List of metro systems
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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), métro or U-Bahn. As of 16 May 2026,[update] 214 cities in 63 countries operate 964 metro lines.
Countries with at least one metro system:
Operational
Under Construction
Metro systems of the world as of 2026
Operational
Under Construction
The London Underground first opened as an underground railway in 1863 and its first electrified underground line, the City and South London Railway, opened in 1890, making it the world's oldest metro system.[1][2] 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 and the 4 systems with the highest annual ridership numbers.
Considerations
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".[3][4] The terms heavy rail (mainly in North America) and heavy urban rail are essentially synonymous with the term "metro".[5][6][7] Heavy rail systems are also specifically defined as an "electric railway".[5][6]
The dividing line between the metro and other modes of public transport, such as light rail[5][6] and commuter rail,[5][6] is not always clear. The UITP only makes distinctions between "metros" and "light rail", whereas [3] the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) distinguish all three modes.[5][6] 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.
Legend
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Metro systems from top to bottom that have set records: The Shanghai Metro has the highest annual ridership in the world. The Beijing Subway is the largest system in the world by total track length. The London Underground is the world's oldest metro system.
- City
- Primary city served by the metro system.
- Country
- Sovereign state in which the metro system is located.
- Name
- The most common English name of the metro system (including a link to the article for that system).
- Year opened
The year the metro system was opened for commercial service at metro standards. In other words, parts of the system may be older, but as parts of a former light rail or commuter rail network, so the year that the system obtained metro standards (most notably electrification) is the one listed.
- Year of last expansion
- The last time the system length or number of stations in the metro system was expanded.
- Stations
- The number of stations in the metro network, with stations connected by transfer counted as one.
- System length
- The system length of a metro network is the sum of the lengths of all routes in the rail network in kilometers or miles. Each route is counted only once, regardless of how many lines pass over it, and regardless of whether it is single-track or multi-track, single carriageway or dual carriageway.
- Ridership
- The number of unique journeys on the metro system every year. There is a major discrepancy between the ridership figures: some metro systems count transferring between lines as multiple journeys, but others do not. Numbers may also be counted via different methods – faregates/turnstiles or light barriers at entrances or vehicle doors being the most common but far from the only ones.
List
This list is sortable. Click on the 
icon in the column header to change sort key and sort order.
- Table notes
List by countries
Recent ridership figures, particularly for 2020, will have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Country | Systems | Length | Lines | Stations | Annual ridership / km (millions) |
Inauguration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Algeria |
1 | 18.5 km (11.5 mi) | 1 | 19 | 2.40 (2019) | 2011 |
 Argentina |
1 | 56.7 km (35.2 mi) | 7 | 104 | 4.16 (2022) | 1913 |
 Armenia |
1 | 13.4 km (8.3 mi) | 1 | 10 | 1.93 (2022) | 1981 |
 Australia |
1 | 52 km (32 mi) | 1 | 21 | 1.38 (2025)[472] | 2019 |
 Austria |
1 | 83.3 km (51.8 mi) | 5 | 109 | 5.51 (2019) | 1978 |
 Azerbaijan |
1 | 40.7 km (25.3 mi) | 3 | 27 | 4.98 (2022) | 1967 |
 Bangladesh |
1 | 21.3 km (13.2 mi) | 1 | 16 | n/a | 2022 |
 Belarus |
1 | 44.9 km (27.9 mi) | 3 | 36 | 5.54 (2022) | 1984 |
 Belgium |
1 | 39.9 km (24.8 mi) | 4 | 59 | 2.19 (2020) | 1976 |
 Brazil |
8 | 391.2 km (243.1 mi) | 22 | 284 | 3.45 (2018–20) | 1974 |
 Bulgaria |
1 | 55 km (34 mi) | 4 | 50 | 1.79 (2018) | 1998 |
 Canada |
4 | 283.3 km (176.0 mi) | 11 | 215 | 3.01 (2024) | 1954 |
 Chile |
1 | 149 km (93 mi) | 7 | 143 | 1.88 (2020) | 1975 |
 China |
47 | 12,357.616 km (7,678.667 mi) | 336 | 6,581 | 2.10 (2020)[R Nb 24] | 1971 |
 Colombia |
1 | 31.3 km (19.4 mi) | 2 | 27 | 6.47 (2025) | 1995 |
 Czech Republic |
1 | 65.4 km (40.6 mi) | 3 | 61 | 3.85 (2020) | 1974 |
 Denmark |
1 | 43.3 km (26.9 mi) | 4 | 44 | 3.13 (2023) | 2002 |
 Dominican Republic |
1 | 38.6 km (24.0 mi) | 2 | 38 | 1.60 (2020) | 2009 |
 Ecuador |
1 | 22.6 km (14.0 mi) | 1 | 15 | n/a | 2023 |
 Egypt |
1 | 106.8 km (66.4 mi) | 3 | 84 | 7.45 (2020) | 1987 |
 Finland |
1 | 43 km (27 mi) | 2 | 30 | 1.84 (2023) | 1982 |
 France |
6 | 398.3 km (247.5 mi) | 28 | 517 | 3.70 (2019–20) | 1900 |
 Georgia |
1 | 27.3 km (17.0 mi) | 2 | 23 | 2.74 (2022) | 1966 |
 Germany |
4 | 386.8 km (240.3 mi) | 24 | 413 | 3.59 (2019) | 1902 |
 Greece |
2 | 105.8 km (65.7 mi) | 5 | 84 | 2.92 (2018) | 1904 |
 Hungary |
1 | 39.4 km (24.5 mi) | 4 | 48 | 9.71 (2023) | 1896 |
 India |
21 | 1,185 km (736 mi) | 48 | 873 | 3.70 (2021)[R Nb 25] | 1984[473][474] |
 Indonesia |
4 | 95.8 km (59.5 mi) | 5 | 55 | 0.63 (2020) | 2018 |
 Iran |
6 | 348.3 km (216.4 mi) | 18 | 266 | 4.08 (2018)[R Nb 26] | 1999 |
 Italy |
7 | 257.1 km (159.8 mi) | 16 | 292 | 3.73 (2018–19) | 1955 |
 Japan |
21[R Nb 14] | 905.9 km (562.9 mi) | 55 | 749 | 8.19 (2019) | 1927 |
 Kazakhstan |
2 | 35.8 km (22.2 mi) | 2 | 29 | 1.27 (2022) | 2011 |
 Malaysia |
1 | 241.6 km (150.1 mi) | 7 | 159 | 1.60 (2023) | 1996 |
 Mexico |
3 | 287.5 km (178.6 mi) | 18 | 283 | 4.37 (2020)[R Nb 27] | 1969 |
 Netherlands |
2 | 143.5 km (89.2 mi) | 10 | 109 | 1.48 (2019) | 1968 |
 Nigeria |
1 | 13 km (8.1 mi) | 1 | 5 | n/a | 2023 |
 North Korea |
1 | 22 km (14 mi) | 2 | 16 | 1.63 (2009) | 1973 |
 Norway |
1 | 85 km (53 mi) | 5 | 101 | 0.87 (2020) | 1966 |
 Pakistan |
1 | 27.1 km (16.8 mi) | 1 | 26 | 0.74 (2020–2021) | 2020 |
 Panama |
1 | 41.2 km (25.6 mi) | 2 | 33 | 1.38 (2020) | 2014 |
 Peru |
1 | 39.4 km (24.5 mi) | 2 | 31 | 3.19 (2018) | 2011 |
 Philippines |
2 | 60.2 km (37.4 mi) | 3 | 51 | 5.82 (2019) | 1984 |
 Poland |
1 | 41.2 km (25.6 mi) | 2 | 34 | 5.50 (2019) | 1995 |
 Portugal |
1 | 44.2 km (27.5 mi) | 4 | 56 | 1.93 (2020) | 1959 |
 Qatar |
1 | 76 km (47 mi) | 3 | 37 | n/a | 2019 |
 Romania |
1 | 80.1 km (49.8 mi) | 5 | 64 | 1.6 (2023) | 1979 |
 Russia |
7 | 753.1 km (468.0 mi) | 30 | 376 | 4.62 (2022) | 1935 |
 Saudi Arabia |
2 | 194.1 km (120.6 mi) | 7 | 94 | 1.87 (2025) | 2010 |
 Singapore |
1 | 246.6 km (153.2 mi) | 8 | 146 | 3.41 (2024) | 1987 |
 South Korea |
6 | 760.7 km (472.7 mi) | 38 | 686 | 3.87 (2019) | 1974 |
 Spain |
4 | 527.88 km (328.01 mi) | 23 | 539 | 1.43 (2019) | 1919 |
 Sweden |
1 | 108 km (67 mi) | 7 | 100 | 3.10 (2018) | 1950 |
 Switzerland |
1 | 5.9 km (3.7 mi) | 1[R Nb 28] | 14 | 5.55 (2019) | 2008 |
 Taiwan |
5 | 274.39 km (170.50 mi) | 12 | 244 | 3.26 (2019–20)[R Nb 29] | 1996 |
 Thailand |
2 | 203.05 km (126.17 mi) | 7 | 173 | 2.11 (2023) | 1999 |
 Turkey |
5 | 413.1 km (256.7 mi) | 18 | 289 | 1.94 (2019–20)[R Nb 30] | 1989 |
 Ukraine |
3 | 114.2 km (71.0 mi) | 7 | 88 | 6.43 (2022) | 1960 |
 United Arab Emirates |
1 | 89.5 km (55.6 mi) | 3 | 53 | 1.26 (2020) | 2009 |
 United Kingdom |
3 | 446.4 km (277.4 mi) | 19 | 332 | 2.11 (2022) | 1863 |
 United States |
16 | 1,395.71 km (867.25 mi) | 71 | 1,083 | 1.66 (2022) | 1892 |
 Uzbekistan |
1 | 70.8 km (44.0 mi) | 4 | 50 | 2.32 (2022) | 1977 |
 Venezuela |
2 | 67.2 km (41.8 mi) | 5 | 49 | 5.32 (2017) | 1983 |
 Vietnam |
2 | 41.3 km (25.7 mi) | 3 | 34 | 0.99 (2025) | 2021 |
Under construction
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 Ivory Coast, Israel, and Serbia are currently constructing their first ever metro systems.
| Name | City | Country | Construction started | Projected opening |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suburban Rail Loop | Melbourne | Australia |
2022 | 2035 |
| Bogotá Metro | Bogotá | Colombia |
2020[475] | 2028 |
| Alexandria Metro | Alexandria | Egypt |
2020 | 2027[476] |
| Surat Metro | Surat | India |
2021[477] | 2027 |
| Thane Metro | Thane | 2025 | 2029 | |
| Ahvaz Metro | Ahvaz | Iran |
2004 | 2028[478] |
| Qom Urban Railway | Qom[479] | 2009 | 2026[480] | |
| Tel Aviv Metro | Tel Aviv |  Israel |
2025 | 2032 |
| Abidjan Metro | Abidjan |  Ivory Coast |
2017 | 2028[481] |
| Mutiara LRT | George Town | Malaysia |
2025[482] | 2031[482] |
| Rapid Transit System Link | Johor Bahru Singapore |
Malaysia Singapore |
2020[483] | 2027[484] |
| Cluj-Napoca Metro | Cluj-Napoca | Romania |
2024[485][486] | 2031[485][486] |
| Belgrade Metro | Belgrade |  Serbia |
2021[487] | 2033[488] |
| İzmit Metro (Körfezray) | İzmit | Turkey |
2024 | 2028 |
| Gebze Metro | Gebze | 2018 | 2026 | |
| Mersin Metro | Mersin | 2022[489] | 2026 |
See also
- List of longest subway tunnel sections
- List of high-speed railway lines
- List of maglev train proposals
- Inter-city rail#List of inter-city rail by country
- List of railway electrification systems
- List of countries by rail usage
- Lists of named passenger trains
- Regional rail#List of regional rail in different countries
- List of suburban and commuter rail systems
- List of airport rail link systems
- List of airport people mover systems
- List of semi-automatic train systems
- List of rack railways
- Mountain railway#List of mountain railways
- List of inclined elevators
- List of funicular railways
- List of aerial tramways
- List of gondola lifts
- Rubber-tyred metro#List of rubber-tyred metro systems
- Personal rapid transit#List of operational automated transit networks (ATN) systems
- List of monorail systems
- Suspension railway#List of suspension railways
- People mover#Examples
- List of premetro systems
- List of rapid transit systems by track gauge
- Light metro#List of light metro systems
- Interurban#List of Interurban systems
- Tram-train#List of tram-train systems
- List of tram and light rail transit systems
- List of tram systems by gauge and electrification
- List of town tramway systems
- List of battery operated trams
- Rubber-tyred tram#Retired systems
- Translohr#List of translohr systems
- List of trolleybus systems
- List of current operating trolleybus systems
- Guided bus#List of guided busways systems
- Autonomous Rapid Transit#ART systems
- Electric bus#List of electric buses
- List of bus rapid transit systems
- List of bus operating companies
By region
Notes
System notes
- Line A opened in stages between 1913 and 1914 by the Anglo-Argentine Tramways Company. Line A services continued as above-ground tram services through an access ramp at Primera Junta Station. Subway-surface services into Line A ceased in 1926, with the line and its rolling stock transitioned into pure rapid transit operation by 1927.[11][12]
- The number is 78 if interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted as one station, or 90 if all stations on all lines are counted multiple times for each line.
- Vienna's Metropolitan Railway (Wiener Stadtbahn) first opened for service in 1898, operating steam locomotive trains on mostly elevated or underground ROWs. From 1976 onwards, part of it was integrated into the newly established Vienna U-Bahn system (lines U4 and U6), operating as a modern metro.
- The number of stations is 25 if interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms in a single complex) are counted as one station, or 27 if all stations on all lines are counted each.
- The number of stations is 33 if interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms in a single complex) are counted as one station, or 36 if all stations on all lines are counted each.
- Not including stations of premetro Lines T4, T7, and T10.
- Includes Metrofor's rapid transit line only: Linha Sul (South Line).
- Includes Metrorec's rapid transit lines only: Linha Centro (Center Line) and Linha Sul (South Line).
- Does not include São Paulo Metropolitan Trains system.
- These statistics do not include Line 5 Eglinton and Line 6 Finch West as they are light rail lines.
- Indicates the opening of Capstan station, an infill station of the Canada Line, which opened on 20 December 2024.[63]
- The number is 126 if interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted as one station, or 143 if all stations on all lines are counted multiple times for each line.
- The Beijing Subway's first line began trial operations on 1 October 1969. It opened to revenue service under trial operations on 15 January 1971. Initially, only members of the public with credential letters from their work units could purchase tickets, but this restriction was removed on 27 December 1972. The subway line passed its final inspections and ended trial operations on 15 September 1981. During the trial operations period, annual ridership rose from 8.28 million in 1971 to 55.2 million in 1980. See the history section of the Beijing Subway for details and references.
- The number of stations is 405 if the 104 (94 2-line, 10 3-line) interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted as one station, or 519 if all stations on all lines are counted multiple times for each line. Bajiao Amusement Park on Line 1 (closed for the construction of Line 1 Branch, from June 2025 to May 2027)[73][74] is not counted during renovation, so the active stations are 404. Out-of-station interchange stations with same name (e.g. Dazhong Si; Muxidi), are counted as one station. Capital Airport Express and Daxing Airport Express lines and stations are counted, despite being an express service with separate fares. Both counts exclude the 20 stations of the Xijiao and Line T1 tram lines.[75]
- Stations served by Line 3 not counted as Line 3 is a light rail line with at grade crossings.
- Line 3 not included due to being a light rail line with road crossings.
- There are 363 stations if the 85 (78 2-line, 7 3-line) interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted as one station. There are 448 stations if all stations on all lines are counted multiple times for each line. Excludes light rail line T2.
- There are 263 stations if the 42 (36 2-line, 6 3-line) interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted as one station. There are 312 stations if all stations on all lines are counted multiple times for each line.
- First line of Foshan Metro, the Guangfo Line, serves two cities – Foshan and Guangzhou. The Guangfo Line is operated by Guangzhou Metro and as such is included in Guangzhou's tally.
- There are 102 stations if the (14 2-line, 1 3-line) interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted as one station. There are 118 stations if all stations on all lines are counted multiple times for each line.
- The 9-station, 4.0-km-long APM line is not included here, because it is a people mover.
- There are 317 stations if the 76 (58 2-line, 8 3-line, 1 4-line) interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted as one station. There are 397 stations if all stations on all lines are counted multiple times for each line.
- There are 254 stations if the 44 (40 2-line, 4 3-line) interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted as one station. There are 302 stations if all stations on all lines are counted multiple times for each line.
- The first MTR route to offer metro service was the Modified Initial System in 1979, which consists of portions of the later Tsuen Wan Line and Kwun Tong Line. Though the eventual East Rail Line opened as a conventional railway in 1910, it did not offer metro service until at least in 1982 when it was electrified.
- As of November 2025,[update] the number of stations is 515 if the 83 interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) (70 2-line, 11 3-line, and 2 4-line) are counted multiple times, once for each line, while there are 415 stations if they are combined; shared tracks/platforms on Lines 3 and 4 are anyway counted as a single stations (nine in all between Hongqiao Road and Baoshan Road). Out-of-station interchange stations with same name (e.g. South Pudong Road), are counted as one station.[133]
- This figure excludes Maglev line and Jinshan Railway, all of which often included in Shanghai Metro maps but not considered part of the system.
- Ridership excludes Pujiang line, Maglev line and Jinshan Railway.
- As of 28 June 2026, there are 444 stations if the 82 interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted multiple times, while there are 339 stations if they are counted as one station.
- There are 289 stations if the 42 (38 2-line, 4 3-line) interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted as one station. There are 335 stations if all stations on all lines are counted multiple times for each line.
- The number is 244 if interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted as one station, or 285 if all stations on all lines are counted multiple times for each line.
- Excludes Xi'an-Huyi Railway and Xi'an SkyShuttle
- There are 233 stations if interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted as one station. There are 284 stations if all stations on all lines are counted multiple times for each line.
- Extension of Line A from Itagüí south to La Estrella.
- Counting interchange stations only once.
- The number is 321 if stations are counted individually. If transfers are counted by just adding up the number of stops in each line, the number is 405.
- Opening of State University Station on Saburtalo Line.
- The U3 extension from Olympia-Einkaufszentrum (OEZ) to Moosach.
- The Blue Line (Line 3) also has a 20.7 km (12.9 mi) section (with 4 stations) to the airport that is owned by the Hellenic Railways Organisation and is mainly used by the suburban railway system.[199][200]
- The Green Line (Line 1), operated until 2011 by Athens–Piraeus Electric Railways, was opened in 1869 as a steam train railway line. It was electrified in 1904, extended with underground sections through the city in 1948, and extended to its full length to Kifissia in 1957 using the right-of-way of a former metre gauge suburban line. Full metro operation since 1904 between Piraeus and Athens and 1957 to Kifissia. In 2011, it was integrated with Athens Metro under the company STASY S.A.[199]
- Fiscal year not calendar year
- The network consists of 271 stations if transfer stations are counted more than once. If transfer stations are counted only once, the result will be 243 stations. Ashok Park Main station, where the two diverging branches of Green Line share tracks/platforms, is anyway counted as a single station. Stations of Noida Metro and Gurgaon Metro are not counted. If they were counted, then there would be 303 total stations.[225][226]
- The lengths of the Noida Metro and Gurgaon Metro are not counted with the Delhi Metro. If they were counted, the total length of the three systems would be 415.48 km (258.17 mi).
- Adelabad station opened
- Opening of metro-standards Line 2.
- The 43 km (27 mi) Line 1 of Karaj Metro (part of line 5 of Tehran metro) is a commuter rail line, and so is not included in the statistics here. If Line 1 is included, there would be 11 stations.
- There are 132 stations if interchange stations are counted once, and 147 stations if they are counted multiple times. The 67.5 km (41.9 mi) Line 5 of the Tehran Metro is a commuter rail line, and so is not included in the statistics here – only metro Lines 1–4 and 6–7 are. If Line 5 is included, the total length of the system would be 292.1 km (181.5 mi), and there would be 143 unique stations, and 160 total stations.
- As of July 2023,[update] the number is 134 if the 9 interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted multiple times, once for each line, while it is 113 if they are combined.[289][290]
- Lines 1, 6, and 11 only, not line 2, which is commuter rail.
- As of October 2018,[update] the number is 106 if the 7 interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted multiple times, once for each line, while it is 99 if they are combined; Higashi-nihombashi station and Bakuro-yokoyama station, where an out-of-system transfer between Asakusa Line and Shinjuku Line is possible, are anyway counted as two stations.[314][315][316]
- Yŏnggwang and Puhŭng opened in 1987.
- Includes Busan-Gimhae Light Rail Transit
- Daegu Metro Line 3 opened in 2015.
- Second phase of line 1
- Line 1 fully opened
- The Seoul Subway Lines 1–9 and Seoul Light Rapid Transit is actually operated by several different operators – Seoul Metro and Seoul Metro Line 9 Corporation (SLM9), plus through-operation services from Korail – but because all of these lines are owned by the City Government of Seoul, here in the table they are counted together as one system.
- Seoul's Metropolitan Subway system can also be viewed as a comprehensive metro network made up of multiple owned/operated metro systems. If viewed as such, the combined route length of Seoul's comprehensive metro-standards network would be 564.2 km (350.6 mi), with 656 stations of 24 lines.
- Statistics presented include rapid transit lines only: Ampang and Sri Petaling lines, Kelana Jaya line Kajang line, Putrajaya line, Shah Alam line and KL Monorail
- The number is 156 if interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted as one, or 180 if stations are counted multiple times for each line.
- Line 1 of the SITEUR system has some level crossings (with priority) and can be therefore be considered "light rail" instead of "metro".
- Line 1 was opened in 1989.
- Line 1 is not counted as it features several rail crossings.
- Line 12 opened 2012.
- Note that:
- "Operación": route length in active revenue and non-revenue service
- "Servicio": route length in active revenue service
- "Vuelta": track length in active revenue service
- "Total": all track length in active revenue, maintenance and non-revenue service
- Some sections of the Rotterdam Metro (portions of Lines A, B, E) have some level crossings (with priority) and so could therefore be considered "light rail" instead of "metro".
- Blue Line only. Red Line is a heavy rail commuter route.
- These systems have similarities to light rail systems, because of the existence of a few road level crossings, but are listed since they are almost entirely separated from roads.
- The first underground portion was opened in 1928, but that was a tram line. One surface line has origins from 1898. System opened as a full Metro in 1966.
- Combined lengths of the Red, Green, and Gold lines.
- The number of stations is 249 if interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms in a single complex) are counted as one station, or 309 if all stations on all lines are counted each.
- The number of stations is 13 if interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms in a single complex) are counted as one station, or 14 if all stations on all lines are counted each.
- The number is 66 if interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted as one station, or 75 if all stations on all lines are counted multiple times for each line.
- There are 132 stations in the Barcelona Metro if interchange stations are counted once, while there are 163 if they are counted multiple times.
- Including TFM, MetroSur and other suburban lines, but not the three Metro Ligero de Madrid lines which are light rail.
- The first line, later known as Green Line, was opened by stages during the 1950s, partly converting to metro operations prior rapid tram alignments. These included the oldest tunnel, built in 1933, which name (Tunnelbana) and symbol were bequeathed to the new system.
- The Lausanne Metro has two lines: Line M1 is light rail, while Line M2 is rapid transit. The stats listed are for Line M2 only.
- As of August 2026,[update] the number is 132 if the 12 interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted multiple times, once for each line, while it's 120 if they are combined. Out-of-station transfers at Banqiao and Xinpu – Xinpu Minsheng, which require leaving paid area, are counted as 2 stations each; transfer stations that provide cross-platform interchange are anyway counted as a single stations (four in all: Ximen, CKS Memorial Hall, Guting and Dongmen stations).[401][402]
- Opening of line M4 extension to Kızılay station.
- As of June 2026,[update] the number is 169 if the 14 interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms) are counted multiple times, once for each line, while it is 155 if they are combined.[418][419]
- The number of stations is 27 if interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms in a single complex) are counted as one station, or 30 if all stations on all lines are counted each.
- The number of stations is 49 if interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms in a single complex) are counted as one station, or 52 if all stations on all lines are counted each.
- London's Metropolitan Railway first opened for service in 1863, operating steam locomotive trains in cut and cover tunnels. It began operating as a modern metro when electric-propulsion trains began operating on the system's first deep-level tube line in 1890.[2]
- Includes only heavy rail lines: Red Line, Orange Line, and Blue Line. Does not include the Green Line and Mattapan Line, which are light rail lines, and the Silver Line, which is a bus rapid transit.
- The originally-elevated Orange Line opened in 1901, sharing the Tremont Street Subway that had opened in 1897 as an underground streetcar tunnel (for the light rail Green Line).
- Dated from the opening of the South Side Elevated on 6 June 1892. The "L" was first electrified in 1895 when the Metropolitan West Side Elevated opened. The entire system was unified and electrified in 1897 with the construction of the Union Loop.[437] The first underground section opened in 1943 as the State Street Subway.
- This figure comes from the sum of the following figures from the accompanying reference (i.e. "Facts at a Glance". Chicago Transit Authority. December 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2013.): 35.8 miles of elevated route, 35.0 miles at grade level, 20.6 miles on embankments, and 11.4 miles of subway.
- Rapid transit B and D lines only. All other L.A. Metro Rail lines are light rail, and are not included here.
- First regular elevated railway service, originally cable hauled, began in 1868. Elevateds converted to steam power in 1870, electrified by 1903. The first section of electrified subway opened in 1904.
- The American Public Transportation Association typically presents figures derived from unlinked transit passenger trips (i.e. a transfer between two lines counts as two passenger trips, transferring twice counts as three trips, etc.), which in the case of New York City were 2,314.4 billion in 2025.
- While the line opened as a railroad in 1860, it was not until 1925 that rapid transit equipment would be operated here.
- The last completely new stations were the current Newark and Harrison stations, which respectively replaced the Park Place and Harrison stations on a different alignment in 1937. According to PATH, its newest station is World Trade Center, which was completed in 2015 but replaced a previous station on the same site.
- BART's rapid transit lines only; the eBART line to Antioch and the Oakland International Airport (OAK) APM are excluded.
- This figure excludes the eBART extension from Pittsburg/Bay Point to Antioch (9.2 miles) and the "BART to Oakland International Airport (OAK) elevated guideway" (3.2 miles).
- The number of stations is 45 if interchange stations (i.e. different sets of platforms in a single complex) are counted as one station, or 50 if all stations on all lines are counted each.
- Statistics presented here include the Los Teques Metro which functions as effectively a subsidiary and extension of the Caracas Metro.
- By the end of 2014, Caracas Metro had a length of 54.03 km and 47 stations;[466] further 1.3 km was added with the single-station extension to Bello Monte in the following year.[467] Los Teques Metro contributes to the system's total with 11.9 km in length and four stations.[468]
Under construction notes
Ridership notes
- This patronage figure is derived from OPAL trips (i.e. a tap-on/tap-off pair of the same OPAL card, including isolated tap-on or tap-off), non-OPAL ridership, as the users of some concessional cards or integrated tickets for events, is excluded.
- Figure extrapolated from 2,75,000 average daily ridership figures over an year as mentioned in the cited report
- All American Public Transportation Association figures are derived from unlinked transit passenger trips (i.e. a transfer between two lines counts as two passenger trips, transferring twice counts as three trips, etc.).
- Ridership of Guangfo Line counted in Guangzhou's ridership figures.
- Note that:
- the ridership includes "Domestic Service", "Airport Express" and "Cross-boundary";
- "Intercity, Light Rail & Bus" and "High Speed Rail (HSR)" are excluded from the counts.
- Does not include ridership on the RER/Transilien (1,436 million in 2025) and the Tramways (389 million).
- This ridership figure is the sum of the two "Μετρό" figures (Γ1 line, or "Ηλεκτρικός", formerly ran by IASA and Γ2–Γ3 lines, formerly ran by AMEL) from the OAΣA's 2024 Activity Report.
- Figure extrapolated from 4,40,000 average daily ridership figures over an year as mentioned in the cited report
- Figure extrapolated from 73,476 average daily ridership figures over an year as mentioned in the cited report
- Figure extrapolated from a sum of average daily ridership figures of lines 1 (3,54,610), 2A & 7 (1,80,726.37) over an year as mentioned in the cited reports
- Figure extrapolated from 110,000 average daily ridership figures over an year as mentioned in the cited report
- Figure extrapolated from 42 000 average daily boardings
- Compared to European or North American systems, Japanese rapid transit systems are generally neither thought of as metros nor as completely subterranean "subways" complicating whether only using the municipal subway statistic is accurate when comparing with other Metros around the world. As example Tokyo Metro and the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation's Toei Subway constitute only 22% of the 14.6 billion metropolitan railway ridership in Greater Tokyo (MLIT Yearly Statistics). In addition, when one considers intracity lines of JR East and private railway companies, Greater Tokyo (130 lines) has higher daily ridership than any other metropolitan area in the world with 14.6 billion passengers annually. The Osaka Municipal Subway also has only a minority share of all metropolitan railway ridership in Greater Osaka, constituting only 17.6% of Greater Osaka's 4.745 billion rail passengers annually in 2010. Including the municipal subway systems in both Kobe and Kyoto, the result still only comprises 22% of all rail travel in the Greater Osaka area with 1065.8 million passengers yearly (MLIT Yearly Statistics). For Greater Nagoya, the Nagoya Municipal Subway has only a minority share of all metropolitan railway ridership in Greater Nagoya constituting only 38% of Greater Nagoya's 1.095 billion rail passengers annually in 2010 (MLIT Yearly Statistics). For a complete list of urban rail systems in Japan with ridership statistics, see List of urban rail systems in Japan.
- This ridership figure includes the Busan-Gimhae Light Rail Transit ridership in the total.
- This figure counts only gate-passers, so it only includes Seoul Metro and Seoul Subway Line 9 riders. Other lines that function as separate systems within the greater Seoul urban rail network are excluded.
- Ridership is based on unlinked passenger trips (i.e. a transfer between two lines counts as two trips, transferring between three lines counts as three trips, etc.).
- This ridership figure is the sum of the total annual trips (수송인원, boarding and transfer passengers) on the two sections (Phase 1 and Phase 2) of the line, from the accompanying reference.
- This figure is the sum of the passenger ridership on the two LRTA lines, L1 and L2, from the accompanying reference; it is based on unlinked passenger trips (i.e. a transfer between two lines counts as two trips, etc.).
- Figure extrapolated from 3,243,000 average daily ridership.
- Figure extrapolated from 1 265 900 average daily boardings.
- Ridership figure is for rapid transit Line M2 only; ridership on the light rail M1 line is excluded.
- Does not include ridership on the separate Docklands Light Railway (98 million), London Overground (183 million), Tramlink or National Rail systems within Greater London.
- Excluding Shaoxing, Taiyuan, and Luoyang systems, which had no data.
- Excluding Kanpur and Pune systems which had no data.
- Excluding Isfahan, Karaj and Tabriz systems which had no data.
- Excluding Guadalajara system which had no data.
- Lausanne Metro Line M1 (with 28 stations), is considered light rail
- Excluding Taichung system which had no data.
- Excluding Adana and Bursa systems which had very old data.