9 Fascinating Facts About the Subway

Subways are essential to urban life, providing efficient transportation in cities worldwide. Here are some fascinating facts about subways.

Interesting Facts About the Subway:

1. New York City Subway: The New York City Subway, opened in 1904, is the longest and has the most stations of any subway system globally. It spans 1,355 km with 468 stations.
2. Shortest Subways: The shortest subways are in Italy. The Catania Metro and the Perugia MiniMetro are only 4 km (6 stations) and 3.7 km (7 stations) long, respectively.
3. Oldest Subway: The oldest subway in the world is the London Underground, which opened in 1863. Londoners call their subway “The Tube” due to the tunnel’s tube-like shape. The London Underground now consists of 11 lines with over 400 km of track and more than 260 stations.
4. First Issues: As pioneers in subway construction, London faced issues such as smoke from steam engines and cold carriages due to initial designs without roofs. They replaced the carriages and later transitioned from coal to electricity, a lesson learned by subway builders worldwide.
5. Busiest Subway: Tokyo Metro has the highest annual ridership, serving over 3 billion passengers yearly. It uses three different track gauges (1,435 mm, 1,372 mm, and 1,067 mm).
6. Moscow Metro: The largest subway system in Russia, the Moscow Metro, opened in 1935. It ranks 4th globally in annual ridership (after Tokyo, Seoul, and Beijing) and 5th in length, spanning 313 km. Unlike New York and London, where the contact rail lies on the tracks, Moscow’s contact rail is mounted on a bracket beside the tracks and mostly enclosed for safety.
7. Post-War Design: Many Russian subway stations built in the first post-war decade feature hermetic gates designed to ensure station airtightness in case of flooding or nuclear attack. The subway was intended to serve as a shelter for two days, during which radiation levels would decrease to safe evacuation levels.
8. Stockholm Metro: Known for its unique decoration, the Stockholm Metro is often called “the world’s longest art gallery.”
9. Escalator Handrails: The handrails of escalators move slightly faster when going up and slower when going down compared to the steps. This intentional design helps passengers lean in the opposite direction of the moving steps, reducing the risk of falling during sudden stops.