TBA journey to hell

[Gringoboy]

This morning I went from La Lucila to Retiro at around 10 am.
It took more than an hour, was packed like sardines and stopped for about 15 mins near Lisandro de la Torre, whilst we all baked and sweated wondering what the hell was going on. No windows to open and the fans seem to have packed up.
The return journey was even worse by a magnitude of 100. I left Retiro at 1600 having waited 45 mins for a train, like everyone else and then the mad stampede to get into the thing.
Sardines again and so it went on to Belgrano, where even more people piled into an already overpacked train...more still at Vicente Lopez, Olivos...
At this point, I was getting nervous and edgy, just like the rest of the passengers.
Getting out was a feat of diplomacy is all I can say.
We were finally able to breath fresh air!
After this, I had to lie down in a darkened room to collect my senses.
I have to ask: how to Argentine people put up with this?
They seem to take it all in their stride and for that I admire them.
But surely there must be a better way?
Every time I travel this way, I have an awful feeling of impending doom and will never travel in those cattle trucks again.
The whole system is f*****d up and I see no light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.

 

[scotttswan]

Apparently the trains in and around London are the same but cost a fortune!

Although i don't think they are refurbished ones from the 1950's in the UK.

 

[mariposa]

But surely there must be a better way?
Every time I travel this way, I have an awful feeling of impending doom and will never travel in those cattle trucks again.
The whole system is f*****d up and I see no light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.

i don't see your point. hey, you are in argentina after all...

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

You'll need to shed your preconceptions of how it "should" be. I spent a year here asking why this or that wasn't like it was back in the States. Then I remembered ... I'm not in the States.

 

[steveinbsas]

This morning I went from La Lucila to Retiro at around 10 am.
It took more than an hour, was packed like sardines and stopped for about 15 mins near Lisandro de la Torre, whilst we all baked and sweated wondering what the hell was going on. No windows to open and the fans seem to have packed up.
The return journey was even worse by a magnitude of 100. I left Retiro at 1600 having waited 45 mins for a train, like everyone else and then the mad stampede to get into the thing.
Sardines again and so it went on to Belgrano, where even more people piled into an already overpacked train...more still at Vicente Lopez, Olivos...
At this point, I was getting nervous and edgy, just like the rest of the passengers.
Getting out was a feat of diplomacy is all I can say.
We were finally able to breath fresh air!
After this, I had to lie down in a darkened room to collect my senses.
I have to ask: how to Argentine people put up with this?
They seem to take it all in their stride and for that I admire them.
But surely there must be a better way?
Every time I travel this way, I have an awful feeling of impending doom and will never travel in those cattle trucks again.
The whole system is f*****d up and I see no light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.

Didn't someone post a question in the past couple days about how good is "mass transit" in BA?

At least if you get on the train in Tigre you will have a seat all the way to Retiro (during rush hours).

If you have to do that to get to work you seriously have to ask yourself if it's worth it (if you have a choice).

 

[chris]

Yes, the trains around London are just like that! Totally third world, absolutely no safety standards, filthy, people peddling all sorts of goods, performers everywhere, beggars. Yes, just like London....

 

[scotttswan]

Yes, the trains around London are just like that! Totally third world, absolutely no safety standards, filthy, people peddling all sorts of goods, performers everywhere, beggars. Yes, just like London....

They're not like that but they are very overcrowded.

 

[va2ba]

I don't know how people put up with it. Most people have the mind set that they can't do anything about it. I don't know how long it will take or how many accidents have to happen with the trains before things are corrected, or rather, before regular Argentines stand up and demand a change.

I sincerely hope that it is sooner rather than later, but I don't have my hopes up to high.

 

[Davidglen77]

I used to ride the line that goes from Retiro to Belgrano C about 5 years ago and it wasn't bad at all. It was so cheap too, something like $0.60 cents at the time. What has happened in these past few years that the trains have gotten so bad? I also remember the subway being a lot cleaner and more pleasant a few years back, it also seems to be quickly deteriorating. I live in the center of town, and work close enough to home to ride the bus or on a good day walk to work.

 

[Napoleon]

...I also remember the subway being a lot cleaner and more pleasant a few years back, it also seems to be quickly deteriorating...

The graffiti on the subtes is getting out of hand. There are times that I don't want to get on a specific car because you can't see through half the windows on the thing and there's no way to identify potential dangers or keep an eye on fleeing chorros. It's just kind of going to crap.