What was the world's first rapid transit system?
The world's first rapid transit system was the partially underground Metropolitan Railway, which opened in London in 1863 using steam locomotives. It now forms part of the London Underground.
Questions about Rapid transit
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why is rapid transit called different names like subway, metro, and tube?
Rapid transit names usually follow the medium passengers travel through. Tunnels inspire subway, underground, the German U-Bahn, and the Swedish T-bana, while viaducts inspire elevated, skytrain, and the German Hochbahn. Metro is the most common term among non-native English speakers.
What is the deepest rapid transit system in the world?
The deepest metro system in the world was built in St. Petersburg, Russia, where stable soil begins more than 50 metres down. Only three of its nearly 60 stations are near ground level, and some tunnels lie 100 to 120 metres below the surface.
Which rapid transit systems are the busiest by ridership?
The busiest rapid transit systems by annual ridership are the Shanghai Metro, the Tokyo subway system, the Seoul Metro, and the Moscow Metro. The Shanghai Metro is also the longest single-operator system by route length, while the New York City Subway has the most stations at 472.
What was the first fully automated underground heavy-rail line in rapid transit?
Singapore's North East MRT line, which opened in 2003, was the world's first fully automated underground urban heavy-rail line. Earlier automation included London's Victoria line in 1968 and the VAL system used on the Lille Metro from 1983.
How dangerous is rapid transit and what are its biggest safety risks?
Rapid transit has a good safety record overall, with head-on collisions rare due to double track and low speeds reducing rear-end collisions. Fire is the main underground danger, shown by the 1987 King's Cross fire in London that killed 31 people, and systems have also been targeted by terrorism such as the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attack.