walking in 100 different directions and people staying to listen to him, and these combinations do not mix. I have to push against the current literally to get to the ticket counters and pass to push my way to the RER. Just imagine if you are a tourist and have a huge suitcase, I think it would be worse...

Thoughts from the Metro

Another post from the metro:

A few days ago, I was coming back from an important meeting, and was getting on the train line 14 at Chatelet. It was obvious that the doors were going to close because you could hear the beep the doors make before closing. But not for this one girl, who decided to get on, only to have the double doors close on her. For information, line 14 is an automatic train, there is no driver, thus the double doors, therefore it is like a roller coaster.
She screamed really loud, like “oh my God, I’m stuck” and I thought, “well you deserved it”. She was able to get on and then made a big scene about it once on the train, which just made people pissed. Therefore, I have warned about you what happens when the train doors close, just don’t get caught in the middle.

Thoughts from the Metro

Every single week, one of my trajets to school or work, is delayed due to « stolen cables » ( un vol de cables) and it always seems to take place at Le Bourget . The first time, I saw the notice on the screen, I thought it was a joke. And the people around me giggled and made comments as well, so apparently, this is a new trend.

Recently the Direct Matin had a reportage on this situation, the article is in French, so I will give a summary in English. According to the prefecture in Val-de-Marne (the department with Disneyworld), around 200 robberies of metal occurred in 2010 against the 83 in 2009. The reason that people steal them, is because the brass or copper is gold in their eyes. Most of these robberies occur at night or right before the trains opening in the morning, which then paralizes morning traffic and creating a big headache.