The Top 5 Transit Systems in the World
The Best Metro Systems in the World
The best metropolitan transits are the world are the following: Tokyo; Hong Kong; Seoul; London; and Madrid. At the HSRAC, we understand about the importance of rail transportation outside of high speed rail, which in this point is considered to be intercity rail. But in this topic, we will talk about the trains that operate on daily basis WITHIN and AROUND THE CITIES. And the following above are also connected by high speed rail, further limiting the needs of personal transportation like cars, which can total thousands of dollars in maintenance, insurance, and fuel as well as increased stress and decreased productivity. Without them, these cities would come to a halt.
5. Madrid Metro
Number 5 is Madrid Metro. It consists of 294 km of rail line with 300 stations plus 386 km of commuter rail line that serves suburban areas. This totals to 21 lines with 396 stations along the way. Underground stations also hold big events, sometimes bigger than the ones in New York, like the fitness festival in May 2011. Madrid Metro also has the most escalators in the world totaling 1,656 escalators on the Metro property. One station even has an archeological museum that is 200 square meters big (2)!
Madrid Metro has over 7,500 employees. The metro was first made in 1919 as King Alfonso XIII inaugurated the Metro’s first line. The underground Metros were also used as air raid bunkers during the Spanish Civil War the same way that the British used the Underground as an air raid bunker during WWII. The metro serves 2 million passengers a day (27).
4. London Underground
Number 4 is London! Now, London has another very successful metro rail company that is also famous as it is called the Underground and nicknamed “The Tube”. The London Underground is the oldest Metro System in the world, first proposed almost 2 centuries ago and construction began in 1854. The Underground system was complete on Jan.10,1863. The Underground has been praised for quickly transporting people across the important and vast places of the city of London. The Underground totals over a billion journeys a year(2) thanks to its speedy transport, which has changed the city and inspired similar systems around the world. Many stops are Edwardian Modern Style. It transports over a billion people a year and at one point reached 3.4 billion passengers a year equal to that of half of the world’s population.
The London Underground serves 270 stations. Its 11 routes total to 250 miles of rail line, which 52% of the rail is actually above ground. The Underground started in 1863 as just the ‘Metropolitan Railway’. Today it is known as “The Circle”, “Hammersmith and City” and “Metropolitan Lines”. In 1890, the first electric traction underground line opened as “City and South London Railway”, which today is known as the “Northern Line”. In addition to the Underground Rail Line, London also has the “Overground Rail” primarily to transport people from the city to the suburbs. This extends rail transport beyond the Underground Tube for those living in, around, and near London. So that means people living near or outside London in the suburbs can easily and quickly access to the London city centers without having to transfer at crowded Center stations. It currently has 83 stations along 77 miles of rail line. And one of the routes has been dubbed the ‘M25’ on rails.
3. Korean Ko-Rail
Number 3 is Seoul! Seoul’s metro railways and Ko-Rail routes total 621 miles of rail line owned by two government agencies and by one private company. They also have all the available latest technology and gadgets including 46” touchscreen that can be kiosk, Google Maps, or Tourist Guides. The metro also has Wi-Fi, TV, Cell Phone Service, and even climate controlled heating seats that warm passengers in the winter! They even have the world’s first visual mart at the Seolleung Station for smartphone users. The stations also have technological LCD screens and the touchscreens that tell arrival times they also tell news and animated shorts. Almost every metro station is Seoul has platform screen with automated doors. This is a very safe feature because it prevents trash, which pose a safety risk on the rail, from being thrown on the tracks people from falling into the tracks or into the train danger zone in any way like prevent suicide or accidental falling on train tracks or prevent train surfing like a lot of youth and young adults do in Australia, which is dangerous in many ways.
Because of the advanced complexity of the system, the Seoul Metro Subway has been called the “Super Highway.” The Seoul Transit Authority is also building light rapid transit around the city center while connecting metro lines. The proposed Uijeongbu LRT are also automated using technology from Siemens and Bombardier. One project like this that is already in service is the Everline LRT line. The train starts at the Yongin capital center of Seoul and it ends at the Everline theme park after 17 stops along the way.
2. Hong Kong MTR
Number 2 is Hong Kong! The city has also a very busy metro and transit system with over 130 miles of rail line. This means it has 108 miles of metro line and 22 miles of Light Rail Line. It has 86 metro stops and 68 light rail stops. It has also been praised for being on time 99.9% of the time. The Hong Kong Metro system is also a very powerful privatized company. The company owns not only all the rail systems in Hong Kong but also some rails in China and the London Underground as well. They even own the whole Metro Systems of Stockholm, Sweden and Melbourne, Australia! Like the Seoul Metro System, some rail stations in Hong Kong have platform screens with automated doors. They also have many convenient technologies including easy wheelchair/stroller accessibility, and interoperable touch-and-go fare payment.
Another path to economic success for the Hong Kong MTR is the way they have properties and are used as profits to transport people from Point A to Point B. The MTR also puts another business such as a store or restaurant at each MTR station. Also since it is very hard for people to own a car in Hong Kong even if they lived in the suburbs, the MTR has also made big profits for it is being used as an alternative transportation system. All of this is done without 1 cent paid to the taxpayers.
1. Tokyo Metro
The Number 1 best metro in the rail is….Tokyo! The city has a lot of complex rail method systems for city transport. They have subways, metro trains, and commuter trains that transport 14 billion passengers a year, or half of the world’s population. The rail stations are also easy to access to. Tokyo has a total of 102 rail lines(2) totaling over 3,000 miles with over 2,000 stations on the way.
For example, Tokyo has the automated peoplemover called Yurikamome, which moves people from Shimbashi to Toyosu Stations to the manmade island of Odaiba via over the rainbow bridge. The Ginza Line Rail line that serves from Shibuya to Taito, is the oldest Subway in all of Asia, operating since 1927. There are also commuter rails throughout Tokyo including what is called the “Tokyo Mega Loop”, which consists of the Keiyo, Mushashino, Nambu, and Yokohama lines. Another important commuter line in Tokyo is the Yamanote line, which has been around since 1885, now owned by JR East, a private company that owns many other rail, metro and subway line in Tokyo. The Yamanote line carries 3.7 billion passengers a day, more daily ridership than all of London Underground!
Resources
[1] http://www.metromadrid.es/en/
[2] Day, John R; Reed, John (2010) [1963]. The Story of London’s Underground (11th ed.). Capital Transport. ISBN 978–1–85414–341–9
[3] Jackson (1986), p. 19.
[4]Day & Reed (2010), pp. 8, 14.
[5] http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/whats-the-worst-and-best-metro-in-the-world/?_r=0
[7] http://photosecrets.com/london-underground
[9] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/29/beijing-subway-expansion_n_6389002.html
[10] http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/life/10-best-metro-systems-746919
[11] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.imagedrome.jihachul&hl=en
[12] http://jymozart2000.blog.me/70169605825
[15] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klfvw5C0g0s
[16] http://www.bbc.com/news/world-22010533
[17] http://www.worldservicesgroup.com/publications.asp?action=article&artid=2097
[19] http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/corporate/file_rep/PR-13-015-E.pdf
[20] http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr05-06/english/bc/bc03/papers/bc031028cb1-2266-12-e-scan.pdf
[21] http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/corporate/file_rep/PR-13-015-E.pdf
