The big squeeze

When I still worked in Makati and would take the MRT going from Cubao to Buendia Station, I'd often brace myself for the huge morning crowd of commuters that pile up after 7:30am (It's usually not THAT crowded before that time.) Sometimes, the crowd would grow too big that they'd stop letting passengers in the station until they've thinned out the crowd by the tracks. It was a "ritual" that I expected and grew accustomed to.

Once in the platform, I'd usually find myself squeezed in between jostling commuters who are simply trying to get in the train. This is when you'll hear people shouting: "Madami pa diyan sa gitna" or "Ano ba! Pumasok nga kayo ng maayos" to the usual "Huwag niyo naman akong itulak!". And once that fracas finishes, you'd often hear people sigh: "Talaga naman... sa Pilipinas lang nangyayari ito."

Well here's a newsflash: This happens in most big cities around the world.

I've experienced this type of jostling and pushing in Tokyo, Barcelona, in the US, and yes, even here in Hong Kong.

Just like the MRT rush hours, they also have MTR rush hours. In the afternoon, it starts at 5:30pm and ends at around 7pm. And that's the reason why I avoid riding the trains during these hours. But in case I can't avoid it, here's the crowd I have to contend with.



This is actually a thin crowd compared to the others I've seen. Sometimes, the sea of people reaches as far as 15 feet across, and there are times when I have to wait 20 minutes in the middle of this type of crowd before boarding a train.





So to people who love to whine about how bad the MTR is, don't fret too much because it happens even in "first world" countries. In some of the countries I've visited, I've also experienced being squeezed in, pushed out of a train, and worse, being pulled out of one! Strange, but true.

Heck, at least I haven't been pulled out of a train in Manila before. And in that aspect, I'll consider myself lucky.