Many of the world’s largest and most popular cities have become much easier to explore ever since the invention of underground railways. These are some of the best underground/subway systems across the globe.
1. London, England
The famous underground system in London is commonly referred to as the tube. Many of the stationswere used as air raid bombing shelters during World War II. London was the first city in the world to build an underground rail network. It was opened way back in 1863 and consists of 11 different lines, with one of them linking the city to Heathrow Airport. There are currently 270 stations in the system and approximately 3 million people utilize it every day.
2. Seoul, South Korea
This city’s Metropolitan Subway consists of 436 stations. It stretches all the way from Seoul out to the city of Incheon and the province of Gyeonggi. It’s estimated that 8 million people ride the trains each day.
3. Prague, the Czech Republic
Prague is home to Europe’s seventh-busiest metro subway system with about 1.5 million passengers riding the rails each and every day. There are 57 stations in total with many of them featuring walls that have been decorated in colorful tiles.
4. Moscow, Russia
This is one of the busiest underground networks on the planet with about 7 million passengers utilizing it per day. There are a dozen different rail lines in the network. It’s a great way to travel across Moscow and many of the stations are uniquely decorated with fine artwork.
5. Berlin, Germany
Berlin’s subway system is known as the U-Bahn. It features a total of 173 rail stations on 9 different lines. However, some of the routes were severed years ago when the city was divided into East and West Berlin. They reopened after the Berlin Wall came tumbling down.
6. Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo ranks right up there as the busiest underground system on earth. It’s estimated that about 8.7 million people use the network on a daily basis. It consists of 13 different rail lines that host 282stations.
7. Vienna, Austria
Vienna’s network is also known as the U-Bahn and it’s regarded as one of the best-operated subway systems in the world. The Austrians have upgraded the lines and stations many times since they were opened back in 1976. It’s estimated that 1.3 million people use it daily.
8. Paris, France
The underground in Paris is known as the Metro and it is made up of 16 different lines and 300 stations. Many of them come with Art Nouveau designs making the stations quite attractive to users.
9. New York, USA
New York is home to one of the oldest and most-storied subway systems in the world. The first station was opened back in 1904. It’s also one of the only networks on the globe that runs 24 hours a day. Itshuttles about 5 million people around the city every day.
10. Beijing, China
The first underground line in Beijing was launched in 1971. There are now 9 different lines with 147stations on them. The city hopes to have 19 lines in service by the time 2015 rolls around. It moves about 4 million people a day.
11. Sao Paulo, Brazil
This metro system sees about 3.3 million people using it for transportation each day. There are currently 55 stations in the network in 2012 and plans are to have 156 of them in place by 2017.
12. Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm’s underground system consists of 7 lines and 100 stations. It’s estimated that a million people use it each day with some of the track being above ground.
