FAQ Lists - World transit lists
David McLoughlin
WORLD URBAN RAIL, STREETCAR (TRAMWAYS) & ELECTRIC TROLLEYBUS CITIES
EXLUDING NORTH AMERICA
This section lists cities around the world (other than the North
American ones cited in their separate post) which operate streetcars
(trams), trolleybuses and subways/metros/underground railways. All
suggestions, additions and corrections welcomed, please send to:
<dav...@iprolink.co.nz>.
The trolleybus section draws heavily on the hard work done by David
Wyatt David...@UManitoba.ca> who has been compiling a list of world
"Rail and Trolleybus Transit Systems" for some time. A text version of
his document is available in the anonymous ftp archive
ftp.cc.umanitoba.ca in the directory /transit. The latest version is
always available on the World Wide Web at URL:
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/rail-transit-list.html
David’s list has also been used to cross-check information for the
tram/streetcar and metro/rapid transit sections. Full acknowledgement
and thanks is given to him.
Thanks also to Wolfgang Auer of Wien who cross-checked many of the
entries against his own lists.
Additional material in preparing this list has come from the mtu-t
newsgroup and, especially in the case of tramway/streetcar/light rail
systems and subway/underground/metro systems, from the UK magazine
"Tramways & Urban Transport" (Formerly "Light Rail & Modern Tramway.")
**
Which cities around the world (excluding North America) have
streetcars/tramways/light rail?
With the following cities, a tramway/streetcar system with a large
street-running component, or derived from such a traditional system,
is called a "tramway." Lines in cities based more on the idea of a
largely non-street-running, mostly segregated light railway are called
"light rail." Note that many "light rail" lines do incorporate some
street running, eg, Tuen Mun (Hong Kong), Manchester (UK) and many of
the new American light rail systems.
In every case, the term "tramway" should be read as "streetcar" by
North American readers. The term "tram" is often used in this list
because this is what such vehicles are called in many of the cities
with them.
This list now includes the dozens of tramway systems in Russia and
other former Soviet republics.
When known, the year of opening is included. In the case of
long-established systems, the opening date is for the original horse,
steam, cable or other motive-powered system which preceded but formed
the basis of the present electric system. In the case of light rail
systems opened since the 1970s, often in cities which once had
trams/streetcars, the opening date is the date the new system opened.
ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires; small light rail (1987)
AUSTRALIA
Adelaide; tram; Glenelg line; (1878)
Melbourne; very large tramway (1885)
Sydney; Sydney light rail /tramway, one short line so far, more
planned (1997)
AUSTRIA
Gmunden; tiny tramway (1894); claims to be the world's smallest
tramway (4 cars, line some 2.5km in length).
Graz; tramway (1878)
Innsbruck; tramway (1891)
Linz; tramway (1880)
Salzburg; interurban light rail (1886)
Wien (Vienna); very large tramway (1865). Plus light rail developed
from former tram lines plus an interurban tramway.
BELGIUM
Antwerpen, tramway, (1873)
Bruxelles/Brussel (Brussels), large tramway (1869)
Charleroi, small tramway/light rail (1887)
Gent, tramway (1875)
De Panne – Knokke (interurban), light rail (1885)
BOSNIA
Sarajevo, tramway (1895). Reinstated after war damage.
BRAZIL
Campos de Jordao, light rail (1914)
Itatinga, tramway, 1958
Rio de Janeiro, tram (1877; heritage), light rail (1982) partly
suspended
BULGARIA
Sofia, large tramway, (1898)
CHINA
Anshan, tramway (1956)
Beijing (Zhongguancun light rail line) (under construction)
Changchun, tramway (1937)
Dalian, tramway (1909) (new trams under construction as of June 1998)
Harbin (light rail, allegedly)
Hong Kong, traditional British-style street tramway with double-deck
trams (1904) light rail (Tuen Mun, 1988)
CROATIA
Osijek, small tramway, 1 route (1884)
Zagreb, large tramway (1891)
CUBA
Havana, former Hershey interurban, light rail (1928)
CZECH REPUBLIC
Brno , large tramway (1884)
Liberec, tramway (1897)
Most, tramway, (1957)
Olomouc, tramway, (1899)
Ostrava, tramway, (1894)
Plzen, tramway (1899)
Praha (Prague), very large tramway (1875)
EGYPT
Alexandria, tramway, (many modern trams) (1860)
Cairo, small tramway, once large (1896)
Heliopolis, tramway (1908)
Helwan, tram, (1981)
FINLAND
Helsinki, large tramway (1891)
FRANCE
Bordeaux, tram, one line (under construction for 2002 opening)
Grenoble, expanding modern tramway, (1987)
Lille, tramway (1874)
Lyon, tram, two lines (under construction for December 2000 opening)
Marseille, tram, one line (1876)
Montpellier, tram, one line (under construction)
Nantes, growing modern tramway (1985)
Paris, light-rail tramway, 2 lines (1992)
Orleans, tram, one line (under construction)
Rouen, tramway (1994)
St Etienne, tram, one line (1881)
Strasbourg, tramway, one line (1994), second line under construction
Toulon, tram, one line (project accepted, construction should begin
soon)
GERMANY
Augsburg, tramway (1881)
Bad Schandau, tram (1898)
Berlin, very large tramway (1865); re-expanding into former West
Berlin
Bielefeld, medium tramway (1900)
Bochum-Gelsenkirchen, large tramway (1894)
Bonn, tramway (1891); light rail (1911)
Brandenburg, tramway (1897)
Braunschweig, tramway (1879)
Bremen, large expanding tramway (1876)
Chemnitz, tramway (1880)
Cottbus, tramway (1903)
Darmstadt, tramway, (1886)
Dessau, small tramway (1894)
Dortmund, large tramway (1881)
Dresden, large tramway (1872)
Duisburg, tramway (1881)
Düsseldorf, large tramway (1876)
Erfurt, large tramway (1883)
Essen, large tramway (1893) light rail (1977)
Frankfurt/Main, large tramway (1872); light rail (1968)
Frankfurt/Oder, tramway, 1898
Freiburg, tramway (1901)
Gera, small tramway (1892)
Görlitz , tramway (1882)
Gotha, tramway (1894)
Halberstadt, tramway (1887)
Halle, large tramway (1882)
Hannover, large tramway/light rail (1872)
Heidelberg, tramway (1885)
Jena, tramway (1901)
Karlsruhe, large tramway expanding on DB AG rail tracks (1877)
Kassel, large tramway (1877)
Köln (Cologne) large tramway, (1877)
Krefeld, tramway (1883)
Leipzig, large tramway (1872)
Ludwigshafen, tramway (1878), light rail (Bad Dürkheim 1913),
Magdeburg, tramway (1877)
Mainz, tramway (1883)
Mannheim, tramway (1878), light rail (to Heidelberg 1878), the
Mannheim and Ludwigshafen
systems are interlinked
Mülheim/Ruhr, tramway (1897)
München (Munich) tramway (1876)
Naumburg, small tramway (suspended since 1991)
Nordhausen, small tramway (1900)
Nürnberg (Nuremberg), tramway (1881)
Oberhausen, new tramway, one line (1996)
Plauen, tramway (1894)
Potsdam, tramway (1880)
Rostock, tramway (1881)
Saarbrücken, new tramway, also runs as LRT on DB AG tracks (1997)
Schöneiche, small tramway (1910)
Schwerin, tramway (1881)
Strausberg, small interurban tramway (one line) (1893)
Stuttgart, small tramway (1868) large light rail system (1975)
Ulm, small tramway, one line (1897)
Woltersdorf, small tramway (1913)
Wuppertal, monorail (schwebebahn) (1903)
Würzburg, tramway (1892)
Zwickau, tramway (1894)
HUNGARY
Budapest, very large tramway (1866), light rail (1887)
Debrecen, tramway (1911)
Miskolc, small tramway (1897)
Szeged, tramway (1884)
INDIA
Calcutta, large (if amazingly decrepit!) tramway (1873)
ITALY
Genova (Genoa), light railways (1901, 1929, 1990)
Messina, tramway, under construction for 2001 opening)
Milano, very large tramway (1876)
Napoli (Naples), tramway (1875), light railways (1891)
Roma (Rome), tramway growing again after post WW-II reduction (1882),
light railways (1916, 1924)
Sassari, small tramway, (under construction)
Soprabolzano, small interurban tramway (Rittnerbahn )(1907)
Torino (Turin), large tramway (1872)
Trieste, tram, one line (1883)
JAPAN
Enoshima, small tramway (1902)
Fukui, small tramway (1924)
Gifu, tramway (1899)
Hakodate, tramway (1897)
Hiroshima, thriving modern tramway (1912)
Kagoshima, tramway (1912)
Kitakyushu, small tramway (1911)
Kochi , tramway (1904)
Kumamoto, tramway (1907) light railway (1911)
Kyoto, tramway (1895)
Matsuyama, small tramway (1911), light railway 8 lines (1908)
Nagasaki, thriving modern tramway (1915)
Okayama, small tramway (1912)
Osaka, tramway (1903)
Sapporo, small tramway (1910)
Takaoka, small tramway (1948)
Tokyo, small isolated tramway (1882)
Toyama, small tramway (1913)
Toyohashi, small tramway (1925)
KOREA (NORTH)
Pyongyang, tramway (1991)
MALAYSIA
Kuala Lumpur, light rail (1996)
NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam, large tramway (1875), light rail (1990)
Den Haag (The Hague) large tramway (1864)
Rotterdam, large tramway (1879)
Utrecht, light rail (1983)
NORWAY
Oslo, large tramway (1875), light rail (1909)
Trondheim, small tramway (1901)
PUERTO RICO
San Juan, light rail (under construction for 2002 opening)
PHILIPPINES
Manila, light rail, 2 lines (1984, second opened 1999)
POLAND
Bydgoszcz. tramway (1880)
Czestochowa, small tramway (1959)
Elblag, small tramway (1895)
Gdansk, tramway (1873)
Gorzow, small tramway (1899)
Grudziadz, small tramway (1896)
Katowice, large tramway (1894)
Krakow, large tramway (1882)
Lodz, large tramway (1898)
Poznan, tramway (1880)
Szczecin, tramway (1879)
Torun, small tramway (1891)
Warszawa (Warsaw), very large tramway (1865) light rail (1927)
Wroclaw, large tramway (1877)
PORTUGAL
Lisboa (Lisbon), elderly tramway, much reduced in size but being
modernised (1873)
Porto, elderly tramway, intermittent almost-heritage operation, 1
remaining line (1896); light rail (under construction)
ROMANIA
Arad, large tramway (1896)
Botosani, small tramway (1991)
Braila, tramway (1900)
Brasov, small tramway (1987)
Bucharest, large tramway (1874)
Cluj-Napoca, small tramway (1987)
Constanta, tramway (1984)
Craiova, small tramway (1987)
Galati, tramway (1899)
Iasi, large tramway (1900)
Oradea, tramway (1905)
Ploeisti, small tramway (1987)
Resita, small tramway (1988)
Sibiu,, small tramway (1905)
Timisoara, large tramway (1899)
SLOVAKIA
Bratislava, large tramway (1895)
Kosice. Tramway (1891)
Trencianske-Tepla, small tramway (1909)
SPAIN
Barcelona. Short tramline (1892), light rail-tramway (under
construction for 2003 opening.
Soller, small tramway (1913)
Valencia, small tramway (1994), light rail (1988)
SWEDEN
Göteborg (Gothenburg), large tramway (1879)
Norrköping, small tramway (1904)
Stockholm, light rail plus small reopened heritage street tramway
(1877)
SWITZERLAND
Basel, large tramway (1895)
Bern, tramway (1890) light rail (1898, 1912)
Genève (Geneva), re-expanding tramway (1862)
Lausanne, light rail (1877 [rack] 1991)
Neuchâtel, small interurban tramway on one route (1892)
St Gallen light rail (St Gallen - Trogen) (1903)
Zürich, large tramway (1882), light rail.
THAILAND
Bangkok, light rail (1999)
TUNISIA
Tunis, tramway/light rail (1985)
TURKEY
Ankara, light rail (1995)
Bursa, light rail (under construction)
Istanbul, light rail (1989)
Izmir, light rail (1998)
Konya, tramway (1992)
UNITED KINGDOM
Birmingham, light rail/tramway (Midland Metro) (1999)
Blackpool, tramway (to Fleetwood) one line, modernised traditional
British tramway still using some double-decker trams (1885)
London (Croydon), tramway/light rail (Croydon Tramlink) (May 10 2000)
London, Docklands light rail (automated, third rail) (1987)
Manchester, expanding tramway/light rail (1992)
Newcastle-on-Tyne, "light rail" using EMUs (1980) (Also claimed to be
a metro)
Nottingham, tramway/light rail (under construction with 2003 opening
date)
Sheffield, modern tramway with European-style low-floor articulated
cars and substantial street-running in mixed traffic (1994)
VENEZUELA
Valencia, light rail (under construction)
YUGOSLAVIA
Belgrade (Serbia), large tramway (1894)
*
Tramway/streetcar systems of the former USSR
This information was provided in February 1999 courtesy Pete Humble
>pe...@dircon.co.uk>. It is based on details from the Blikpunkt
Strassenbahn/LRTA Tramway Atlas of the former USSR and is claimed to
be correct at 1/1/96.
Many tramways in the USSR had breaks in service, usually because of
wars. These are all noted in the list below, with original opening
date first.
ARMENIA
Yerevan (1906-1918, 1933-) Horse tramway replaced by separate electric
AZERBAIJAN
Baku (1889-1923, 1924-) Horse tramway replaced by separate electric
Sumgait (1959)
BELARUS
Minsk (1892-1918, 1921-1928, 1929-1941, 1943-1944, 1945-) break in
service for
three years; horse tramway replaced by separate electric; two breaks
in service of 10 months each.
Mozyr' (1988)
Novopolotsk (1974)
Vitebsk (1897-1918, 1923-1941, 1947-) Two breaks in service for 5 and
6.5
years respectively.
ESTONIA
Tallinn (1888)
GEORGIA
Tbilisi (1883)
KAZAKHSTAN
Almaty (1937)
Karaganda (1950)
Pavlodar (1963)
Temirtau (1959)
Ust'-Kamenogorsk (1959)
LATVIA
Daugavplis (1946)
Liepaja (1899)
Riga (1882)
RUSSIA
Arkhangel'sk (1916)
Astrakahan' (1900)
Chelyabinsk (1932)
Cherepovets (1956)
Dzerzhinsk (1933)
Ivanovo (1933) A separate goods tramway was run 1927-1950
Izhevsk (1935)
Kaliningrad (1881-1945, 1946-) break in service for nearly two years
Karpinsk (1946) may have closed at the end of 1994.
Kazan' (1875-1920, 1922-) Break in service for about 1.5 years.
Khabarovsk (1956)
Kolomna (1948)
Komsomol'sk-na-Amure (1957)
Krasnodar (1900)
Krasnotur'insk (1954)
Kursk (1898-1918, 1924-1941, 1943-) Two breaks in service of 5.5 and 2
years
Lipetsk (1947)
Magnitogorsk (1935)
Moskva (1872)
Nizhniy Novgorod (1895-1919, 1923-) Break in service for about 4
years.
Nizhniy Tagil (1937)
Noginsk (1924-1992, 1994-) Break in service of about two years.
Novocherkassk (1954)
Novotroitsk (1956)
Orsk (1948)
Oryol (1898-1919, 1921-1941, 1943-) Breaks in service for about 3
years and 2 years.
Perm' (1929)
Pyatigorsk (1904)
Rostov na Donu (1887-1941, 1943-) Break in service for nearly 2 years
Ryazan' (1963)
Sankt-Petersburg (1863-1941, 1942-) Break in service for 5 months. To
this day operates the world’s largest tramway system.
Samara (1895-1919, 1920-) Break in service for about 1.5 years.
Saratov (1887)
Shakhty (1932-1942, 1944-) Break in service for about 2 years.
Smolensk (1901-1919, 1922-1941, 1947-) Break in service for about 3
years; two separate systems with different track gauges.
Staryi Oskol (1977)
Taganrog (1932)
Tula (1888-1919, 1926-) Horse tramway replaced by separate electric
Tver' (1901)
Ul'yanovsk (1954)
Ust'-Katav (1973) Test track of KTM car factory, in existence since
1899, but
only used in public service (peak hours only) since 1973.
Vladikavkaz (1902-1920, 1924-) Break in service of nearly 5 years.
Vladivostok (1912)
Volchansk (1949)
Volgograd (1912-1920, 1922-1942, 1943-) Two breaks in service of 3 and
1.5
years respectively.
Volzhskiy (1960)
Voronezh (1891-1919, 1926-) Horse tramway replaced by separate
electric; a separate steam goods tramway was run 1916-1953
Yaroslavl' (1900)
Yekaterinburg (1929)
Zlatoust (1934)
Russia (Bashkortostan):
Salavat (1953)
Ufa (1937)
Russia (Chechnya):
Groznyi (1932) Closed early 1995 as a result of the war....
Russia (Siberia):
Achinsk (1967)
Angarsk (1953)
Barnaul (1948)
Biysk (1960)
Cheryomushki (1991)
Irkutsk (1947)
Kemerovo (1940)
Krasnoyarsk (1958)
Novokuznetsk (1933)
Novosibirsk (1934)
Omsk (1936)
Osinniki (1957-1963, 1960-) Two separate systems.
Prokop'yevsk (1936)
Tomsk (1949)
Ulan-Ude (1958)
Usol'ye Sibirskoye (1967)
Ust'-Ilmsk (1988)
Russia (Tatarstan):
Naberezhnye Chelny (1971)
Nizhnekamsk (1964)
UKRAINE
Avedeyevka (1963)
Dneprodzerzhinsk (1935)
Dnepropetrovsk (1897-1919, 1921-) Break in service for about 2 years
Donetsk (1928)
Druzhkova (1945)
Gorlovka (1932-1941, 1944-) Break in service for about 2.5 years
Khar'kov (1882-1920, 1921-) Break in service for about 1.5 years
Kiev (1891) Some electrified from 1891!
Konotop (1949)
Konstantinovka (1931-1941, 1944-) Break in service for about 2.5 years
Kramatorsk (1937-1941, 1944-) Break in service for about 2.5 years
Krivoy Rog (1935-1941, 1946-) Break in service for about 5 years
Lugansk (1934-1942, 1944-) Break in service for about 1.5 years
L'vov (1879)
Makeyevka (1924)
Mariupol (1933)
Molochnoye (1989) Summer season service only; only owns 4 cars.
Nikolayev (1897)
Odessa (1880)
Stakhanov (1937-1942, 1946-) Break in service for over 4 years.
Vinnitsa (1913-1920, 1921-1944, 1945-) Two breaks in service of nearly
2 and
just over 1 year, respectively.
Yenakiyevo (1932-1941, 1944-) Break in service for 3 years.
Yevpatoria (1913-1919, 1923-1941, 1944, 1947-) 3 breaks in service of
4, 3 and
3 years respectively.
Zaporozh'ye (1931-1943, 1944-) Break in service for about 1 year.
Zhitomir (1898-1918, 1920-) Break in service for about 2 years.
UZBEKISTAN
Tashkent (1901-1918, 1921-) Break in service for about 4 years.
**
Which cities around the world (except in North America) have
trolleybuses?
The following is a list of cities with currently operating or
under-construction electric trolleybus systems, excluding the North
American systems which have their own post, and excluding (for now,
due to pressure of time) the dozens of systems in Russia and the other
former Soviet republics (With year of opening when known).
AFGHANISTAN
Kabul
ARGENTINA
Cordoba (1989)
Mendoza (1958)
Rosario (re-opened 1994 with new vehicles)
AUSTRIA
Innsbruck (opened 1944, closed 1976; reopened, new routes & new fleet
1988)
Kapfenberg (1944)
Linz (1944)
Salzburg (1940)
BELGIUM
Gent (1989)
BOSNIA
Sarajevo (1984) , reinstated after war damage.
BRAZIL
Recife
Ribeirao
Santos
Sao Paulo
BULGARIA
Blagoevgrad [under construction]
Burgas
Dimitrovgrad [Under construction]
Bobrich
Gabrovo
Gorna
Oryakhovitsa [under construction]
Kazanluk
Khoskovo
Pazardzhik
Pernik (1986)
Pleven (1985)
Plovdiv
Ruse
Shumen [under construction]
Sliven (1986)
Sofia (1941)
Stara Zagora
Varna (1986)
Veliko
Vidin [under construction]
Vratsa
Yambol [under construction]
CHILE
Santiago (1991; suspended, wires still in place; ETBs sent to
Valparaiso,)
Valparaiso (1952)
CHINA
Beijing (1957)
Benxi (1960)
Changchun (1960)
Chengdu (1962)
Chongqing (1955)
Dalian (1960)
Fuzhou (1983)
Guangzhou (1960)
Hangzhou (1961)
Harbin (1958)
Jilin (1960)
Jinan (1977)
Lanzhou (1960)
Luoyang (1984)
Nanchang (1971)
Nanjing (1960)
Qingdao (1960)
Qiqihar (1959)
Shanghai (1914)
Taiyuan
Tianjin (1951)
Wuhan (1958)
Xian (1959)
Zhengzhou (1979)
CZECH REPUBLIC
Brno (1949)
Ceske Budejovice (1948)
Chomutov - Jirkov; (1995)
Hradec Kralove; (1949)
Jihlava; (1948)
Marianske Lazne (1952)
Opava (1952)
Ostrava (1952)
Pardubice (1952)
Plzen (1941)
Teplice (1950)
Usti nad Labem (1988)
Zlin (Gottwaldov); (1944)
ECUADOR
Quito (1996)
FRANCE
Grenoble (1947)
Limoges (1943)
Lyon (1935)
Marseille (1942)
Nancy (1982)
Saint-Etienne (1942)
GERMANY
Eberswalde (1940)
Esslingen (1944)
Solingen (1952)
GREECE
Athens (1953)
Piraeus (1949)
HUNGARY
Budapest (1949)
Debrecen; (1985)
Szeged (1979)
IRAN
Teheran (1992)
ITALY
Ancona (1949)
Bologna (1991)
Cagliari (1950)
Cremona (1940)
Genova (Genoa) (1997)
La Spezia (1949)
Milano (1933)
Modena (1948)
Napoli (Naples)
Parma (1953)
Reggio Emilia [under construction]
Rimini (1939)
San Remo (1942)
JAPAN
Daikanho-Murodo (1996)
Kurobe Dam (1964)
KOREA (NORTH)
Chongjin
Hamhung
Kimchek
Nampo
Pyongyang
Sinuiju
NEPAL
Kathmandu (1975)
NETHERLANDS
Arnhem (1949)
NEW ZEALAND
Wellington (1949)
NORWAY
Bergen (1950)
POLAND
Gdynia (1943)
Lublin (1953)
Tychy (1982)
PORTUGAL
Coimbra (1947)
ROMANIA
Braila
Brasov
Bucharest
Cluj
Constanta
Galati
Iasi (1985)
Medias
Piatra Neamt
Satu Mare (1995)
Sibiu
Timisoara
Tirgoviste [under construction]
Tirgu Jiu (1995)
Vaslui
SLOVAKIA
Banska Bystrica
Bratislava (1941)
Kosice
Presov (1962)
Zilina (1994)
SWITZERLAND
Basel
Bern
Biel/Bienne
Fribourg
Genève (Geneva)
La Chaux-de-Fonds
Lausanne (1937)
Lugano (1954)
Luzern
Montreux - Vevey
Neuchâtel
St Gallen
Schaffhausen
Winterthur
Zürich
VENEZUELA
Merida (under construction)
YUGOSLAVIA
Belgrade, Serbia
**
Which cities have subways/underground railways/metros/rapid transit
systems?
In this section, most of the subways/underground railways/metros cited
are assumed to be totally segregated "heavy rail" urban mass rapid
transit systems, usually (but not always) employing "third rail"
current collection and with some or much of the track, especially in
city centres, constructed in tunnels. However, some are "lighter"
systems which nonetheless fit the description of fully segregated
rapid transit, eg, the automated VAL systems in France.
This list includes all systems in China, Russia and the other former
Soviet republics and thus, when read with the North American systems
in their separate post should be a comprehensive list of all the
world’s subway/metro/underground/heavy rapid transit systems.
(Year of opening in parentheses)
ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires, 5 lines (1913)
ARMENIA
Yerevan, 1 line (1981)
AUSTRIA
Wien (Vienna) 5 lines (1978)
AZERBAIJAN
Baku, 2 lines (1967)
BELARUS
Minsk, 2 lines (1976)
BELGIUM
Brussels, 2 lines based on former tram (pre-metro) subways (1976)
BRAZIL
Belo Horizonte, 1 line (1986)
Brasilia, 1 line (1994)
Porto Allegre, 1 line (1985)
Recife, 2 lines (1985)
Rio de Janeiro, 2 lines (1979)
Sao Paulo, 2 lines (1974)
BULGARIA
Sofia, 1 line (public service finally began January 28 1998)
CANADA
Montreal, 4 lines (1966)
Toronto, 2 lines (1954)
Vancouver (Skytrain; automated metro) (1982)
CHILE
Santiago, 2 lines (1975)
CHINA
Beijing. 2 lines (1969)
Guangzhou, 1 line (June 28 1999)
Hong Kong, 4 lines (1979); (fourth, airport line, opened July 6 1998)
Shanghai, 2 lines (1994)
Tianjin, 1 line (1980)
COLOMBIA
Medellin, 2 lines (1995)
CZECH REPUBLIC
Prague, 4 lines (1974)
EGYPT
Cairo, 2 lines (1987)
FINLAND
Helsinki, 2 lines (1982)
FRANCE
Lille, 2 lines, automated (1983)
Lyon, 3 lines (1978)
Marseille, 2 lines (1977)
Paris, 14 lines, (1900)
Rennes, 1 line (under construction, automated VAL system to be opening
in 2001)
Toulouse, 1 line, automated (1993)
GEORGIA
Tbilisi, 2 lines (1966)
GERMANY
Berlin, 8 lines (1902)
Hamburg, 3 lines (1912)
München (Munich) 6 lines (1971)
Nürnberg (Nuremberg) 2 lines (1972)
GREECE
Athens, 3 lines (1925; lines 2 and 3 opened January 2000)
HUNGARY
Budapest, 3 lines (1896) (world's second-oldest electric subway, first
in continental Europe)
INDIA
Calcutta, 1 line (which was dug by hand by 250,000 workers) (1984)
IRAN
Tehran, 1 line, (Finally opened February 2000 after being under
construction since 1986.)
ITALY
Milano, 3 lines (1964)
Napoli (Naples), 1 line (1993)
Roma (Rome), 2 lines (1955)
JAPAN
Fukuoka, 2 lines (1981)
Kobe, 1 line (1977)
Kyoto, 1 line (1981)
Nagoya, 5 lines (1957)
Osaka, 8 lines (1933)
Sapporo, 2 lines (1971)
Sendai, 1 line (1987)
Tokyo, 12 lines (1927) (oldest subway in Asia)
Yokohama, 1 line (1972)
KOREA (NORTH)
Pyongyang , 2 lines (1973)
KOREA (SOUTH)
Inchon 1 line (1999)
Kwangju 1 line (under construction for 2001 opening)
Pusan, 1 line (1985)
Seoul, 4 lines (1974)
Taegu, 1 line, another under construction (1997)
Taejon 1 line (under construction)
MEXICO
Mexico City, 8 lines (1969)
NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam, 3 lines (1977)
Rotterdam, 2 lines (1968)
NORWAY
Oslo, 4 lines (1966)
PERU
Lima, 1 line (not yet opened due to lack of finance)
POLAND
Warszawa (Warsaw), 1 line (1995)
PORTUGAL
Lisbon, 4 lines (1959)
ROMANIA
Bucharest, 3 lines (1979)
RUSSIA
Moscow, 11 lines (1935)
Nizhni Novgorod, 1 line (1985)
Novosibirsk, 2 lines (1986)
St. Petersburg, 4 lines (1955)
Samara, 1 line (1987)
Yekaterinburg, 1 line (1991)
SINGAPORE
Singapore, 3 lines (1987)
SPAIN
Barcelona. 5 lines (1924)
Bilbao, 1 line (1995)
Madrid, 10 lines (1919)
SWEDEN
Stockholm, 7 lines (1950)
TAIWAN
Taipei, 4 lines (1996)
TURKEY
Ankara, 1 line (1997)
Istanbul (under construction)
UKRAINE
Dnipropetrovsk, 1 line (1996)
Kharkiv, 3 lines (1975)
Kyiv, 3 lines (1960)
UNITED KINGDOM
Glasgow, 1 line (1896)
London, 12 lines (1863) (world's first subway/underground railway and
second-largest system behind New York's) . These are the London lines:
Bakerloo
Central
Circle
District
East London
Hammersmith & City
Jubilee
Metropolitan
Northern
Piccadilly
Victoria
Waterloo & City
Newcastle-on-Tyne (1980) (Also claimed to be light rail metro)
UNITED STATES
Atlanta, 2 lines (1979)
Baltimore, 1 line (1983)
Boston, 3 lines (1901)
Chicago, 6 lines (1892)
Cleveland, 1 line (1955)
Los Angeles, 1 line (1993)
Miami, 1 line (1984)
New York, 25 lines (1904) (World's largest subway system)
Philadelphia, 3 lines (1908)
San Francisco (BART), 3 lines, (1972)
Washington DC, 5 lines (1976)
UZBEKISTAN
Tashkent, 2 lines (1977)
VENEZEULA
Caracas, 2 lines (1983)
Maracaibo (under construction, due to open 2005)
Valencia (under construction, due to open 2001).
*****
Which is the world’s oldest working subway?
This question is frequently asked. In December 1998, Wolfgang Schwanke
[wo...@berlin.snafu.de] gave this update:
I took the liberty of sorting the FAQ's world metro system list by
opening date. That should clear up the "ranking order" :) London
really ought to be listed twice: 1863 opening of the first steam
operated underground line, 1890 first electric underground. No matter
how you look at it, London wins.
1863: London, 12 lines (world's first subway/underground railway and
1892: Chicago, 6 lines
1896: Budapest, 3 lines (world's second-oldest electric subway, first
in Europe)
1896: Glasgow, 1 line
1900: Paris, 14 lines
1901: Boston, 3 lines
1902: Berlin, 8 lines
1904: New York, 25 lines (World's largest subway system)
1908: Philadelphia, 3 lines
1912: Hamburg, 3 lines
1913: Buenos Aires, 5 lines
1919: Madrid, 10 lines
1924: Barcelona. 5 lines
1925: Athens, 1 line
1927: Tokyo, 12 lines (oldest subway in Asia)
1933: Osaka, 8 lines
1935: Moscow, 11 lines
1950: Stockholm, 7 lines
1954: Toronto, 2 lines
1955: Cleveland, 1 line
1955: Roma (Rome), 2 lines
1955: St. Petersburg, 4 lines
1957: Nagoya, 5 lines
1959: Lisbon, 3 lines
1960: Kyiv, 3 lines
1964: Milano, 3 lines
1966: Montreal, 4 lines
1966: Oslo, 4 lines
1966: Tbilisi, 2 lines
1967: Baku, 2 lines
1968: Rotterdam, 2 lines
1969: Beijing. 2 lines
1969: Mexico City, 8 lines
1971: München (Munich) 6 lines
1971: Sapporo, 2 lines
1972: Nürnberg (Nuremberg) 2 lines
1972: San Francisco (BART), 3 lines,
1972: Yokohama, 1 line
1973: Pyongyang , 2 lines
1974: Prague, 4 lines
1974: Sao Paulo, 2 lines
1974: Seoul, 4 lines
1975: Kharkiv, 3 lines
1975: Santiago, 2 lines
1976: Brussels, 2 lines based on former tram (pre-metro) subways
1976: Minsk, 2 lines
1976: Washington DC, 5 lines
1977: Amsterdam, 3 lines
1977: Kobe, 1 line
1977: Marseille, 2 lines
1977: Tashkent, 2 lines
1978: Lyon, 3 lines
1978: Wien 5 lines
1979: Atlanta, 2 lines
1979: Bucharest, 3 lines
1979: Hong Kong, 4 lines ; (fourth, airport line, opened July 6 1998)
1979: Rio de Janeiro, 2 lines
1980: Tianjin, 1 line
1981: Fukuoka, 2 lines
1981: Kyoto, 1 line
1981: Yerevan, 1 line
1982: Helsinki, 1 line
1982: Vancouver (Skytrain; automated metro)
1983: Baltimore, 1 line
1983: Lille, 2 lines, automated
1983: Caracas, 2 lines
1984: Calcutta, 1 line (which was dug by hand by 250,000 workers)
1984: Miami, 1 line
1985: Nizhni Novgorod, 1 line
1985: Porto Allegre, 1 line
1985: Pusan, 1 line
1985: Recife, 2 lines
1986: Belo Horizonte, 1 line
1986: Novosibirsk, 2 lines
1987: Cairo, 2 lines
1987: Samara, 1 line
1987: Sendai, 1 line
1987: Singapore, 3 lines
1991: Yekaterinburg, 1 line
1993: Los Angeles, 1 line
1993: Napoli (Naples), 1 line
1993: Toulouse, 1 line, automated
1994: Brasilia, 1 line
1994: Shanghai, 2 lines
1995: Bilbao, 1 line
1995: Medellin, 2 lines
1995: Warszawa (Warsaw), 1 line
1996: Dnipropetrovsk, 1 line
1996: Taipei, 2 lines
1997: Ankara, 1 line
1997: Guangzhou, 1 line
1997: Taegu, 1 line, another under construction
1998: Sofia, 1 line (public service finally began January 28 1998)
1999: Inchon 1 line (1999)
2000: Tehran
2001: Kwangju 1 line (under construction for 2001 opening)
2001: Maracaibo (tenders called, due to open 2001
2001: Rennes, 1 line (under construction, automated to be opening in
2001)
2001: Taejon 1 line (under construction)