Rapid Transit (and Trams!)

Rapid Transit is my favorite thing in the whole wide world and it is basically an intra-city, high frequency public transport system (though I do tend to exclude buses. Sorry!). It is also usually modern-looking and doesn't require a timetable. To plan a long-scale journey using rapid transit, click the button below. There are many parts to consider when talking about rapid transit and so I have included a description of the main modes of rapid transit. I am not including long-length rail systems though.

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The modes of Rapid Transit

This is the Dubai Metro in the UAE

Metro

So a metro is, basically, an urban rail system that runs within your city. The oldest one is the London Underground which opened in 1863, 161 years ago. In total, there are 225 metros worldwide!

This is the Toronto LRT in Canada

LRT (Light Rapid Transit)

LRTs or Light Rapid Transits are basically small, low-floored trains that run on lighter rails and usually share the road with cars. However, they have fencing around them most of the time to prevent accidents. The oldest one that is still running is the Edmonton LRT, which opened in 1978 and there are 98 in the world.

This is the Mumbai Monorail in India

Monorails/ Gadgetbahns

Monorails are elevated railways that run on a single track (or are suspended from a beam with the track on the bottom of it in Wuppertal's case) The oldest one is in Wuppertal, which was opened in 1901 and there are 45 monorails worldwide.

This is the Tehran BRT in Iran

BRT (Bus Rapid Transit)

Bus Rapid Transit is just buses that have their own right of way on the road. They also have map systems like metros and monorails and they are a cheaper solution to trams and metros for smaller cities. The oldest is in Curitiba, Brazil, which opened in 1967 and there are 335 of these in the world!

This is a tram in Melbourne

Trams!

Trams are like LRTs but usually share the road partially or entirely with cars without fencing which mean cars can go onto the tram tracks. They are also low floored and run on lighter rails embedded into the road. The oldest one is in Brighton, which was opened in 1883 and there are an impressive 341 tram systems in the world, the most of which are in Europe, with 259 trams.

This is the Elizabeth Line in London

Commuter Rail!

Commuter rail is heavy railways that run within the city to connect one part to the other. These tend to be more frequent than normal intercity railways and they run at a metro-like frequency. Some great examples are the Elizabeth Line and the Overground Lines in London and the Sydney Trains, as well as S-Bahn systems in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. There are a whopping 351 of these in the world, the oldest being the MBTA Commuter Rail opening in 1834.

Some of my favorite rapid transit systems

The Munich U-Bahn is one of my favorite metros! It's efficient, has a high frequency (a train every 3-4 minutes), quite clean, modern and the trains are really comfortable. The U-Bahn opened first in 1971 and is still using some of the same trains (though refurbished) today! It has 96 stations and is 103.1 km (64.06 miles) long. Purchasing a ticket isn't too hard. I was able to use the Munich U-Bahn 99% of the time while I was in Munich.

A Munich U-Bahn Type C3 train at Marienplatz station

A Central Line 1992 stock train at Shepherd's Bush station

An E1 class tram - one of the newer types in the fleet

The tram system in Melbourne (called the Yarra Trams) is the longest tram system in the world and the second most used transport system in Melbourne (besides their "metro"). It has 1770 tram stops and approximately 250km or 155 miles of track length! The system, once again, is very efficient and is the most frequent rapid transit system I have ever travelled on with a tram every 10 seconds (due to bunching) to 3 minutes!

The London Underground is my favorite metro system in the world - boasting of 272 stations and 402 km (250 miles) of track! It's also the world's oldest metro being 162 years old! Despite it's age, the London Underground (or the Tube) has been revamped multiple times and while it's not the cleanest system in the world, it is incredibly frequent and efficient - and I'm guessing the 3.23 million people who use it every day agree!

A Delhi Metro Hyundai Rotem train on the Grey Line

Special mention to the Delhi Metro in New Delhi, India. The Delhi Metro is the eighth-longest metro in the world, having 289 stations spanning 395 km (245 miles) and is therefore incredibly efficient and it's used by 473 thousand people every single day!

The Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway are the two metro systems operating in the wonderful Japanese capital city - Tokyo. And they are just two of the 121 other rail systems in the greater Tokyo area. The Tokyo Metro spans 195.1 km of track (that's 121.2 miles) and has 180 stations spread across its 9 lines, whereas the Toei Subway is 109km or 67.7 miles long with 106 stations. Since these are operated separately and not as a single system, they effectively count as two metros.

Above: A 10-300 series train on the Toei Subway's Shinjuku Line

Right: A 2000 series train on the Tokyo Metro's Marunouchi Line

The Sydney Trains are undoubtedly unique and special. Consisting of nine lines and 169 stations spread across 355.5 km (221 miles) of track, the Sydney Trains are one of the most efficient ways of getting across Sydney. Line 8 even runs trains to the Airport! Double decker trains running within the city and to nearby towns. Oh, and trains run on a 90-year old cantilever bridge over the Sydney Harbor which is my favorite part.

An M Set train on the Sydney Metro T1/9 Line.

Rapid Transit: My absolute favorite!

I really love trains and trams and metros. I just find them so fascinating and interesting. The newest technology like driverless trains and platform edge doors. Tracks embedded in the street. It all just fascinates me.