|
METRO
Riding the metro means never having to say "I'm
sorry."
The St. Petersburg metro operates from 06:00 to 00:30
and unless you really want intimate contact with the
Russian people (all of them at once) try to avoid
travelling during the peak commuter hours of 08:00 to
10:00 and 17:00 to 19:00. Stations are indicated by a
large "M" and as you approach you will see two sets
of doors, one for incoming (marked ) and one for
outgoing (marked ). It's pretty easy to see which is
which - just go with the flow. The doors weigh about
ten tons and swing back and forth with the force of a
wrecking ball.
The metro is very deep because it passes through
soggy marshland under the canals and rivers. Many of
the stations were designed with huge built-in bomb
shelters and civil defense classes instructed
Leningraders to go to the nearest metro in the event
of a nuclear attack. Kids love to slide small coins
down the gutter next to the escalator handrails so
don't be surprised if these go whizzing past you. The
left side of the escalator is a passing lane so keep
to the right unless you want to jog.
Emergency stop switches are located near the top and
bottom of the escalator, labeled . Turn these to stop
the escalator in an emergency, or just to be
annoying.
|
Articles 