the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as half an hour.
This reminds me of going on US 75, especially during rush hour. Everything is full of cars and smoke and you have to slowly amble on sometimes a few feet every few minutes. It's a pain especially in the summer because it's hot and way too sunny. I can see the people in the book waiting for their train just like me waiting in my car for the car in front of me to keep on moving.