Features

Ten top metros of the world

29 Feb 2012 by BusinessTraveller

Too hot, too crowded, too expensive – there’s a lot to gripe about when it comes to subways, but which ones are the best in the world? Jenny Southan investigates.

Like veins in the human body, metros are the vessels through which the lifeblood of a city flows. And when the system becomes clogged or damaged, the negative repercussions are felt throughout society. In his book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell makes the connection between the facelift New York’s subway received in the late eighties and the subsequent dramatic drop in crime.

Three decades ago, the Big Apple’s underground system was in a terrible state – carriages were covered in graffiti, fare-dodging and panhandling were rife, and muggings, assaults and murders commonplace. In 1984, there was a fire somewhere on the system every day. The Transit Authority (TA) decided that one way to tackle the problem was to create the appearance of order – carriages were therefore repainted religiously until, by about 1990, the youths who were vandalising them gave up and the graffiti epidemic was crushed.

Surprisingly, both petty and serious crime across New York also began to plummet – a widely recognised phenomenon that supports “broken windows theory”, which states there is a relationship between badly maintained urban environments and anti-social behaviour. The start of the new decade also saw the TA clamp down hard on those subway users who had not bought tickets, and by 2000, the number of felonies committed on the system had gone down by 75 per cent. Which goes to show the wider impact a well-functioning metro can have.

So which cities have the best systems? The 2011 Metro Rail awards gave top place to the London Underground, while Metro de Madrid scooped the prize for most innovative use of technology, RATP Paris won the best in Europe, Seoul Metro the best in Asia-Pacific and Chicago Transit the best in the Americas.

Ahead of the 2012 results, out this month, we have compiled (in no particular order) ten of the best, taking into consideration factors such as ease of use, price, coverage, maintenance, cleanliness, safety, design, hours of operation, punctuality and technological innovation.

1) LONDON

 

Having opened as a 6km stretch in 1863, the Tube is the world’s oldest subway, with 408km of track (the second-largest after Shanghai), 275 stations (55 per cent of which are above ground), 11 lines and three million journeys made every day. While older carriages can get stuffy, a £1.5 billion programme to install 191 cooler, more spacious trains, serving 40 per cent of the network, is under way and due to be completed by 2015 – no mean feat when most of the tunnels date back to Victorian times.

Green Park, King’s Cross St Pancras and Stratford stations have been revamped in time for the Olympics, with ongoing works at Victoria, Tottenham Court Road and Bond Street. The Tube runs from about 5.30am to 12.30am (a bugbear with night owls, admittedly), and although expensive – single tickets cost from £4.30 – using a pre-paid Oyster card is cheaper (from £2). Up to 120 stations will get wifi access by the summer.

The Underground is rubbish-free and safe, begging is not permitted, and forcing buskers to audition for permits means you will enjoy some decent music. There are even ongoing art projects to lift the spirits of travellers. When there are delays, drivers provide frequent updates to passengers, and clear signposting and an iconic map make it easy to use. Visit tfl.gov.uk

2) PARIS

The French capital’s art nouveau Métro dates back to 1900 and is one of the world’s densest underground systems, with its 301 stations only 548 metres apart on average. Single tickets cost e1.70 and one-day passes e9.75. Once validated, standard tickets can be used for travel on the Métro, buses, trams and zone one of the RER express train network for 90 minutes.

With 16 lines stretching 214km, it is open 5.30am-1.15am (2.15am on Fridays and Saturdays) and carries 4.5 million people a day. The Métro also boasts one of the world’s largest underground stations, Châtelet-Les Halles, with five metro and three RER rail lines. Quieter rubber-tired trains (which have since been adopted in Montréal, Santiago and Mexico City) are found on five lines, although older trains have doors that have to be opened manually.

In May last year, operator RATP began to roll out 49 new automated MP05 trains on line one, the network’s busiest – this will be complete by the end of the year. Trains on this route sport new red flooring, better lighting and information screens, while 12 stations on line 13 now have platform-edge doors to improve safety. RATP is also investing e90 million in modernising ventilation and smoke extraction, and is campaigning to encourage civility among passengers. Visit ratp.fr/en

3) MADRID

Dating back to 1919, the Spanish capital’s Metro transports about two million people between its 300 stations – 81 of which were built between 2003 and 2007 – every day. At the same time, several new lines and extensions are under way. Newer stations such as Getafe Central are light and spacious, while cross-platform interchanges for speedy transfers can be found in Casa de Campo and Principe Pio. All are well maintained, and many platforms and carriages have TV screens showing local news. Goya station has engravings by the artist, while Chamartin features a giant “digital waterfall”.

The 12 lines offer a 293km network that is open from 6am to 1.30am daily. You can travel from the city centre to the airport in 12 minutes. Single tickets cost from e1.50. A free library service known as “Bibliometro” allows the public to borrow books in 12 stations. Visit metromadrid.es

4) STOCKHOLM

The Swedish capital unveiled its first metro line in 1950 and, today, the stylish, high-tech network has 108km of track across three lines. There are 100 stations – about half of which are underground – distributed across the city’s islands. During the week, Tunnelbana trains run from 5am to 1am, while at weekends they operate all night every 30 minutes. Single zone tickets valid for one to two hours cost from SKr 36 (£3.40), while travel cards for one, three or seven days start from SKr 115 (£10.80).

Operator SL says that “art helps to reduce criminal damage and vandalism”, and, as a result, 90 stations are decorated with frescoes, mosaics, paintings and installations. You can also take guided art tours. As in New York, the system suffered badly from graffiti throughout the 1980s but, nowadays, if a train is defaced it is immediately taken out of service and cleaned up. Visit sl.se/en

5) BERLIN

Getting around the German capital is made easy by its extensive U Bahn railway, 80 per cent of which is underground. The 146km of track serves 173 stations across ten lines, and is integrated with the S Bahn network, which has 15 lines and 166 stations that extend into the neighbouring state of Brandenburg. Dating back to 1902, the U Bahn lines linking East and West Berlin were severed in 1961, and stations in the German Democratic Republic closed until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. In 1995, the network was completely unified.

Today, more than one million passengers use the U Bahn per day, and examples of 1960s minimalism, 1970s pop art and postmodernism are present in many of the stations. Olympia-Stadion has a metro museum. Line U5 is being extended westwards – at present, U55 (an extension of U5), which opened in 2009, links Berlin Hauptbahnhof with the Bundestag and Brandenburger Tor, but by 2017 it will be connected to Alexanderplatz.

Single tickets are valid for two hours and cost from e2.30. Frequent, reliable services run from 5am to 1am (all night at weekends). Mobile phones can be used in all stations and tunnels, and many carriages are fitted with flatscreen TVs showing news. It is clean, safe and you can even take your bike on board, so long as you have bought a ticket for it. Visit bvg.de

6) TOKYO

Famed for its white-gloved “pushers” who force commuters on to overflowing carriages, the Japanese capital’s subway, which opened in 1927, serves almost nine million passengers a day, making it the busiest in the world. With 274 stations and a 300km reach, it has two operators – Tokyo Metro, which has nine lines, and Toei Subway, with four.

While foreigners will struggle to make sense of the vast system – much of the signage is in Japanese and the psychedelic spaghetti map is complicated – more English is being introduced and stops are numbered and colour-coded. Every station also plays a unique jingle so blind people know where they are. Prices start from ¥160 (£1.30) and commuters can pay with Pasmo/Suica electronic money cards. Japanese residents can also set up Mobile Suica to pay with their phones. From this month, wifi will be available not only in stations but on trains, although voice calls are banned. 

While carriages are packed during rush hour, they are clean, air conditioned and well designed. People queue politely to get on, masks are worn by users with colds, and there are women-only cars at peak times. But one of the best things about the system is its punctuality – if your train is late, the station will issue you with a certificate to give to your boss to prove it. It’s open from about 5am to 1am. Visit tokyometro.jp/en

7) HONG KONG

Fast, clean and efficient, the MTR was unveiled in 1979 and carries about four million people a day. It has 175km of track, more than 80 rapid transit stations, 69 light rail stops and ten lines serving Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. There is also an Airport Express. The MTR operates from about 6am to 1am with trains running every two or three minutes at peak times.

Tickets are cheap (from HK$4/33p for a single) and can be bought from English-language machines, while prepaid Octopus cards provide discounts. Wifi is available at 32 stations and on Airport Express trains (buy a PCCW pre-paid pass for HK$20/£1.65 for 24 hours), and there is full 3G coverage in all stations and tunnels.

Electronic maps on the carriages illuminate the stops the train has passed through, and each is labelled in Chinese and English. Smoking, eating and drinking is banned, and many platforms have glass screen doors to prevent accidents. Music and dance performances take place every Friday evening at Central Subway in Hong Kong station, and pieces of eye-catching art are on display throughout the network. Visit mtr.com.hk

8) MONTREAL

While the Canadian city’s Metro is one of the smaller networks in our top ten – with only four lines and 68 stations stretching 70km – it scores with its impressive architecture, pleasing environment and quiet, rubber-tired trains.

According to fan site metrodemontreal.com: “Unlike many other subway networks, every station in Montréal is distinct. The system is also beautifully decorated with hundreds of pieces of public art, including sculptures and frescoes.” Champ-de-Mars, Berri-UQAM, Du College, Vendome, McGill and Charevoix stations feature brightly coloured stained-glass windows.

More than one million passengers ride the Metro daily. It is open from 5.30am to between 12.15am and 1.30am (depending on day and line), and tickets cost C$3 (£1.90), or C$8 (£5) for a 24-hour pass. Since the network opened in 1966, there has only ever been one collision (in 1971). There are train services every two to six minutes during rush hour, and the whole system operates underground. Visit stm.info

9) MOSCOW

Open since 1935, the Russian capital’s subway was the first of its kind in the Soviet Union. It has 185 stations and 12 lines stretching 306km, and transports about seven million people a day, making it the second-busiest after Tokyo. The 20km octagonal Koltsevaya line allows for transfers to almost all the other lines, creating a hub and spoke system. Despite tunnels reaching depths of up to 84 metres, there is full mobile phone reception.

What is most striking is its looks. Believing that creating lavish, imposing environments would instil awe and respect for authority, Stalin commissioned an architectural wonder complete with electric chandeliers, stained glass and gilded stucco work. The result is an underground system that is possibly the most beautiful in the world – the red marble hall of Ploshchad Revolyutsii, for example, is flanked with 76 bronze statues of revolutionary peasants, workers, soldiers and sailors. Unfortunately, most of the signs are in Cyrillic, so navigation can be tricky.

The network is open from around 6am to 1am, tickets cost from 28 rubles (56p) and trains run as frequently as every 90 seconds. There are plans to add 43 stations and to extend lines by 79km by 2015. Visit engl.mosmetro.ru

10) DUBAI

At 75km, the Dubai metro is the longest driverless rapid transit system in the world. It is also one of the youngest systems, having opened its first line (Red) in 2009 and its second line (Green) last September. There are 87 trains serving 43 stations (although only nine are underground), with four more due to open (two on the Red line this year, two on the Green line on a date to be confirmed). Each is decorated to reflect one of four themes – earth, water, air and fire – and station interiors gleam with polished glass, shiny floors and futuristic light fittings.

The Japanese-designed trains are separated into three classes – Silver (standard), Gold (with 18 luxurious seats per car), and Women and Children. Tickets cost from 2Dhs (35p) and the system is open from 6am to 12am (until 1am Thursdays) and 1pm to 1am on Fridays. Serving around 140,000 travellers a day, it is one of the safest and most punctual systems. Visit dubaimetro.eu

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