The White Elephant Rolls

Well, at last, the Buangkok MRT station was opened yesterday, not a moment too soon for the residents who live around that area, it seems. Many were filmed rushing towards the faregates for their first...errr...ride? Heck, haven't these people been riding on the subway trains for well over 2 years? So why the rush? The scene reminded me of the day when Windows 95 was released in the US. People just rushing up to pay money for the next new thing.

Taking the train yesterday was certainly not free. The place may be new, but the novelty of the place will soon wear out. And there are no prizes for being first, unless you feel that being featured on the News that evening is a good enough prize. Unfortunately, the first person attempting to enter the faregates had some problems, either with his farecard or something else. He had to have some help from the station staff. Well, so much for a smooth start to the service on the first day.

One thing is for sure, we'd probably have a bigger crowd now when people commute to the office. We are told that about 3,500 additional people will be added to the crowd. Well, let's brace ourselves for a squeezy ride.

Actually, we should call this station the Elephant station for the notoriety gained through the White Elephant incident. It looks white from the outside, anyway.

Picture source: ChannelNewsAsia.com