Do You Know The World's Largest Subway Systems?

From The Series: Do You Know? From: karlascottspeaker.blogspot.com

Today’s topic: Worlds biggest subway systems.

Do you know the worlds largest, oldest, fastest, broadest subway systems?

When you're traveling around the world, it's good to know that there are public transit systems available to help you move around the city with ease, safely. Underground subway systems offer the convenience of getting where you want when you want without the hassle of having to flag down a taxi or rent a car. In just about all cases, it's the most cost effective option. In some cases, it is the fastest means of going from A to B.

I look forward to taking subways when I travel because it gives a great snapshot of how the residents live.

Here are the world’s top subways (based upon annual volume of riders) along with commentary.

Beijing
The Beijing Subway is a relatively new subway system that opened in 1969 and serves Beijing and the surrounding suburbs. Its expansion for the 2008 Olympics, catipulted it to the #1 position as it transports 5 billion annual passengers on 300 miles of track.


Moscow
Until Beijing expanded its system to prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games, the Moscow subway system had the biggest ridership of all metro systems throughout the world, with 3.2 billion riders annually traveling on 12 subway lines to 172 stations. In total, the Moscow Metro covers approximately 178 miles. On an average weekday, the subway itself carries about 8.2 million passengers. While most of the Moscow trains run underground, some lines cross bridges and provide scenic views of the Moskva River and the Yauza River.


Tokyo
Tokyo’s system, carrying 2.6 billion riders annually, is modern and extremely clean. The rains are on time. The seats are heated. Trains always stop in the same place alongside markers. Subway stops are announced in both Japanese and English.


Seoul
The Seoul Metropolitan Subway is one of the most heavily used subway systems in the world with more than 8 million daily trips. It is also one of the biggest subway stations worldwide, running 179.4 miles in length. The trains mostly run underground, but 30% of the system is above ground.


Mexico City
It is the second largest metro system in North America after the New York City Subway, and in 2008 the system served 1.467 billion passengers, placing it as the fifth highest ridership in the world.

New York City
The New York City rapid transit system is one of the most extensive public transit systems worldwide. It has grown from 28 stations when it was founded in October of 1904 to 462 stations presently. Service is 24 hours a day.


Paris
The Paris subway system is the second oldest in the world (the initial system was completed in 1900) and aids roughly 1.365 billion people with their daily commutes. Running over 133.7 miles of track and stopping at 380 stations, it has extensive coverage throughout the city.


Osaka, Japan
Ranks 8th in the world with 125 stations on 8 lines.


London
The London Underground is Europe's largest metro subway system and is the world's oldest underground system (it was inaugurated in 1863). It covers 253 miles of track and transports 976 million people yearly. The Underground is also connected to a variety of rail services to London's surrounding areas (including the Eurostar to Paris).


Hong Kong
The Hong Kong subway, also known as the Mass Transit Railway (which translates to "underground railway" in English), was established in 1979. Despite its relatively small size compared (56 miles) to other transit systems, the MTR transports an average of 2.46 million rides per day. The Hong Kong system is based on a British design. Some characteristics provided by Virgin Air Travel are: efficient and frequent service on high-capacity cars. It is extremely affordable, clean and modern with air-conditioned cars. It uses the Octopus contactless smart card for subway currency, allowing travelers to swipe their card near the turnstile for easy access to train platforms.


St Petersburg
The Saint Petersburg Metro is one of the deepest subway systems in the world and the deepest by the average depth of all the stations. The system's deepest station, Admiralteyskaya, is 105 metres below ground. Serving nearly three million passengers daily, it is also the 13th busiest subway system in the world.


Madrid, Spain
The Madrid Metro is the second largest underground system in Europe and the sixth largest system in the world. It has 141.7 miles of track and an additional 27.5 miles are expected to be completed soon. The Madrid Metro is the densest metro network in the world.

Source: Jane's Urban Transport Systems, and individual subway websites.