Is Berlin’s Public Transport Actually Better Than London’s?

[@geofftech2]

Superb Evan! 👏 and thanks for having me for a small part of this! Paris … next time? 😊

[@matpk]

You need to rank Taipei vs Bangkok vs KL metro system

[@duncanm5635]

Geoff, Evan, great video! I'm glad you didn't have to swim home Evan! I've never ridden on the U-Bahn before, but could TFL's cleaning and maintenance teams that descend underground during the night be just one of the reasons why TFL Tube stations are clean and do not smell like a gent's urinal? 😉 These teams and all the other TFL teams needed to keep London moving and customers happy will (probably) mean higher operating costs vs that of BVG too. 🤔 FYI, Channel 5's The Tube: Keep London Moving! was great docuseries to learn what goes on behind the scenes with TFL. It would be interesting to know if it is as extensive with BVG!

[@catibia55]

Sometimes I think I mask my autism so well then you drop a video about public transport and well I'm sat and throughly engaged for 30 minutes

[@Monkehrawrrr]

i skipped to conclusion lol

[@Thiesi]

Thanks, Evan. As a Berliner, I _of course_ *wholeheartedly disagree* with you as complaining about the BVG is in our DNA, and it's physically impossible for us to accept what we get for our money is actually well worth it.

[@ahoannon5711]

Exactly! How can you expect it to get any better if you don't constantly complain about it!

[@ag4444]

I am a Berliner and most people in Berlin appreciate the BVG. I'm not even mad that they are on strike today. I wonder if you are a real Berliner or if you live in a bubble where everyone complaints all the time. You must be miserable.

[@cooltwittertag]

@@ag4444 hell of a train of thought to have about a random stranger, so its probably projection. Hope you get better!

[@antonnurwald5700]

@@Thiesi same!

[@Willy-pn3ej]

The biggest difference is the shape of the trains. London has rounded trains, to fit in small round tunnels. Berlin has taller rectangular trains. Every passenger in Berlin can stand up straight.

[@ormusafi5205]

I would say that the great victory of Berlin's public transport system over London is in the accessibility of stations for the general public. In London, the experience of getting to the station platform, especially in the city center, felt like walking through an endless maze. At times, it felt like just getting to the platform and getting off at your destination took up 50% of the total time of the journey. In Berlin, however, at most stations, you only have 20 steps to get to the platform and can rush to the train that has just arrived at the station. For that alone, I would give Berlin 3 more points.

[@davidioanhedges]

Can you confirm that the newer the station, the easier the access ? i.e. many of the issues are with old stations, some of which are accessible, but some are difficult to expensive to make accessible?

[@ChrisWalker-fq7kf]

That seems to be because the lines are not very deep in Berlin. Maybe because Berlin is so flat?

[@AJGW]

One thing that's easily forgotten is that because Berlin doesn't have ticket gates it makes it easier to package the metro stations within whatever constraints exist.

[@redpinkgreenknitting1096]

Berlin mainly has cut and cover built stations mostly along streets which makes it easy to access (also because of high groundwater) or above ground...London did start that way for trains coming into London but city centre is just not accessible in that way also the Thames is a big problem. If you want to know more watch "the secret of the London underground"

[@iakinose]

@@ormusafi5205 the outer above ground stations and cut and cover lines are generally still pretty good for this. Sort of obvious but the larger interchange stations are the worst to navigate.

[@sirtwiz]

Considering Berlin is a lot smaller smaller than London, I don't think the size of network should necessarily be considered. If you have a bigger space to cover, you're going to have more stops. Still a great video tho!

[@hughtube5154]

But the bigger the city, the higher chance of delays, the more maintenance it needs which means higher prices, more queues, more wear and tear...

[@sirtwiz]

@hughtube5154 yes, but none of that is in consideration during the video, just scale. That's my point. Wear and tear happens to anything that is used too, so even a tiny towns train station needs maintenance if that's the lane you want to argue. The ranking system is still skewed a bit unfairly when considering my original points.

[@xr6lad]

Yes very true but I find in Berlin the gaps between stations are problematic and less comprehensive than London. I can go anywhere in the central city and no walk far and hit a station. Not so in Berlin.

[@sirtwiz]

@ Fair and good point to make!

[@DenimNinja]

I can't help but love the irony about how you touched on how infrequently BVG workers go on strike compared to London, yet you uploaded this video the day before the second BVG strike of this year.

[@YujiUedaFan]

And it's only Feb!

[@user6343]

15:45 the Deutschland Ticket indeed allows one to take all types of regional trains even the fast ones going between cities. You can thus cross the entirety of Germany with the D-Ticket just at the pace of a snail

[@astorMorisson]

*almost all * and also sometimes one station in a neighbouring country.

[@genoobtlp4424]

Don’t forget, the BahnCard100 is 4500€ a year, if you want to splurge on the premium product for all Germany including IC/ICE and passenger rights; still cheaper than commuting from Zone 9

[@JSG003]

At least in Berlin it includes several IC and ICEs including Potsdam to Cottbus (IC) and Berlin to Prenzlau (ICE)

[@stickynorth]

This is a program that needs to be adopted worldwide. The fact that we are putting more barriers on using public transport is insane. While cars, trucks and mopeds are given a free pass to not only take up space but pollute our lungs with PM 2.5 something other than for the odd metal shavings doesn't happen on electric-powered public steel wheel on rail transport... That alone is why all ICE drivers should morally, legally and financially be required to pay for their non-polluting public alternatives via gas/carbon/pollution taxes...

[@genoobtlp4424]

@@stickynorth agreed, but bonus taxes / punishment alone doesn’t fix anything, just makes people angry at the project. Soo, get minimum service standards as a right and get people to use it, then raise taxes to pay for it would be my attempt

[@ct691]

The production value on this is so great! You can totally see the effort here

[@evan]

Yay, thank you!

[@antonnurwald5700]

Right? This was my first impression from this channel. I wondered if he works for some big network because the production value is so high.

[@googlesucks6029]

Sorry the €58 per month for national travel makes the Berlin system an instant win. You can spend that in a week commuting within London and easily go over that if you commute from outside the city in just one return trip at peak.

[@Batters56]

The other thing about accessibility between Berlin and London is that in London there are many ridiculous gaps to mind (literally jumping can be involved) and you you have to go to special places for level boarding. In a lot of the stations in Berlin the train comes in, the doors open and it’s completely level with a tiny gap between the train and the platform for every single door.

[@TalesOfWar]

One of the benefits of being a much newer network and built as an actual network. London was working things out as they went as nobody had ever done it before, and they were all built by competing companies.

[@izzieb]

@@Batters56 On the underground? The only really large gap I can think of is at Waterloo on the Bakerloo line.

[@chrism2279]

@@izzieb Bank - Central line.

[@CommiePlasma]

In Berlin a lot of the trains have a floor height of just above the platform, making for an annoying step onto the train where oftentimes a ramp has to be put down for wheelchairs to go up. This is the case on both the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn, tho most S-Bahn trains now have a floor height of 1m (platforms are 960mm and have been for a long time). One exception is the Siemensbahn, which was built semi independently by Siemens and is abandoned, no trains run there since it has shut down in 1980 or so. There, the platforms were built to match the 1100mm floor height of trains at the time

[@Thim22Z7]

@@chrism2279 That's definitely the worst offender, though basically any of the, quite numerous, curved platforms on the Underground has a significant gap.

[@exploman6382]

There is one single thing that for me makes Berlin the clear winner. Its the incredibly easy accessibility of Berlin stations: In London sometimes it can literally take up to 5 minutes (if not more if u r slow) to get from street level down multiple escalators and corridors deep down to the platform. Meanwhile in Berlin it's one flight of stairs and you re just under the ground at Station level. For me personally it's such a convenience booster, it feels less like a whole journey you have to take but sometimes you are walking on the street and then you hear the sound of a train coming so you re like "hell yeah i ll just quickly hop on" and it just accelerates your walk by spontaneously transporting you that one station. I love that

[@evan]

Yes plus trams remove pretty much ALL the faff and time of escalators and stations!

[@Red1Green2Blue3]

Disagree.

[@exploman6382]

@@Red1Green2Blue3 elaborate then:)

[@Red1Green2Blue3]

@@exploman6382 I don't think that's an issue. Not really much to elaborate on, it's just subjective. It's also not particularly relevant considering less than 50% of underground stations are actually underground.

[@tonys1636]

The one piece of paper you didn't check beforehand was a London Tide Table. It comes in fast and strong. If you had been stuck the RNLI would have rescued you, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard, they cover the river up to Teddington and the 4 Lifeboat Stations on the river are manned 24/7 and are amongst the busiest they have, averaging over 250 shouts per year each.

[@evan]

The fire rescue boats passed by with lights on right after I got out. They were prepared haha

[@matpk]

@@evan London Underground is clean? You are a world laughing stock

[@oysteijo]

@@matpk London underground in not clean - we all know that. However it is actually cleaner than in Berlin. Trust me on that.

[@MarkWhiley]

I've lived in both cities. It's definitely Berlin. For price; for comfortable journeys (it was rare that I wouldn't get a seat on a train or tram in Berlin); and interchangeability between trams, trains and buses.

[@ijmad]

I am a train nerd with an interest bordering on obsession with London's various trains, and I think even I'd admit that Berlin nowadays is a better system overall. As well as the trams, the S-Bahn is an absolute game changer, it's far more extensive than the London Overground.

[@TalesOfWar]

A lot of this is helped that it was built a lot later than most of the network in London, so they learned how to actually make an integrated system. That and much of Berlin was levelled during the war and needed to be rebuilt anyway. A lot of main land Europe has this aspect in terms of building infrastructure.

[@AndyKing1963]

Never got a seat at Alex myself but then it’s a tourist hotspot - great system though, I love the trams

[@xaverlustig3581]

@@TalesOfWar U-Bahn and S-Bahn are two separate systems built by two competing operators, who haven't been integrated for most of their history. They share a common fare and line numbering system today, but those are "recent" achievements (recent as compared to the length of their entire history), which is from the 1980s on from a West Berlin perspective. After WW2 the flattened rail structures were really just reinstated into their pre-war status. The post war rebuild wasn't much of an upgrade.

[@lilg2300]

​@@xaverlustig3581 yet they combine perfectly. And as a Berliner it's perfect to have them both. If one is on strike, more often the S-Bahn but tomorrow the BVG, then you simply use the other.

[@Duspende]

Hey, Evan. Just wanted to let you know that I not only enjoy the videos, but your sound mixing makes it absolutely perfect for just having running in the periphery while I do other things without missing words or beats. Keep up the good work!

[@evan]

Thank you! I had a few weird microphone issues in this one from the scarf as well as randomly sounding distorted but I tried my best to normalise it

[@la-go-xy]

@@evan If you want to further practice your German: Bear-lean

[@Kevbot6000]

I was very impressed by Berlin’s public transit system when I visited, I think the fact it’s this neck and neck even though Berlin has less than half the population of London is a testament to how impressive it is.

[@nicolasblume1046]

15:45 the RE lines are pretty fast and also go between big cities!

[@ninamarie177]

And they are included in the Deutschland Ticket! I heard that there are a few exceptions where RBs/REs aren’t included when they aren’t operated by DB but I don’t know of any.

[@_yonas]

​@@ninamarie177 There are some REs which are actually ICs in disguise, and are therefore operated by DB Fernverkehr GmbH, and are not part of the ticket, but to make things even more confusing, there are some ICs which are actually part of the Deutschlandticket. And yes, you can't use trains that aren't operated by DB, such as Flixtrain. In the DB Navigator app, you can click on the tree dots to see who the operator of a train is - if it says DB Fernverker GmbH, you cannot use it with a DTicket, but those are the absolute exception.

[@barvdw]

@@ninamarie177 As a general rule, long-distance trains (IC, ICE, EC, Flix...) do not allow to travel with a D-ticket, but there are a handful of IC trains operated by DB Fernverkehr that are also (partially) subsidised by the German States responsible for regional trains, and are thus both an IC and an RE. And DB Fernverkehr wants to be compensated correctly for the use of their trains. Some States have negotiated an agreement of acceptance, others haven't bothered. For instance, ICs serving Emden and Norddeich Mole allow for D-ticket users, but only from Bremen. The IC to Westerland auf Sylt are generally not allowed, except IC 2075 between Niebüll and Westerland on workdays, not weekends (probably because the hole in the timetable would be too large if you weren't).

[@richardtalbot8769]

The re lines from the airport are really not great and the capacity is terrible.

[@thorstent2542]

...and from Berlin to the Ostsee (Baltic Sea)

[@lukeelgon6399]

An excellent video, as far as it goes. It is a tad challenging to draw direct comparisons between these cities. London covers an area almost twice that of Berlin, and has a population three times as large. London also has to cater for four times the number of international tourists that Berlin does. The furthest one may travel by U-Bahn from central Berlin is 16 km. For London that figure is 41 km. So like for like comparisons are difficult.

[@CommiePlasma]

The farthest you can get from Berlin using the S-Bahn is probably to Strausberg Nord, which is about 50km away from the city center

[@thorstent2542]

But there are just swamps behind, it makes no sence to build it so far outside.

[@JacquelinePain]

Oh, thank god somebody pointed out the size difference and the numbers using the system

[@Marenthyu]

Living in Berlin, I am always happy to be in London - the fact that you can "tap and go" and not worry about what ticket to get is just unbeatable. Yes, I have a Deutschlandticket here, but you can't really get that for a shorter vacation here and you need to consider "manually" when to get which ticket.

[@python_l5367]

You could get a week long ticket. Would only cover Berlin though.

[@treekrampen3029]

Thank you for including the ending.The irony brought a big smile to my face. The combination of your knowledge, wit and videography skills is greatly appreciated.

[@MattNav]

This was an absolutely fantastic video and as a transport nerd, I loved watching every minute of it Evan! Well done, this was so worth the wait and can't wait to see the Paris episode later in the year!

[@Bumi-90]

The Deutschland-Ticket actually also covers all regional travel, with the RE and RB Trains, that often span far distances. You can travel across the whole of germany just by using this one ticket, you just would have to change trains often and the trains stop often and therefore are very slow in comparison to the long distance IC and ICE Trains

[@Red1Green2Blue3]

Considering all the delays (compounding due to changes) it's impractical to use RE trains to travel the country in place of the ICE except for novelty or absolute necessity.

[@fjord_medoff_08]

Having Geoff Marshall is a huge plus for this video! Thank you for your review, well done to Berlin❤

[@paulwebbiweb]

This is terrific and mostly very fair. What it doesn't completely take into consideration is that London is a much, much bigger city. Also, Berlin can't be blamed for not having boats like the ones on the mighty Thames. Berlin is on the Spree - a very small river. A Berlin feature that isn't mentioned is that all the U-Bahn lines are only just beneath the surface. A single flight of steps and you're on the platform and good to go. No struggles with long escalators.

[@evan]

The mighty Thames earns a free point 😎

[@GaryCresswell-k4u]

I think the other point is that the ferries in Berlin are actual public transport - you can use them with a normal single trip ticket or subscription. Where the Thames river cruises are closer to the "Stern und Kreis"-type sightseeing tours which charge a premium.

[@notroll1279]

Make it "one or two flights of stairs" as many stations (e.g. lines 7 and 9) have a mezzanine between street and rail level.

[@NedNew]

Much, much bigger? I'd say maybe 2-3 times bigger, hardly deserving of the 'much, much' tag?

[@matpk]

@@evan London Underground is clean? Is this video a comedy?

[@agatealbekeite]

amazing video! the amount of research and stunning shots is absolutely unbelievable!!! this was such an interesting and compelling watch! your growth as a content creator developing your skills and making increasingly complex content over the last 8+ years i’ve watched you has been really inspiring!!

[@genoobtlp4424]

Imo the lack of fare-gates should be another point as it makes your journey significantly easier and quicker as well as enabling the stations to be a thoroughfare for pedestrians instead of an obstacle. Also, the BahnCard100, the ticket that covers D-Ticket and IC/ICE (and passenger rights, [ab-]usable for free hotel stays) is 4500€ yearly, still cheaper than commuting from Zone 9

[@TedJM]

yes, but british people can't be trusted not to bump the trains so unfortunately the turnstile gates are here to stay

[@lovis1188]

Fun fact, cancelled trains, and trains that are less than 5 minutes delayed, dont actually count as "delayed" trains.

[@thargoff]

Yes, Evan and Geoff collab at last!

[@danieleyre8913]

Jago Hazzard > Geoff Marshall.

[@JackOfHarts96]

@@danieleyre8913 Both are great.

[@lynnhamps7052]

Evans editing/cinematography skills are amazing, this video is on a par with something the BBC would produce. Just doesn't make sense why his subs aren't far higher. Well done Evan for not drowning you silly sausage.

[@PeterSlack83]

They number of cuts and locations used is quite staggering.

[@EElgar1857]

But with more humor than the BBC! 😁

[@MichaelTavares]

I love how an Evan Edinger video can be just anything

[@theyruinedyoutubeagain]

Having lived in Berlin and visited London fairly often (I live up North), I can say you're spot on, they're very comparable. For me, it's probably the S-Bahn that puts Berlin over London, just slightly. What's crazy is that driving in Berlin should be great because the traffic is really not that bad, however their streets are ridiculously unoptimised, to the point that a simple trip from the city centre to Lichtenberg would take me 30 mins even at 2am with zero traffic.

[@notroll1279]

Berlin's car traffic has deteriorated over time - partly on purpose in order to deter people from using cars. Berlin now has the most annual hours of traffic jam per driver in Germany - 20 years ago, Berlin did much better, both in absolute terms and on comparison with other German cities. I have taken to using Google Maps for every trip by car I'm making however well I know the route - it just may navigate you around some spontaneous roadworks plus terrible traffic jam.

[@GrumelArt]

your editing is just top notch! awesome job my dude :)

[@BenTheMiner]

EVAN AND GEOFF COLLAB YOOO

[@biblio_mama]

I always enjoy your comparison videos and appreciate the humor. I know you must put an unbelievable amount of effort into them and want you to know it is appreciated.

[@Anna_Marie_La]

Love seeing this video while being stuck at home because of the BVG strike today👏

[@kiramabel2216]

I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW HAPPY THIS COLLAB MAKES ME OMG

[@geofftech2]

@@kiramabel2216 👋😅 hello!

[@johnmcgaw2753]

Good video as always. As an American who was born in and has lived in places with horrible or non-existent transit his whole life I can't help but be impressed by London's system. Yeah, it has quirks and can be a bit confusing (I'm talking to you Circle Line) but considering its origin story it is nothing short of amazing. Consider that the whole thing basically happened without any sort of real plan: like Topsy, it "just grow'd". I guess as a sometimes visitor I should learn more about the cheaper options to get around but so far I've always just tapped in and tapped out with my phone and ignored the price. Hey, it's a holiday - screw the cost! Maybe next time I'll remember to check out the weekly. Then again, given my age I'll probably forget by the time I get there...

[@ahgrieser]

One thing about the noise in London: one of the noisy sections that really gets me is the southbound northern line around Bank. It’s really noisy, and it’s also the section of track that opened the most recently-just three years ago! It feels like noise wasn’t in the design parameters, which is wild for a project in the 2020s

[@JamesMorfa]

Amazing video! Never been to Berlin but I do agree that London's public transport network is of an extremely high standard, even if it can be extremely frustrating at peak hours and when tourists are faffing around. The river boat is very relaxing, and when I took the DLR through Canary Wharf this week I had a lot of fun imagining I was in Fritz Lang's Metropolis.

[@andyhartley]

The one thing I hate about Berlin wayfinding on the U/S-Bahn is the lack of directional information. In London you're told the compass direction so you can quickly work out which way the train is going, but in Berlin you're expected to know where the destination of the train is relative to where you currently are. More than a few times I've got one going the wrong way in Berlin.

[@c4standard]

Actually most European systems do not tell you the compass direction (I can't name you any that do). Either you know the terminus, or you just find your destination on the graph showing the next stations. Many lines are winding anyway, and compass direction would be misleading.

[@TedJM]

@@c4standard i agree, it is easier to know what direction you are going based on terminus. The U2 for example, are you going towards Ruhleben or Pankow, the U3 to either Krumme Lanke or Warschauer St. It is just so much easier

[@Red1Green2Blue3]

Wayfinding in general is better in London compared to Germany.

[@jlynct]

Evan! Thank you for all the hard work and energy you’ve put in your videos lately. They keep getting better and better. I really appreciate all the editing and clever scripting you’ve put into this video. 😊

[@sphhyn]

As a Berliner who has visited London a couple of times , I agree with every point you make. Great video ! Last year I went to Dublin and was shocked how outdated the system there was. I have visited dozens of cities in Europe and never have I encountered a public transport where you cannot buy tickets online or use cashless options ( in recent years). Even in cash loving Germany you have phone apps and machines where you can buy tickets without cash. On the bus in Dublin we could only pay cash and they didn’t even give out change. We had to get on a bus and only had a 20€ bill. It was a real nuisance to always have the right amount of coins ready for the bus. When everywhere else you didn’t need cash at all.

[@c4standard]

Just buy a leap card (if I am right, that's the name) next time, it is like Oyster for London. A lot of European cities have something like that, from Dublin to Sofia, or from Madrid to Kaunas.

[@sphhyn]

But we couldn’t get a leap card anywhere near our hotel. We didn’t think to buy it at the airport and in the city there were only a handful of locations where you can buy it. None near our hotel. You can’t buy it at tram stations or in a bus. Even if there are ticket machines. These machines don’t sell these tickets. An online purchase was not possible because it’s not an online ticket. They send the card to you per mail !! I have been to London , Paris, stockholm , Copenhagen , Athens , Rome , Lisbon , Amsterdam , Madrid, Barcelona etc. We never had a problem like that before. You can always buy tickets like that online or at any train station. That’s why we didn’t even think we needed to research this further before arriving. 😅

[@linthetin]

I have hyperacusis from noise damage thank you for talking about the decibel levels! pretty please protect your ears y’all get some ear plugs like loops to take with you if you can 🙏🏼👑

[@TalesOfWar]

I wonder what the impact of this has had on people more commonly wearing earbuds that have active noise cancelling these days? I sometimes just put mine in when commuting without listening to music just so I don't hear the noisy bus engine or whatever lol.

[@JonasHamill]

A little pedantic correction that I only noticed because I happened to have just watched CPG Grey's video on The City of London.. but the flag you have used is for the The City of London but not for London (the place with the tubes). The City of London is a city within Greater London, surrounded by a wall and governed by a separate government and Mayor to that of London. London does not have a flag but The City of London does not have a tube network so I don't know how to finish this comment

[@evan]

I’ve seen that vid! Yeah I put it in anyway as it felt like the best visual thing and didn’t wanna use the British flag as I really liked Berlin’s

[@tonys1636]

The City, capital C, does have tube stations within it though. London city is a generic term for Greater London, 650 sq. miles, as well as the two cities within, The City of London and the City of Westminster. Both have a Coat of Arms rather than a flag.

[@matpk]

@@tonys1636 go to Wikipedia and search world top 50 largest metro

[@TheRealMartinDominik]

It's more complicated in London: The price for a journey between the same places may not be the same depending on which mode of transport (train, underground, bus,...) you use.

[@annterry9194]

Thanks Evan. I always find your videos interesting, informative and the variety of topics fascinating. Keep them coming.

[@soWWaa1]

Amazing video! Well-written, informative, great editing, and charisma on command! You rock Evan!

[@ft4709]

24:04 Just to set the record straight: That number excludes all rail services except for IC and ICE (and their jointly operated foreign counterparts) so it’s explicitly not representative of all Deutsche Bahn trains across all of Germany. They just list that number separately due to how these services are financed and due to them being run by a different subsidiary. The actual punctuality rate of Deutsche Bahn including all of their trains is 90%. Don’t get me wrong here: 90% is still piss poor, however, on paper that’s actually a bit better than British trains.

[@williwacker2774]

From my own experience I won't buy that 90% figure. Unless it's meant the other way around. I don't own a car and use trains a lot. Delays are the rule, not the exception. Maybe 10% of journeys with a delay of less than 5 minutes.

[@martalli]

That was the best segue into a VPN ad I have ever seen!

[@povuk77]

Excellent ending! Glad you shared it. I used the Evan Nord link when I took it out a few months back!

[@stevetosh]

I have to say Evan, I have never seen such a professional looking video on KZbin (although the Map Men come close 😊). This video can easily be a TV production. Well scripted, well shot and great editing, even the sound was spot on. Top job, fella, top job. 👍

[@hughtube5154]

Nice to see Dodie back on the channel.

[@evan]

More to come!

[@simondoes]

8:45 - fun piece of trivia about the ferries in berlin: in summer you can use the line f24 which is actually just a regular rowboat - no motor! - with a guy in BVG uniform paddling you across the Müggelspree. The vessel is called the "Paule III".

[@mwflanagan1]

As you promised, it’s evident that was quite an editing job. Well done, Evan, and thanks.

[@CONCORDE444]

It's great we finally got the Evan and Geoff cross over. Given we've had Jay already we need Jago hazard and the Tim traveler to complete the bingo card. Great video Evan as always.

[@AthynVixen]

TOP notch editing on this Evan! Great job. I'm only on the first section between you and Geoff but it's seamless. FYI I live in Uxbridge and we have had no PIccadilly Line running since November due to leaves on the line/tracks.. Thats several months of being cut off.. but get this... its the exact same line the Metropolitan tubes run on and they've been just fine.!! Go figure!

[@nxt_tim]

22:40 I would've liked to see this section be a bit more detailed. When I moved to Berlin 2 years ago, one of the first things I did was write to the BSR on why they can't clean Warschauer Straße better. They said something along the lines that it's a tourist hotspot and that's why. The DB can't do too much about the surrounding of the station because it's managed by the city. But the actual stations and vehicles themselves are pretty clean for a big city like Berlin! Even on New Years Eve I saw people running through the U-Bahn trains to clean them. There's barely any grafiti on the trains because afaik there's an internal rule to not let trains with grafiti go into service before it's cleaned again. And the stations are sometimes cleaner than the ones in my hometown of 6000 people, because the ones in the city are cleaned super often.

[@antonnurwald5700]

There are some bad ones though. Especially when you have underpasses, like when you change from the train to the tram at Landsberger Allee.

[@sparkasaurusdonna]

What a great video. Looks wonderful, super graphics, and very informative.

[@evan]

Gracias!

[@caitlinpeake4967]

The end scene stuck in the Thames 🤣🤣🤣

[@hublanderuk]

Evan did not consult a tide table before filming on the Thames. Glad you did not call out the RNLI and just got Wet Feet in the end. 🤣😂

[@evan]

I think someone had called them for me as they passed by with lights on after I escaped

[@basti5978]

Geoff !!! what a great Collab ;-)

[@evan]

Glad you enjoyed it 😊

[@318ishonk]

Thumbs up for the seamless segway into the sponsor segment. From frigate to a VPN - not easy to do.

[@harryeast95]

I feel like there were some key missing categories: * wayfinding (okay, so you've arrived at your final stop, now what? is your next action clear?) * pathing (which is the term I'm using for ease of getting to and from the platform level, think accessibility but without the suggestion of being an issue only for people with mobility problems) * friction (by which I mean how much faffing around do you have to do to actually use the service... you sort of touched on it with the paper tickets in Berlin, there's just so much friction added with that) * dwell times (how long do services stop at each stop) * centre bias (like, having more service to more parts of the city is always better but if all those routes are basically spokes radiating from a central hub, that's not so good)

[@RiggenbachDE]

Referring to minute 5:15, May I draw some attention to the fact that the population of Greater London is 8.9 million inhabitants, while the city and federal state of Berlin has only 3,7 millions. So, way I suggest the comparison be multiplied with a correction factor of 2.6, so that Berlin's 147 km x 2.6 = 382 still remains less than London's 402 km, but the difference is much smaller now.

[@carljo002]

This was great! You should make a video about Basels trinational tram system. Generally they deserve more videos (totally not just because I love the city)

[@Lisa_McGuire]

I’m so glad you made it back up on the upper level without having to swim! Yay! Evan😊

[@MargaretUK]

A fab video with the added bonus of Geoff, love it! 👍👌😀

[@DS.J]

The reality is that both systems are great, among the best in Europe (and the world for that matter) and provide good experience of getting around the city. Something I could not say about Rome, for example, or some other European cities, not to mention the Americas. In the world of public transport nerds both London and Berlin usually score very high marks, even if somewhat a bit below Paris. The reason why Berlin (or any major German city) wins for me is fares and pricing. London transport is just too bloody expensive, and it doesn't need to be.

[@evan]

Here here

[@berniethekiwidragon4382]

I'm absolutely biased. I grew up in Hong Kong, and so as you can expect, think the world of Hong Kong's public transit. While still appreciative of London's, on which I periodically rely on, Hong Kong's MTR out-rates the Tube, and likely the various Berlin Bahns. I do have a pet peeve about the MTR, though: it is NOT bicycle-friendly. You have to remove the front wheel, or get a folding bike.

[@beth12svist]

I've never been to either city but found myself constantly comparing to Prague, and while I don't carry the hard numbers in my memory, I think Prague comes out pretty good from the comparison (except maybe on bikes and accessibility - no idea what the numbers are there).

[@belovedltd]

@@evan Here - in London and Here - in Berlin? or Hear (him) Hear (him) - as in, people should listen to this person, he makes a good point?

[@atgoldsmith]

Let's give this video the traction it deserves! 🚂

[@Opharg]

You can most definitely cross Germany with the D-Ticket, Sylters can tell you all about that. It's just gonna take a bit longer. E.g. Düsseldorf -> Berlin is roughly 6h by car, 4.5h by ICE (direct), 10h with RE/RB (3 switches), BUT a spontaneous ICE ticket tomorrow would also cost me 130€ (dropping to ~30€ if you book a few months in advance), and I couldn't do anything else while driving a car. Additionally, a lot of employers pay at least partially for the D-Ticket; my job was literally minimum wage until recently, and they pay about half of the ticket, so does almost every apprenticeship I've been looking at, even at

[@jitmancanth6698]

Public rail transport in my area of South London has improved fourfold over the course of my life. We had trains into Charing Cross when I was a kid and that was it. Or you could cross the river (Woolwich ferry or underground foottunnel and get another overground train from North Woolwich, only getting to the Underground interchange at London Bridge or Liverpool Street to broaden options. But then we got the Docklands Light Railway via Greenwich and Lewisham, and the subsequently extended to Woolwich, The 2012 Olympics came around and someone thought South East London should get the Underground, and it did... in North Greenwich only. And most recently we've gotten the Elizabeth Line, ten years late but we've got it. Maybe one day they'll finally extend the Jubilee line south eastwards and make it worthwhile.

[@comfycosyclo]

Love the collaboration with Geoff, feel like my worlds are colliding!

[@morgansm395]

As a wheelchair user who recently spent 2 weeks travelling around Germany on the trains, I found that the u-bahns and s-bahns largely great. The German information about where the problems on these are is much better (TfLs definition of 'step free to train' leaves a huge amount to be desired). Apart from a single broken lift at an extremely inopportune time (rushing on the U-Bahn after our tram didn't show) every lift worked, although sometimes it was very difficult to find where the lifts even were. Deutsche-Bahn however... Between the absolute nightmare that was our attempt to get the 'fully' accessible regional trains, wheelchair lifts in place of ramps which were unable to handle their specified weight and the *need* to book at least 24 hours in advance and be at the meeting point 30 minutes before the train, and train swaps meaning the wheelchair space wasn't where we expected it to be...I enjoyed it, and I'd do it again, but my word I've never missed turn up and go more, even if it's far from 100%. I did also find ticketing more difficult to manage as at least in London I can use contactless and as long as I'm not penny pinching, not worry about what ticket I actually need.

[@theatregarbage]

My biggest gripe with London public transport is how UN-connected transfers are from one system is to the next, even between tube lines. It is so tiring going through a maze for transit inside the same station and often causes people to miss their transfers with so many lines on different ground levels. Bus stops are also never conveniently grouped outside the station. We frequently have to cross roads between bus stop and train station causing us to miss them. God forbid you have to go from train to coach at Victoria! Visiting NL has made me realise how efficient it is to have one system next to the other. Trams, buses, all immediately outside a station, grouped together for convenience and speed. Made me think how tiring it is commuting in London and for a higher fare. It's all well and good if you live somewhere that only needs 1 line to commute but not when you need 2 or more.

[@ZLDSmogless]

The Elizabeth Line is not a tube line. It's like the RER in Paris. It's its own mode of transport

[@jerry2357]

It's more like the S-Bahn in Berlin.

[@Duckly97]

Meanwhile my town went all-in on overhauling our public transit... By reducing the amount of buses, cancelled plans on trams to nearby smaller towns, buying in foreign electric buses to replace diesel (designed for center/south EU weather, to operate in a northern Swedish town with average January/February temps of < -25c, absolute GENIUS move). And to top that off they also now require the use of what might be THE worst bus ticketing app ever existed that REMOVED basic features like a table, so you have to use a tiny map and click on a bus stop and HOPE that the bus stop on the map is in the direction you're going to get a decently accurate arrival time. They also put a huge focus on bike lanes and really encourage everyone to get a bicycle... In a town built on a literal mountain that is frozen solid 2/3 of the year. Again, GENIUS move. I'm completely locked off from half the town (the part with all the good stores) during winter months, used to have two busses I could take.

[@RadicalRootz]

You got the French marine to float into your shot just to get a transition to the sponsor?? Respect!

[@morph-]

in terms of sound pressure: 110 DB is concert level 90 is loud, but can be endured for up to about 10 hours a week without permanent damage 80 is when you can't think anymore. 3 Db is double the physical sound pressure, 10 db is double the perceived volume. Just gonna call back the Tom Scott "Get some god damn" for all of us who do enjoy gigs. (I work as a lampy aswell as a noisemaker in events, we make the biggest sounds)

[@CommiePlasma]

Interestingly, the North South tunnel in summer, especially before its renovation, probably went above 100 DB

[@GuruGuy99]

I live in Berlin and am very proud to live in the city that beat London in the video. I know both systems very well and agree with most of the points made here. One big thing that I think is a very big point for London is the level of customer service. The fact that every tube and most train stations are manned 24 hours a day by customer service staff just blows my mind. You see friendly and helpful staff everywhere and major stations like Victoria or London bridge are filled with an army of rail and tube workers who are there for you if you need any kind of help. Berlin, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. It started in the late 90s with the removal of ticket offices and platform staff from every U-Bahn station, and has continued with the removal of the Aufsichten (platform dispatcher) from the S-Bahn system in the last decade. The complete absence of any kind of transit staff in our stations leads to a very low threshold for not following any rules. People can now litter, smoke, drink, party, urinate, defecate, shout, sleep or take hard drugs on platforms without facing any consequences. Costumers who feel uncomfortable or unsafe cannot expect any assistance from staff. If you get lost in our vast network, you won't find anyone to give you directions except other passengers. This poor level of service provided by the BVG and S-Bahn makes me very sad, because it wasn't like this when I was growing up.

[@BannersOnTheWall]

The capacity of a Berliner S-Bahn is relative to how busy the Hertha game has been. I ended up in Berlin during a BVG strike in March 2024 which meant only the S-Bahn was running. Got on the first running u-bahn after the strike ended and was surreal to watch people unsure what was going on

[@Tedwayler]

23:42 I have to correct some things: 1. In artical mentioned the punctuality was 58.4% for long distance trains (IC, ICE and EC). The overall punctual statistics for DB is 89.5%. The punctuality for regional trains (RE and RB) is 90.3% 2. The Berlin S-Bahn has compeletly seperated network and has an overall punctuality of 93.7% (a S-Bahn train counts as delayed when it is 4+ min behind its schedule)

[@jonas1015119]

Honestly shocked the Underground doesn't have digital displays for stops. Both my school bus and the ancient U-Bahn to my uni were retrofitted with them. Accessibility is also quite shocking.

[@theangryintern]

Wasn't expecting Geoff to turn up in an Evan video, nice surprise!

[@fishsayhelo9872]

very gud again, i dare not ask how you maintain such a schedule

[@RayVinyard]

A rockband from Berlin called Von Wegen Lisbeth has a song about the filthyness of a certain Berlin S-Bahn station. The song is called "Westkreuz" The chorus says , The fact that i miss you is as sure as the fact that the lift at Westkreuz station smells like piss (loosely translated)

[@simonbennett9687]

The extension part of the Jubilee line is loud partly because the tunnels are much larger because when it was built the safety rules had been updated to require a continuous walking route beside the train at track level. That means there is a lot more space in the tunnel for sound to reverberate.

[@barvdw]

For ticketing: yes, Berlin's is much cheaper and easier to understand, but I'd argue that the contactless payment makes London at least as easy, if not easier, to use. I still have 2 Oyster Cards, but the few times I pass by these days, I just use my credit card without any fuss, it will automatically cap what I pay to what a day ticket would be for the zones I was in. If not a point, it should deserve an honorable mention IMO. The D-ticket is also very dependent on the political will to stay available, there's a federal election coming up, and everything points to a loss of the coalition who enacted the D-ticket. A lot will depend on the future government coalition...

[@lilg2300]

Yeah the Oyster Card seems a good thing!

[@nettcologne9186]

I recently saw a video of a person who traveled with this 58 Euro Deutschland-Ticket (which is valid for a whole month by the way) by local train from Basel (Switzerland) through Germany to Padborg (Denmark) (both cities right on the border with Germany = 975 km or ~605 miles). It took her 20 hours. The tour with Flixbus also takes 20 hours and costs only 45 Euros, but 45 Euros is just for one tour. (With the Deutschland-Ticket you can repeat the tour every day for a month at no extra cost.) By car, without breaks and without traffic jams, it would take 10.5 hours. The trip would require at least 75 liters of petrol, so around 128 Euros. (In Germany, by the way, there are no tolls for motorways, tunnels or bridges, only trucks pay fees). And with the high-speed train it would take 9.5 hours, but also costs 180 Euros (as a tourist). Question: How expensive/time-consuming would a comparable route in Great Britain be, for example from Dover to Loch Ness (Fort Augustus)?

[@worldvegantravel]

My goodness...this video must have been a heavy lift to put together. The research, collecting the shots, all the different angles, scripting and putting it together in an organised way and then the editing... Well done.

[@evan]

Wow, thank you! Yes it was an unwieldy beast.

[@therealvbw]

What a collab! Love a bit of transport.

[@dagreek7]

Very interesting video Evan! I feel like one aspect of London you didn't mention is that the end destination of tube trains often change. I.e. you wait for the district line train to Wimbledon, so it to change its mind halfway through and go to Ealing Broadway!

[@stefanmisch5272]

Less strikes he says... and releases the video a day before a BVG Strike. 🥴

[@redpinkgreenknitting1096]

I love my Berlin Trams. More please...Also Berlin transport has been working on installing "Flüstergleise" (whispering tracks) that have made it all quieter.

[@michasreisefieber]

With the Deutschlandticket you can use nearly every regional train between Citys. You can get all around Germany without extra paying. There are a few exceptions for touristic or completly private operated lines. But you also forgot to mention, that even if you have no Deutschland tickets with the Standard Tickets or Day Tickets in Berlin you can also use the Regional trains in the City. That means you can get really fast from one end to the other of the City or from the Airport to the City without extra costs. In London you are stuck on the underground and overground that are not so fast. Also from most of the airports you need to take expansive special trains. That should give another point to Berlin.

[@mossy_oak]

I am so here for this recent shift into solid informative transit content

[@danielanoll4069]

Can't really compare as I haven't been in Berlin for ages but I'm always impressed how easy it is to use the London tube. Like how they place signs so people don't stand in awkward spots holding up the flow of passengers who know where they're going. I even use the tube map to find my way around on the street level

[@kasziel]

Great video as usual! Just a couple of add ons: the Sbahn, not only goes around the city, but through it as well as over and underground. Also in the Deutschlandticket Regional trains are inlcuded (RB, not IC or ICE) and you can buy tickets on the run using the ticket app, so no need to get the paper ones and validate them. ;)

[@timj11dude]

I think at 16:08 the contest is over, end of video, Berlin/Germany win.

[@berlineczka]

18:17 There is actually a logical explanation for the B and C zone difference. A is within the Ringbahn, B is within the city border outside of Ringbahn, C is beyond the city border.

[@alexjg87]

Great comparison, though I have to challenge your view of the Sourth Lonodn metro network; it sounds as though you lived in an ackward location (and the same issue exists in the North). The South London rail network was one of the reasons I moved from North to South; my commute from Archway (Zone 2) to the City was swealtering in the summer, involved 8 stops on the Northern line and took around 25 minutes. Since moving to Eltham (Zone 4; the map you showed is missing my and quite a few other South London metro lines) in South East London I now have a 4 stop service into London Bridge, taking 18 minutes and also have direct trains to Waterloo East, Charing Cross, Cannon Street and Victoria, allowing me to very easily and quickly get to large parts of central London without changing. So my commute took less time to go twice the distance and I get the benefits of nicer housing at an affordable price, green spaces and trees everywhere and if I am out centrally after the last train I can get the Jubilee or Lizzy lines to North Greenwich/Woolwich and take a 15 min bus.

[@belovedltd]

I noticed this as well. It was shortly after mentioning the normal train service but the map used to illustrate the lack of options was the TfL map which didn't include the mainland train lines. Plus I used to commute from Peckham as well and I just walked to the train station in Peckham then from the station at the other end to work - so I think you're right about it just being about awkward start and end points (which can happen anywhere)

[@Mochi.Rin_Official]

would love to see this expand into a series where you create a ranking of various european cities across various countries based on these criteria

[@durabelle]

@@Mochi.Rin_Official I'd love it too! I was already comparing both of these to the public transit system in Helsinki, but I don't have all the data to score it properly, and I'm too lazy to do the digging 🤣 I can say that signage there is very good, but at the same time you can't really talk about an underground network, when it's just a two-headed fork 😂 But hey, at least you can't ever get lost!