Top 10 Oldest Subways Around the Globe

Subways, which refer to railways running underground, are now commonly used to mean not only subterranean railways in a dictionary sense but also urban railways that include some ground sections and wide-area railways connecting urban areas. As of 2015, the number of subway users in the capital region of South Korea exceeded 2.6 billion annually, an impressive figure that ranks fifth in the world for subway usage. The Seoul Subway in South Korea first opened in 1974, but many urban railways worldwide have a longer history. Let’s look at the long history of subways around the world.

 

Philadelphia Subway

The subway in Philadelphia, USA, first opened in 1907. There are three subway lines in downtown Philadelphia, two of which started operating in 1907 for the first time. The agency responsible for operating the urban railway is SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority), which operates commuter rails, urban railways, trolley lines, and trolley bus lines in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

 

New York Subway

The subway in New York is considered the largest public transportation in the world. It has 468 stations, a total length of 209 miles, a business distance of 1056㎞ (657 miles), and an actual distance of 1355㎞ (842 miles). It is used by an average of 5 million people daily, and the annual number of users exceeds 1.6 billion. This is the seventh-largest number of passengers after Tokyo, Moscow, Beijing, Nanjing, Seoul, and Guangzhou. The elevated railway opened in 1868, and the first subway to operate in an underground tunnel opened in 1904.

 

Athens Subway

The Athens subway is considered a city railway with a long history. However, unlike other regions that opened through large-scale construction, the railway between Athens and Piraeus opened in 1869 and was electrified as Line 1 in 1904. There are four lines, including Line 4, which is scheduled to open in 2026, but the other lines, except for Line 1, all opened after 2000, so they have a very different atmosphere from Line 1.

 

Berlin Subway

In Berlin, the capital of Germany, a subway has been operating since 1902. The Berlin subway, operated by the Berlin Transportation Corporation, is known for all its trains being yellow. After opening, it was operated separately when East and West Germany were divided, but now it is operating connecting West Berlin and East Berlin. Some of the old vehicles of the Berlin subway were even exported to the Pyongyang subway in North Korea.

 

Boston Subway

The MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) subway, operating in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, is a city railway with a long history. It consists of three medium-rail lines, including the Orange Line, which started operation in 1901, one Green Line with multiple branches, and one short light rail line. The MBTA subway has a total of 133 stations, but only 26 are underground, despite being a subway.

 

Paris Subway

The Paris subway, boasting an extensive network of routes encompassing downtown Paris and several suburban areas, is a city railway system that began on July 19, 1900. Comprising 16 lines, from Line 1 to Line 14, with two additional independent branches, most of these lines extend into the suburbs. Inaugurated during the year of the Paris World Exposition, the subway network experienced continuous expansion over approximately 30 years. Operating hours typically span from 5 a.m. until around 1 a.m.

 

Chicago Subway

The city railway operated by the Chicago Transit Authority in Chicago, USA, is also a subway with a long history. It takes a structure that passes through the city’s center and is a subway that connects Chicago and 35 surrounding satellite cities. It is located in a large city with a good network, boasting the second-largest city railway transportation volume in the United States after the New York Subway. However, despite this, the facilities are old, there are many criticisms, and there are often inconveniences due to pigeons flocking to the open station.

 

Glasgow Subway

The Glasgow City Railway in the United Kingdom also holds the distinction of being a subway system with a rich history. Its inaugural opening occurred on December 14, 1896, marking its position as the third subway system to commence operations globally. Remarkably, it has maintained operations for over 120 years with just 15 stations. The subway operates along a circular route, employing a unified single-fare system. Notably, a substantial maintenance effort spanning from 1977 to 1980 was undertaken to address and rectify the deteriorating state of its facilities.

 

Budapest Subway

In Budapest, the capital of Hungary, there is a subway that was the first in the world to be registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The subway construction plan was passed by the National Assembly in 1870, construction began in 1894 by the German Siemens company, and Line 1 was completed in less than two years. It is a subway running in the northeast direction from the southwestern Vörösmarty Square along Andrássy Street to the southwest of Városliget. The original terminus was the zoo.

 

London Subway

The London subway in the UK is the world’s first subway, which started operating on January 10, 1863. It is a whopping 111 years ahead of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. It is called the London Tube because it looks like a tube and is also called the London Underground. Initially, because a steam locomotive operated it, the sections developed in the 19th century are open at the top, despite the name subway. The line that opened in 1863 is the Metropolitan line.
 

By. Deok Soo Choi