Metro Systems of the World

 

First of all, what is a metro system? A metro system is any form of rapid transit within a town or city that provides easy commuting for the town or city's residents, especially those who go to work everyday.

 

 

Metro systems have a long, vibrant history. The first metro system was the London Metropolitan Railway, which started out as an underground, steam locomotive-hauled train line between the Farringdon and Paddington districts of the city in 1863. The locomotives ran on coke to prevent smoke. It was a huge success and since then, the metro has vastly expanded, and continues to expand, in all parts of the city. It was also the first metro system to be electrified.

                                                                  Kolkata Metro- India's First Metro System

                                                                                    

Since then, there have been numerous metro systems all over the world, from the U.S.A. to Japan. The world's longest metro system (by route length and number of stations) is the New York City Subway, which started operations in 1904. Its total track length is 842 miles (1,355 km).The busiest metro system in the world is the Tokyo Metro, with a daily ridership of 8.7 million.

 

Though most metro systems provide cheap  and fast transport to many people in many cities containing them, they are very expensive to both construct and operate; most metro systems run of a deficit, or loss. Also, they are often the scenes of violence or theft.   

 

                               Tehran Metro- World's Second Safest Metro     



                                                       

I've currently traveled on three metro systems; the New York City Subway, the Chicago L', and the Kolkata Metro. All of them, as with most metro systems in the world, provide cheap, fast, and relatively comfortable city commutes.

 

                             Cairo Metro- One of Africa's Only Two Metros