On the Atchison, Topeka, and Taipei

A quick question for all of my friends back in New York. I really do want your opinion on this question, so please post your comments using the Comments feature:

Can a city transit system really call itself a subway if, in the course of travelling on it, one experiences the following:

1) Not a single person brake dances in the aisles.
2) No one approaches you with a story of how his apartment burned down two weeks ago and asks you for money.
3) No one offers you eternal salvation if you would just take Jesus Christ as your savior.
4) All platforms are spotlessly clean, and devoid of any smell of urine.
5) People politely line up to enter and exit the train, along clearly marked lines.
6) No chewing gum is to be found underneath the seats, as drinking, smoking, and chewing gum are all prohibited while in transit.
7) All announcements are comprehensible not just in one language, but in two--the second being a language not even native to the country!
8) The car you ride in does not stop mysteriously between stations due to a "police investigation" or "trackwork up ahead."
9) New lines open with some regularity.
10) There are no lines planned to be built before the Great Depression that will likely remain unbuilt even in the lifetimes of our grandchildren.
11) Weekend journeys do not require a crystal ball to figure out how to deal with "construction" and "repairs".
12) Three inches of rain falling in an hour does not cause the whole system to collapse.

All of these things I found to be true riding around on Taipei's MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) system this week. So I ask you, cant he MRT properly be called a subway system?

More seriously, the MRT is truly a wonder and, after years of dealing with the New York subway, truly a Godsend. About the only serious drawback I can see to the MRT, versus the New York subway, is that it closes down for six hours a night. But even that can be seen as an advantage, as it means that repairs do not get put off for years and years. All stations are bright, handicap accessible, and equipped with elevators and escalators that are almost always working. Exits give clear directions to local sites and attractions.

Now, I will admit that so far, my usage has been limited to one ride out to a school where I had to observe a class. I am staying in Taipei temporarily to receive some teacher training, most of which is rather redundant given the training course I already took in New York. But at least it has gotten me into Taipei.

My hour at the Internet cafe is almost up. More soon.