Metro System Woes

I decided to focus on something cultural and break away from blogging about the media differences I've encountered while out here in Spain. If there is one cultural aspect that has been brought to my attention the hardest it is how the metro system works and the "unwritten rules of the metro" that exist in Spain. I come from New York City which has one of the world's largest metro systems in the world, but I can't help but feel that there are many outstanding differences in the rules the metro-riding community has made here in Spain.

Now don't get me wrong, there are a couple of similarities between the two communities. For example, when taking the escalator, the left side is always the side for people who want to walk up the escalator and the right side is for those who want to wait it out and just ride the escalator. However even with this similar rule we still function differently. Here in Spain, people will wait and make a line to stand on the right side, while in NYC, you will never find a line. Everyone generally has a, "have to keep it moving"mentality and even if they don't want to walk up the escalator, they will take the left side if it seems to be taking too long to get on the right side.

Another difference I have noticed is the issue of space in the train. In NYC there is a general understanding amongst everyone that we have somewhere to go. Because of this, we'll work to get people into the train if it seems like it will be a tight fit, if someone is trying to move around the train we'll try and make space for them, and if your standing near the door you move over when they open. Here in Spain, at least through my own experiences, it seems as though people don't like to move from the spot they are standing in. Even if they are blocking the door, people are hard pressed about standing at the door and won't even move to let other people get inside. Squeezing inside the train also seems like something that isn't done often. People here like to have their own space and if you have to get into a train when it is crowded, your going to be met with a lot of annoyed faces and stares.

The one thing I do like about this metro community though is that the hustle and bustle is always there. If anything it might be even be worse then in the city. I've seen people run for trains more often here than I do in NYC which surprises me because the time between trains is so small compared to NYC. We often have to wait 10-15 minutes between our trains and have multiple trains pass on the same line until we finally catch our train. Here in Spain, each train has its own respective line and the most I've waited for a train was anywhere between 6-8 minutes.

I honestly assumed every metro system worked the same way in every country but I've come to learn otherwise. I love how clean and efficient Spain's metro system is, but I think its the riders that I need to get a little more used to.