1. More stations - Paris Metro



The Paris Metro is one of the most densely packed subway stations in the world. Just think of this for a moment: Metro Manila covers an area of around 619.6km2 and, when finished, the Metro Manila subway line will have 15 stations. Paris’ area is around 105.4km2 and its Metro has 302 stations! It’s been said that the average distance between each station in Paris is only at around half a kilometer. That means you’re never more than a short walk to a station wherever you are.




2. 24/7 operation and plenty of buskers - New York City Subway


We’ll cheat a bit here as there are two things we want to take away from NYC’s subway. First, and true to its name of being the city that never sleeps, New York’s subway system operates 24/7. That means you don’t have to worry about driving home drunk from a late-night party or attending a gig that you know will end past midnight. Second, their subway has a music program that encourages artists to perform in the different stations. Given that this country has a lot of talented musicians that need to be heard, this can be a great program to localize for our own subway.




3. Punctual trains - Tokyo Subway


It’s well-known that trains in Japan run like clockwork. And if they are even slightly delayed, the train operators will apologize to everyone on the train for being late. Currently, we have no such system in our train lines. It seems as if trains come and go as they please without worrying about the number of passengers piling up at the stations or if they will be late for work. We can only hope that we get a proper train timetable moving forward, and that it is actually followed.




4. A better payment system - Hong Kong MTR

Okay, so we already have stored value cards in operation but trust us, Hong Kong’s Octopus card is way better. Aside from being able to use it in most of their public transport systems, the Octopus card can also be used in different retail outlets throughout Hong Kong. Convenience stores, supermarkets, vending machines, restaurants, parking spaces—name it and you can probably pay for it using your Octopus card. It’s so successful that other places (such as London and their Oyster card) have started creating their own similar systems.


5. Better design - Stockholm Metro


The Stockholm Metro has been called the world’s longest art exhibit for good reason. Many of the different stations are adorned by the works of 150 artists. There are actually guided walking tours along the subway line which contain numerous mosaics, sculptures, paintings, and many other beautiful installations. Meanwhile, we can only hope that our own subway is at least kept clean and looking nice if not as Instagrammable as the Stokcholm Metro.