Cheap, reliable - every Tube but ours

It will come as no surprise, but we have the most disrupted, overcrowded and costly underground network in the world.

That's the conclusion of the Evening Standard's panel of commuters, who have detailed the trials of travelling around five of the world's major cities. They examined the time, cost and comfort of journeys in Moscow, Paris, Berlin, New York and London.

The survey's results come on the day that Ken Livingstone goes to Moscow to witness the success of its underground - and confirms a recent report showing commuting by public transport in London takes longer than anywhere else in Europe. Daily disruptions make the average journey in the capital 51 minutes long compared to 33 minutes in Barcelona, 36 minutes in Frankfurt and 42 minutes in Paris.

In Moscow, the longest wait for a morning peak hour train is 90 seconds. In the rush hour, trains are expected to arrive 45 seconds after the last one has departed. The cost of a single ride is just five roubles, or 11 pence.

In Berlin it is unusual to have to stand at any time of the day on the overground S-Bahn and underground U-Bahn, the joined-up transit network. Delays are rare and last 10 minutes or less unless there are exceptional problems.

Parisian trains are clean and quiet apart from the few stretches packed with tourists. But best of all are the prices. Tickets cost £4.50 for a book of 10, or 45p for a trip anywhere - there are no zones. A £26 one-month "Carte Orange" pass makes journeys even cheaper.

New York's stations and trains seem older and dirtier than ours but most commuter journeys into that city take 10-15 minutes on express trains that cut out all but the main stations. Despite its former reputation as a muggers' playground, the Big Apple's subway is also safe, carrying 4.7 million passengers every day.

Why London Underground really is the poor relation
Commentary by Tony Travers