As a transit reporter for The Times, I spend a lot of time interviewing New Yorkers on lurching subway trains and jam-packed platforms. Ask about subway service, and riders are quick to rattle off a litany of complaints: overcrowding, constant delays, filthy stations and poor communication when problems arise.

My editors on the Metro desk decided to send me to London, a city that has been working aggressively to modernize its subway and reduce delays. It was like being dropped into an alternate universe where people actually like their subway.

On the upgraded Victoria line, subway riders used adjectives like “amazing” and “efficient” to describe service. A student told me he “very, very rarely” finds himself waiting on the platform, and trains were “almost always” on time. Every two minutes they pulled into the station like clockwork. I was a bit envious. On the F line in Brooklyn, I often find myself peering down the tracks wondering if my train will ever come.

Sure, Londoners have some complaints about the Tube, as their subway is called. During rush hour, officials sometimes shut down stations because they are too crowded. Labor strikes are common. The fares are much higher. (In London, you pay depending on how far you go; a trip from the Tooting neighborhood, where Mayor Sadiq Khan lives, to central London costs 3.30 pounds, or more than $4. New York has a flat $2.75 fare.)

Some riders were stunned to be approached by a nosy American reporter interrupting their peaceful commute. A local transit official told me eye contact was discouraged on the Tube. There are two appropriate places to focus your gaze: your neighbor’s shoes and the ceiling.