Singapore Mass Rapid Transit
Many major cities in Asia have benefited from the lessons of the first underground railway builders in Europe and North America. Instead of small tunnels and cramped trains, commuters in cities like Singapore enjoy large trains and spacious stations, helping to create vibrant community hubs.
Although it only opened in 1987, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) is the oldest metro network in Southeast Asia, as well as the busiest. High land values in this compact city also make it the most expensive subway system in the world, with construction costs reaching $111.5 billion through 2021.
Most parts of the 140-mile (225 km), six-line, fully automated network are above ground, although some parts have recently gone underground, with some stations designed to be stretched and zoned. public air defense shelter. Like the city it serves, the MRT is famous for its cleanliness and efficiency. To keep it that way, smoking, drinking and eating are prohibited at stations and on the train – and this includes the strong-smelling pineapple that many locals love!
Berlin U-Bahn
With more than 3.7 million inhabitants, the German capital enjoys one of the densest and best-integrated urban public transport systems in the world. 120 years since its first underground railway opened (the U-Bahn), Berlin has undergone unique upheavals, placing it at the epicenter of World War II and the Cold War.
First opened in 1902, Berlin’s earliest underground railways are about as old as those in Paris and New York City and share many features. The bright yellow trains continue their trip on suburban steel bridges before plunging into compact tunnels under the city centre. Crossing the famous Oberbaum Bridge on Line U1 – the oldest part of the system – is a must-see experience in Berlin.
Today, the U-Bahn network includes nine lines and 174 stations – 90% of which are underground – carrying more than 1.5 million passengers every day. Complementing the U-Bahn are the red and cream S-Bahn trains, which provide quicker trips across the city.
The 16 healthy S-Bahn lines are Berlin’s main arteries, connecting the most important locations to its vast area. Best known is the elevated Stadtbahn, which offers a wonderful tour of the city’s famous features from the Zoologischer Garten in the west through the Tiergarten park and Berlin Hauptbahnhof (main station) to Alexanderplatz, where There is a Communist-era Television Tower.
The S-Bahn and U-Bahn trains can interchange with bus and tram lines in well-organized hubs, creating an excellent transport network, reaching every corner of the once occupied city. divide.
Moscow Metro
Moscow Metro
One of the Soviet Union’s engineering marvels was the spectacular Moscow Metro underground railway system. Famous for its unique underground stations elaborately decorated to honor workers, farmers and soldiers, the network was designed to serve both the function of protecting citizens from nuclear attacks as well as keep moving.
While many of the newer stations and those farther from the city center are less decorative, the Moscow Metro’s best stations have, in more normal times, become tourist attractions, inspired by castles of the Tsar.
The network’s strong growth in the 21st century brought it to 14 lines radiating from the city centre, along with the Koltsevaya (inner circle) and the recently completed 36-mile “Big Circle” line. Reaching more than 8 million Muscovites every day, the Metro is one of the busiest and most extensive systems in the world, with 269 miles (432 km) of rail and 258 stations.
Glasgow Subway
With just one circular line around the city centre, Glasgow Subway has difficulty meeting the criteria for a metro “system”. But its age and strange characteristics make it widely notable.
When it opened in 1896, it was the third underground railway system in the world – after London and Budapest – and was a statement about the Scottish city’s industrial and economic might. Two small tunnels run clockwise and counterclockwise for more than six miles to connect the city center with communities south and north of the River Clyde that were once famous for their shipbuilding and engineering industries. heavy magic.
Originally operated by cable, the electric trains were converted in 1935 and closed for re-period to modern standards in 1977-79. New Swiss-built trains gave the underground railway the name “Clockwork Orange”, although pure orange and white colors replaced the bright black and red of the old locomotives. Uniqueness and long history are the main attractions of Glasgow Subway, a system that holds its own in the world of urban underground railways.
Shanghai Mass Rapid Transit
If Beijing is China’s political heart, then Shanghai is its vibrant center of innovation, commerce and finance – the largest city in the country with the world’s largest population. Transporting this dense community has played a key role in its phenomenal growth over the past 30 years.
Opened in 1993, the Metro System quickly expanded to become the longest and busiest subway network in the world. Currently, it has 19 lines serving 14 of Shanghai’s 16 districts and a metropolitan area of nearly 40 million people.
Competing with Beijing for the title of longest and busiest subway system in the world, Shanghai currently exceeds 500 miles, but expansion plans would take it to 620 miles (about 1,000 kilometers) and 25 lines by 2025. By then, no place in central Shanghai will be more than 2,000 feet (600 meters) from a subway station.
With 408 stations, the system is currently carrying more than 10 million passengers per day, and the single-day record was an impressive 13.3 million rides on March 8, 2019.
“L” of Chicago: Symbol of the Windy City
Chicago’s famous subway, known as the “L” (short for “elevated”), is one of the city’s defining characteristics. “L” has appeared in many film and television productions, such as “The Blues Brothers”, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “ER”. In 2005, “L” was voted one of the seven wonders of Chicago.
“L” was built in the late 19th century, when Chicago was a strong economic and industrial center. To solve the traffic problem, the city chose to run electric trains on steel bridges high above the street. This has created a unique architectural style and promoted the economic development of the central area.
Currently, the “L” has eight lines, 145 stations and 103 miles (about 166 km) of track, running at ground level, surface, tunnel or cut. “L” is one of three subway systems in the world that operates 24/7. In 2022, “L” served more than 100 million trips, making it the second busiest public transportation system in the United States.
Delhi Metro: India’s largest metro system
Delhi Metro is one of India’s most successful community transport projects. Started in 2002, Delhi Metro has become the country’s largest and busiest metro network, with more than two billion rides by 2023.
Delhi Metro has 12 lines, 288 stations, 250 miles (about 400 km) long, ranking 12th in the world in distance and 16th in number of trips. Delhi Metro serves not only the capital Delhi but also neighboring cities such as Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noiza and Ghadiabad.
Delhi Metro has solved the problem of congestion and air pollution in Delhi, where the population doubled between 1981 and 1998. Delhi Metro also helps people save time and energy, as each day they have can save 66 minutes compared to driving.
MTR: Hong Kong’s pinnacle railway system
Hong Kong is a crowded city, located between sea and mountains, where railway construction is a major challenge. However, since 1975, the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) has established a reputation for quality, performance and reliability.
MTR has an “on-time” rate of 99.9%, the highest in the world. MTR also has an effective financial model, when building new lines to develop new areas of the city. This model is inspired by Tokyo and London.
MTR has ten lines, 99 stations, more than 150 miles long, connecting Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. MTR also has high-speed rail to the airport and Disneyland. MTR stations are clean and spacious.
MTR is not only successful in Hong Kong, but has also expanded into China, Sweden, Australia and the UK, where it manages London’s Elizabeth Railway.
Budapest Metro
Hungarian engineers were pioneers in the field of electrical technology that was developed in the late 19th century, especially in the field of railways.
Although London opened its first underground railway, it initially used conventional steam trains. Budapest recently built the world’s first electric underground railway system.
The M1 railway was completed in 1896 and was a breakthrough for urban public transport, introducing electric lighting in stations and carriages, bi-directional carriages and the use of electric lighting in stations and carriages. top-down wiring instead of ground-level contact rails to supply power to the trains.
Known as the “Little Underground Railway,” the M1 runs under Andrássy Avenue on the Pest side of the city from Andrássy Square to Városliget (City Park).
Designed to take city dwellers to the park without spoiling the elegant streetscape of subways and electric wires, the line has undergone many changes over the past 120 years, but the small trains still carry about 80,000 passengers per day, part of a network consisting of four routes that expanded between 1970 and 2014.
