4 wacky ways to commute around the world
For most, the commute to work is anything but exciting – in fact, it can be the dullest part of the day. But for some lucky – or perhaps not so lucky – folk around the world, things get spiced up just a little bit by their country’s interesting choice of transport infrastructure, Chillisauce brings you the 4 wacky ways to commute around the world
Japan
Japan is often associated, apart from with sushi, with super fast trains that are among the speediest in the world. Passengers zip between cities in sleek, silent carriages and arrive at their destinations in but a fraction of the time it takes in the UK – something we Brits can only dream of. But less well known is the uniquely Japanese way of squeezing as many people onto trains as possible, particularly at rush hour – including using guards to physically push passengers inside the train, cramming as many people into a carriage as is humanly possible! The video below was shot in 1991, though overcrowding has eased since then.
India
India, meanwhile, takes an entirely different approach – it is renowned for its trains with passengers scrambling for a seat (or whatever you want to call it) wherever they can perch, including on the roof! Not for the faint hearted, India’s train network makes for a full-on affair simply because the country lacks sufficient trains and the infrastructure to cope with the sheer number of travellers among its dramatically increasing population.
This man in Delhi is happy to have a seat that’s not on the roof! – photo by José
Germany
The German city of Wuppertal has something similar, but perhaps scarier – in this area prone to floods and suffering the plight of a naturally hilly landscape, train tracks are suspended from above the ground around the city, from which the hanging carriages run. Exhilerating – at least that’s one word for it!
Thailand
Many cities around the world boast an underground metro system – they make for an easy, fast way to zip around town beneath the streets. But not many cities around the world are quite like Bangkok: as well as a metro system, also has a Skytrain system that runs – yes, you guessed it – high in the sky above the maze of roads and gridlocked traffic below.
Bangkok’s Skytrain flies high above the city – photo by Dear Edward 
Accessed from the street by way of steps or escalators up from the pavement, the fast, clean and refreshingly cool trains with their ultra powerful air con run on elevated lines down the middle of the street, escaping the congestion and getting commuters to work fast. The two main lines, first opened in 1999, link many parts of the city and interconnect with the metro and a rail link to the airport – there have also been recent extensions, bringing the line to the reach of many Bangkok suburbs further out from the city centre.
The Skytrain allows commuters to escape Bangkok’s notorious traffic – photo by Chris Parker
About the Author
Chris Wotton A twenty-something crazy about travel, Chris Wotton is a writer with a specialism in Thailand and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Chris is happiest off the tourist trail, submerged in local culture - and eating local food!
