If anyone doesn't know what he is talking about check here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serfaus

The route map is incredibly well organized and very easy to understand. All areas of the city are within walking distance of a subway stop. The stops are ultra-clean and reasonably modern.

The subway itself runs on an air cushion like a hovercraft so the ride is incredibly smooth and vibration-free.

The price is also much, much, much more reasonable than every other subway on the list.

J!

of speed, comfort, facilities, cost, environment, ease of use,reliablity and interoperability with buses.

However the virgin piece does not actually list what criteria they are using to rank

them, and just seems to have come up with : gee here are 11 big subway systems!

Some of the Moscow stations are truely incredible works of art with murals, lighting and paintwork in amazing colours and detail.

London's Underground in comparison has tiny trains, no air con, no toilets at stations, can't use mobile phones, often delays, clapped out shabby stations ( though that is improving these days) ,very expensive, complicated fare rules when trying to interchange with the overground rail network, very very little foreign language signs or help ( though that is improving with the new ticket machines) and interchange with buses only works if you have a "travelcard", a concept that does not exist here in Seoul.

You show a Korean a average London station and they will laugh at how small and shabby it is.

Still London was the first underground railway in the world, and those tunnels are still in daily use today ( between Kings Cross and Baker Street )

I once asked a stranger waiting on a train near Sapporo which way to go for the station I was looking for and since he did not know, he suddenly ran to the top of the subway entrance leaving me on the platform and got a subway official to come down and help me out.

I guess I just find it hard to believe that everyone claims to has found a station labeling marker in TOKYO that doesn't have the name also written in English because I have yet to find one — and I think I've been to every place someone traveling in Tokyo would go, plus many places more.

However if you get outside of Tokyo to the country side, then you won't find English names on all the stations, but those places wont have subway service to begin with, only above ground rail. That's the only time I've ever seen a station name without English on it, but that wasn't a subway.

I don't know about the subways in Oosaka and Kyoto though, only Tokyo.

Seoul gets higher marks than the others in that category.

When I travel to places with little English, I make .jpg files with words like "airport" in the local language and upload them to my digital camera. This sure helps getting around even if there are no English signs or speakers.

Trying to get a stranger to look at your camera can be a bit confusing but once they do, it never fails to delight them when they see what you are doing. Everyone is always helpful.

J!

"But, as far a signs, Korea’s writing system was so easy to memorize, even if the maps and signs didn’t have English, you could sound out the names."

How many foreigners besides myself learned to read Hangeul by matching Korean and English letters on the large, round bilingual signboards in every station?