This list of metro systems includes electrified rapid transit train systems worldwide. In some parts of the world, metro systems are referred to as subways, undergrounds, tubes, mass rapid transit (MRT), metrô or U-Bahn. As of 22 December 2024, [update] 204 cities in 63 countries operate 886 metro lines.
The London Underground first opened as an underground railway in 1863 and its first electrified underground line opened in 1890, [1] making it the world's oldest metro system. [2] The Shanghai Metro is both the world's longest metro network at 896 kilometres (557 mi) and the busiest with the highest annual ridership reaching approximately 2.83 billion passenger trips. [3] [4] The New York City Subway has the greatest number of stations. As of 2024, [update] the country with the most metro systems is China, with 54 in operation, including 11 of the 12 longest networks in the world.
The International Association of Public Transport (L'Union Internationale des Transports Publics, or UITP) defines metro systems as urban passenger transport systems, "operated on their own right of way and segregated from general road and pedestrian traffic". [5] [6] The terms heavy rail (mainly in North America) and heavy urban rail are essentially synonymous with the term "metro". [7] [8] [9] Heavy rail systems are also specifically defined as an "electric railway". [7] [8]
The dividing line between the metro and other modes of public transport, such as light rail [7] [8] and commuter rail, [7] [8] is not always clear. The UITP only makes distinctions between "metros" and "light rail", whereas [5] the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) distinguish all three modes. [7] [8] A common way to distinguish metro from light rail is by their separation from other traffic. While light rail systems may share roads with car traffic or use sections of track with level crossings across roads, metro systems tend to run on a grade-separated exclusive right-of-way with no access for other traffic.
In contrast to commuter rail or light rail, metro systems are primarily used for transport within a city, and have higher service frequencies and substantially higher passenger volume capacities. Most metro systems do not share tracks with freight trains or inter-city rail services. It is not relevant whether the system runs on steel wheels or rubber tyres, or if the power supply is from a third rail or overhead line.
The name of the system is not a criterion for inclusion or exclusion. Some cities use "metro" as a brand name for a transit line with no component of rapid transit whatsoever. Similarly, there are systems branded "light rail" that meet every criterion for being a rapid transit system. Some systems also incorporate light metro or light rail lines as part of the larger system under a common name. These are listed, but the light rail lines are not counted in the provided network data.
Certain transit networks may match the service standards of metro systems, but reach far out of the city and are sometimes known as S-Bahn, suburban, regional or commuter rail. These are not included in this list. Neither are funicular systems, or people movers, such as amusement park, ski resort and airport transport systems.
This list counts metros separately when multiple metros in one city or metropolitan area have separate owners or operating companies. This list expressly does not aim at representing the size and scope of the total rapid transit network of a certain city or metropolitan area. The data in this list should not be used to infer the size of a city's, region's, or country's urban rail transit systems, or to establish a ranking.
Recent ridership figures, particularly for 2020, will have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Country/region | Systems | Length | Lines | Stations | Annual ridership / km (millions) | Inauguration |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
China | 47 | 10,187.84 km (6,330.43 mi) | 306 | 5,988 | 2.10 (2020) [R Nb 29] | 1971 |
United States | 16 | 1,389.4 km (863.3 mi) | 71 | 1,000 | 1.66 (2022) | 1892 |
India | 17 | 934 km (621.5 mi) | 39 | 717 | 3.70 (2021) [R Nb 30] | 1984 [449] [450] |
Japan | 15 | 816.1 km (507.1 mi) | 47 | 774 | 8.19 (2019) | 1927 |
South Korea | 6 | 753.93 km (468.47 mi) | 35 | 683 | 3.87 (2019) | 1974 |
Russia | 7 | 663.7 km (412.4 mi) | 29 | 426 | 4.62 (2022) | 1935 |
Spain | 3 | 467.3 km (290.4 mi) | 23 | 539 | 1.43 (2019) | 1919 |
United Kingdom | 3 | 446.4 km (277.4 mi) | 19 | 332 | 2.11 (2022) | 1863 |
France | 6 | 398.3 km (247.5 mi) | 28 | 517 | 3.70 (2019–20) | 1900 |
Turkey | 5 | 391.2 km (243.1 mi) | 18 | 280 | 1.94 (2019–20) [R Nb 31] | 1989 |
Germany | 4 | 386.8 km (240.3 mi) | 24 | 413 | 3.59 (2019) | 1902 |
Brazil | 8 | 374.3 km (232.6 mi) | 20 | 266 | 3.45 (2018–20) | 1974 |
Iran | 6 | 338.5 km (210.3 mi) | 17 | 262 | 4.08 (2018) [R Nb 32] | 1999 |
Mexico | 3 | 287.5 km (178.6 mi) | 18 | 283 | 4.37 (2020) [R Nb 33] | 1969 |
Taiwan | 5 | 258.7 km (160.7 mi) | 11 | 231 | 3.26 (2019–20) [R Nb 34] | 1996 |
Italy | 7 | 244.9 km (152.2 mi) | 15 | 288 | 3.73 (2018–19) | 1955 |
Canada | 4 | 243.3 km (151.2 mi) | 12 | 201 | 2.64 (2022) | 1954 |
Singapore | 1 | 242.6 km (150.7 mi) | 6 | 142 | 3.41 (2020) | 1987 |
Malaysia | 1 | 210.4 km (130.7 mi) | 6 | 149 | 1.60 (2023) | 1996 |
Hong Kong | 1 | 209.1 km (129.9 mi) | 10 | 99 | 7.59 (2023) | 1979 |
Thailand | 2 | 205.95 km (127.97 mi) | 7 | 171 | 2.11 (2023) | 1999 |
Saudi Arabia | 1 | 176 km (109 mi) | 3 | 84 | n/a | 2024 |
Chile | 1 | 149 km (93 mi) | 7 | 143 | 1.88 (2020) | 1975 |
Netherlands | 2 | 143.5 km (89.2 mi) | 10 | 109 | 1.48 (2019) | 1968 |
Ukraine | 3 | 114.2 km (71.0 mi) | 7 | 88 | 6.43 (2022) | 1960 |
Sweden | 1 | 108 km (67 mi) | 7 | 100 | 3.10 (2018) | 1950 |
Egypt | 1 | 106.8 km (66.4 mi) | 3 | 84 | 7.45 (2020) | 1987 |
Greece | 2 | 101.3 km (62.9 mi) | 4 | 79 | 2.92 (2018) | 1904 |
United Arab Emirates | 1 | 89.5 km (55.6 mi) | 3 | 53 | 1.26 (2020) | 2009 |
Indonesia | 4 | 89.4 km (55.6 mi) | 5 | 50 | 0.63 (2020) | 2018 |
Norway | 1 | 85 km (53 mi) | 5 | 101 | 0.87 (2020) | 1966 |
Austria | 1 | 83.3 km (51.8 mi) | 5 | 109 | 5.51 (2019) | 1978 |
Romania | 1 | 80.1 km (49.8 mi) | 5 | 64 | 1.6 (2023) | 1979 |
Qatar | 1 | 76 km (47 mi) | 3 | 37 | n/a | 2019 |
Venezuela | 2 | 67.2 km (41.8 mi) | 5 | 49 | 5.32 (2017) | 1983 |
Uzbekistan | 1 | 66.5 km (41.3 mi) | 4 | 43 | 2.32 (2022) | 1977 |
Czech Republic | 1 | 65.4 km (40.6 mi) | 3 | 61 | 3.85 (2020) | 1974 |
Argentina | 1 | 56.7 km (35.2 mi) | 7 | 104 | 4.16 (2022) | 1913 |
Philippines | 2 | 60.2 km (37.4 mi) | 3 | 51 | 5.82 (2019) | 1984 |
Australia | 1 | 52 km (32 mi) | 1 | 21 | 0.35 (2020) | 2019 |
Bulgaria | 1 | 52 km (32 mi) | 4 | 47 | 1.79 (2018) | 1998 |
Portugal | 1 | 44.2 km (27.5 mi) | 4 | 56 | 1.93 (2020) | 1959 |
Finland | 1 | 43 km (27 mi) | 2 | 30 | 1.84 (2023) | 1982 |
Vietnam | 2 | 41.3 km (25.7 mi) | 3 | 34 | 0.82 (2023) | 2021 |
Poland | 1 | 41.2 km (25.6 mi) | 2 | 34 | 5.50 (2019) | 1995 |
Belarus | 1 | 40.8 km (25.4 mi) | 3 | 33 | 5.54 (2022) | 1984 |
Azerbaijan | 1 | 40.7 km (25.3 mi) | 3 | 27 | 4.98 (2022) | 1967 |
Nigeria | 1 | 40 km (25 mi) | 2 | 13 | n/a | 2023 |
Belgium | 1 | 39.9 km (24.8 mi) | 4 | 59 | 2.19 (2020) | 1976 |
Hungary | 1 | 39.4 km (24.5 mi) | 4 | 48 | 9.71 (2023) | 1896 |
Peru | 1 | 39.4 km (24.5 mi) | 2 | 31 | 3.19 (2018) | 2011 |
Denmark | 1 | 38.2 km (23.7 mi) | 4 | 39 | 3.13 (2023) | 2002 |
Panama | 1 | 37.8 km (23.5 mi) | 2 | 29 | 1.38 (2020) | 2014 |
Colombia | 1 | 31.3 km (19.4 mi) | 2 | 27 | 7.16 (2023) | 1995 |
Dominican Republic | 1 | 31 km (19 mi) | 2 | 34 | 1.60 (2020) | 2009 |
Georgia | 1 | 27.3 km (17.0 mi) | 2 | 23 | 2.74 (2022) | 1966 |
Pakistan | 1 | 27.1 km (16.8 mi) | 1 | 26 | 0.74 (2020–2021) | 2020 |
Ecuador | 1 | 22.6 km (14.0 mi) | 1 | 15 | n/a | 2023 |
North Korea | 1 | 22 km (14 mi) | 2 | 16 | 1.63 (2009) | 1973 |
Bangladesh | 1 | 20.1 km (12.5 mi) | 1 | 16 | n/a | 2022 |
Algeria | 1 | 18.5 km (11.5 mi) | 1 | 19 | 2.40 (2019) | 2011 |
Macao | 1 | 16.3 km (10.1 mi) | 3 | 15 | 0.20 (2023) | 2019 |
Kazakhstan | 1 | 13.4 km (8.3 mi) | 1 | 11 | 1.27 (2022) | 2011 |
Armenia | 1 | 12.1 km (7.5 mi) | 1 | 10 | 1.93 (2022) | 1981 |
Switzerland | 1 | 5.9 km (3.7 mi) | 1 [R Nb 35] | 14 | 5.55 (2019) | 2008 |
The following is a list of new worldwide metro systems that are currently actively under construction. In some cases it is not clear if the system will be considered a full metro system once it begins operational service. Only metro systems under construction are listed where there are no metro systems currently in operation in the same city.
The countries of Iraq, Mongolia, Israel, Ivory Coast and Serbia are currently constructing their first ever metro systems.
City | Country | Name | Construction started | Projected opening | Lines | Stations | Length by first opening |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Melbourne | Australia | Metro Tunnel (including Sunbury-Dandenong Line Corridor) | 2017 | 2025 | 1 | 5 | 9 km (5.6 mi) |
Suburban Rail Loop | 2022 | 2035 | 1 | 6 | 26 km (16 mi) | ||
Bogotá | Colombia | Bogotá Metro | 2020 [451] | 2028 | 1 | 16 | 24 km (15 mi) |
Bhopal | India | Bhopal Metro | 2018 | 2025 [452] | 2 | 29 | 27.9 km (17.3 mi) |
Bhubaneswar | Bhubaneswar Metro | 2024 [453] | 2028 [454] | 1 | 20 | 26 km (16 mi) | |
Indore | Indore Metro | 2018 | 2025 [455] | 1 | 29 | 33.5 km (20.8 mi) | |
Meerut | Meerut Metro | 2019 [456] | 2025 | 1 | 13 | 23.6 km | |
Patna | Patna Metro | 2020 | 2027 | 2 | 26 | 32.9 km (20.5 mi) | |
Surat | Surat Metro | 2021 | 2027 | 2 | 38 | 40.3 km (25 mi) | |
Denpasar [457] | Indonesia | Bali Mass Rapid Transit | 2024 | 2028 [458] | 2 | 5 | 29.5 km (18.3 mi) |
Ahvaz | Iran | Ahvaz Metro | 2004 | 2025 [459] | 1 | 24 | 23 km (14.3 mi) |
Qom [460] | Qom Urban Railway | 2009 | 2025 [461] | 1 | 14 | 14 km (8.7 mi) | |
Baghdad | Iraq | Baghdad Metro | 2024 [462] | 2029 | 7 | 64 | 148 km (92 mi) |
Ulaanbaatar | Mongolia | Ulaanbaatar Metro | 2024 | 2028 | 1 | 14 | 17,7 km (11 mi) |
Tel Aviv | Israel | Tel Aviv Metro | 2025 | 2032 | 3 | 109 | 150 km (93 mi) |
Abidjan | Ivory Coast | Abidjan Metro | 2017 | 2028 [463] | 1 | 18 | 37.5 km (23.3 mi) |
Astana | Kazakhstan | Astana Metro | 1988 | 2025 | 1 | 18 | 21.5 km (13.4 mi) |
George Town | Malaysia | Mutiara LRT | 2025 [464] | 2031 [464] | 1 | 21 | 29.5 km (18.3 mi) |
Johor Bahru Singapore | Malaysia Singapore | Rapid Transit System Link | 2020 [465] | 2026 | 1 | 2 | 4 km (2.5 mi) |
Cluj-Napoca | Romania | Cluj-Napoca Metro | 2024 [466] | 2031 [466] | 1 | 19 [466] | 21 km (13 mi) |
Krasnoyarsk | Russia | Krasnoyarsk Metro | 1995 | 2026 [467] | 1 | 9 | 10.6 km (6.6 mi) |
Chelyabinsk | Chelyabinsk Metro | 1992 | 2026 | 1 | 4 | 5.7 km (3.5 mi) | |
Jeddah | Saudi Arabia | Jeddah Metro | 2014 [ citation needed ] | 2025 | 3 | 46 | 108 km (67 mi) |
Belgrade | Serbia | Belgrade Metro | 2021 [468] | 2030 [469] | 2 | 43 | 40.5 km (25.2 mi) |
New Taipei | Taiwan | New Taipei Metro | 2016 | 2025 | 1 | 12 | 14.3 km (8.9 mi) |
Gebze | Turkey | Gebze Metro | 2018 | 2025 | 1 | 12 | 15.4 km (9.6 mi) |
Konya | Konya Metro | 2020 [470] | 2025 [471] | 1 | 22 | 21.1 km (13.1 mi) | |
Mersin | Mersin Metro | 2022 [472] | 2026 | 1 | 11 | 13.4 km (8.3 mi) |
The Beijing Subway is the rapid transit system of Beijing Municipality that consists of 29 lines including 24 rapid transit lines, two airport rail links, one maglev line and two light rail tram lines, and 522 stations. The rail network extends 879 km (546 mi) across 12 urban and suburban districts of Beijing and into one district of Langfang in neighboring Hebei province. Between December 2023 and December 2024, the Beijing Subway became the world's longest metro system by route length, surpassing the Shanghai Metro. The system has since returned to being the world's second longest, with new lines being opened by the Shanghai Metro. With 3.8484 billion trips delivered in 2018 and single-day ridership record of 13.7538 million set on July 12, 2019, the Beijing Subway was the world's busiest metro system in the years immediately prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Shanghai Metro (Chinese: 上海地铁; pinyin: Shànghǎi Dìtiě; Shanghainese: Zaon6he5 Di6thiq7) is a rapid transit system in Shanghai, operating urban and suburban transit services to 14 of its 16 municipal districts and to the neighboring township of Huaqiao, in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province.
The Tianjin Metro or Tianjin Rail Transit is the rapid transit system in the city of Tianjin, which was the second city in mainland China after Beijing to operate a subway system. First opened in 1984, the system currently has 11 operating lines and 233 stations spanning 326.5 km (202.9 mi).
Wuhan Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Wuhan, Hubei, China. Owned and operated by Wuhan Metro Group Co., Ltd., the network now includes 12 lines, 312 stations, and 518 kilometres of track length. With 1.35 billion annual passengers in 2023, Wuhan Metro is the sixth-busiest rapid transit system in mainland China. There are a number of lines or sections under construction.
The Nanjing Metro is a rapid transit system serving the urban and suburban districts of Nanjing, the capital city of Jiangsu Province in the People's Republic of China.
The Chengdu Metro is the rapid transit system of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, China. With the opening of Line 1 on 27 September 2010, the system has fifteen subway lines and one light rail line. It has subsequently undergone rapid expansion. Since the opening of Lines 6, 8, 9, and 17 on 18 December 2020, the Chengdu Metro is the 3rd longest metro system in the world.
Urban rail transit in China encompasses a broad range of urban and suburban electric passenger rail mass transit systems including subway, light rail, tram and maglev. Some classifications also include non-rail bus rapid transport.
The Shenyang Metro is a rapid transit system part of the urban rail transit system of Shenyang, Liaoning, China. It currently covers 9 of the 10 municipal districts in Shenyang City. Shenyang is the seventh city in Mainland China with an underground subway. In history, Shenyang's earliest written subway planning can be traced back to 1940 during the Manchurian period. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, due to some reasons, Shenyang Metro has been set up many times, and the construction has been suspended several times. The construction of the Shenyang Metro, which is currently in operation, began in 2005 and has been in operation since September 27, 2010. As of January 2025, Shenyang Metro has a total of 6 operating lines with a total length of 186.7 kilometers and 136 operating stations. In 2020, the annual passenger traffic was 310 million, with an average daily passenger flow of 849,000. Shenyang Metro is operated and built by Shenyang Metro Group Co., Ltd.
Changchun Rail Transit, is the rapid transit and light rail system in the city of Changchun, Jilin Province, China. Its first line, Line 3, is the first true light rail line in Mainland China. The system consists of three light rail lines and three rapid transit lines.
The Xi'an Metro, also known as the Xi'an Rail Transit, is a rapid transit system in the city of Xi'an and the neighbouring city of Xianyang, in Shaanxi province, China.
Line 7 of the Beijing Subway is a rapid transit line in Beijing. It runs parallel and to the south of Line 1 and Batong line, from the Beijing West railway station in Fengtai District to Universal Resort in Tongzhou District. Like Line 6, Line 7 provides additional relief to the overcapacity Line 1 adding another east–west trunk line to the Beijing Subway network. The line uses 8-car Type B trains. Line 7's color is light orange.
The Harbin Metro is the rapid transit system of Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China. The system began operation on 26 September 2013 with the opening of Line 1. The system has a total of three lines.
Hefei Rail Transit, also known as Hefei Metro, is a rapid transit system in Hefei, China.
Kunming Metro, or Kunming Rail Transit, is a rapid transit system in Kunming, the capital of China's Yunnan Province. The system currently consists of 6 lines with 2 extensions to existing lines under construction and 3 more lines planned, with a total track length of 164.3 kilometers.
The Guiyang Metro is a rapid transit system in the city of Guiyang, Guizhou province, China. It is operated and branded as Guiyang Urban Rail Transit (GYURT).
The Line 2 of Wuhan Metro is the first underground metro line crossing the Yangtze River. The line started its trial run on September 25, 2012, and officially opened on December 28, 2012. It is Wuhan's second metro line after Line 1, and the city's first underground line, since Line 1 is mostly elevated. Line 2 runs in a northwest–southeast direction, connecting Hankou and Wuchang, including Hankou Railway Station and major commercial districts.
Nanning Metro or Nanning Rail Transit (NNRT) is a rapid transit system in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China.
The Changzhou Metro is a rapid transit system in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, China.
Nantong Rail Transit is a rapid transit system in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China.
As for the station opened after the end of 2019, see "Estação Estrada Parque começa a funcionar na segunda-feira" [Estrada Parque station starts operating on Monday]. Correio Braziliense (in Brazilian Portuguese). Diários Associados. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
将于本月25日开通运营体育会展站、东界站、洪坑站、翔安市民公园站
As for the section opened after the end of 2017, see "Ce que va permettre le prolongement de la ligne 14 du métro à Paris" [What the extension of metro line 14 in Paris will allow]. L'Express (in French). Altice Europe N.V. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
As for the section opened after the end of 2009, see Fender, Keith (4 December 2020). "Berlin U5 extension opens" . International Railway Journal. Simmons-Boardman Publishing Inc. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
As for the latest extension, see "'CMRL likely to handle up to 3.5L daily commuters soon'". The Times of India. Chennai: The Times Group - Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. 14 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
As for the section opened after the end of 2019, see Roy, Subhajoy (14 February 2020). "First phase of East-West Metro unveiled". The Telegraph . Ananda Bazar Patrika (ABP) Group. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
As for the latest extension, see "L'estació de Zona Franca de la línia 10 Sud de metro obrirà les portes dissabte a les 3 de la tarda". Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB). 30 January 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
As for the latest extension, see "La Comunidad abre la estación de metro Arroyofresno al público tras 20 años" [The Community of Madrid opens Arroyofresno metro station to the public after 20 years]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Grupo Godó. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
London Underground, better known as the Tube, has 11 lines covering 402km and serving 272 stations.
This ridership figure is the sum of those quoted for the rapid transit lines
Annual ridership figure is calculated from the 209662 passenger daily average quoted.
The ridership figure includes system-wide ridership.
This ridership figure is derived from the sum of the twelve monthly subtotals for 2020
This ridership figure is derived from the sum of the twelve monthly subtotals for 2020
This ridership figure is derived from the sum of the twelve monthly subtotals for 2019
This ridership figure is derived from the sum of the twelve monthly subtotals for 2020.
This ridership figure is derived from the sum of the twelve monthly subtotals for 2019