The chart above shows the miles of heavy rail subway track within each EU and US state. The EU dominates over the US in this metric. Not only do EU states have more track laid, but more EU states have subway systems than US states even though there are far more US states.
Findings
- The difference between the state with the most miles of track, the United Kingdom, and the state with the least (that has a subway system), Denmark, is 313 miles (503.5 kilometers).
- The United Kingdom has 25.65 times the miles of track that Denmark does.
- Italy has seven subway systems, France has six, the United Kingdom and Germany each have four, Spain and New York each have three, and the Netherlands, Pennsylvania, and California each have two, all other states have one.
Caveats
- Data is from 2017.
- Greece and Hawaii are currently working on building a subway system for Thessaloniki and Honolulu respectively.
- All figures are rounded to the nearest hundredth.
Details
The United Kingdom accounts for just over one-tenth of all subway rail in the EU and US at 13.33%. It, with Spain and New York make up over one-third the subway rail in the EU and US at 35.68%. Adding Germany and France into the mix accounts for over half the subway rail in the EU and US at 54.45%.
The London Underground is the largest system by track length in the EU and US. It alone has more miles of track than all the subway systems in every other state save for the United Kingdom, Spain, and New York. The New York City Subway, the second largest system in the two superstates, has more mile of track than all the subway systems in every other state excluding the United Kingdom, Spain, New York, and Germany.
There are only six subway systems that are smaller than the entirety of Denmark's subway network (in decreasing length of track): The Brescia and Turin Metros in Italy, the Glasgow Subway in the United Kingdom, the Rennes Metro in France, and the Catania and Genoa Metros in Italy.
This article focuses exclusively on heavy rail systems as defined by the International Association of Public Transport, the American Public Transportation Association, and the Federal Transit Administration. A more extensive look into urban/suburban rail systems that encompasses commuter and light rail systems will be posted soon.
Only three cities have more than one heavy rail system as defined by the above institutions (even though the system's name may suggest otherwise): New York with three, and London and Philadelphia with two.
Data
| State | City | Name | Miles | Kilometers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | Brussels | Brussels Metro | 24.8 | 39.9 |
| Bulgaria | Sofia | Sofia Metro | 25 | 40 |
| California | Los Angeles | Metro Rail | 17.4 | 28 |
| California | San Francisco | BART | 108.6 | 174.8 |
| Czech Republic | Prague | Prague Metro | 40.5 | 65.2 |
| Denmark | Copenhagen | Copenhagen Metro | 12.7 | 20.4 |
| Finland | Helsinki | Helsinki Metro | 22 | 35 |
| Florida | Miami | Metrorail | 24.9 | 40.1 |
| France | Lille | Lille Metro | 28 | 45 |
| France | Lyon | Lyon Metro | 19.9 | 32 |
| France | Marseille | Marseille Metro | 13.4 | 21.5 |
| France | Paris | Paris Metro | 133 | 214 |
| France | Rennes | Rennes Metro | 5.8 | 9.4 |
| France | Toulouse | Toulouse Metro | 17.5 | 28.2 |
| Georgia | Atlanta | MARTA | 47.6 | 76.6 |
| Germany | Berlin | Berlin U-Bahn | 94.3 | 151.7 |
| Germany | Hamburg | Hamburg U-Bahn | 65.9 | 106.1 |
| Germany | Munich | Munich U-Bahn | 59 | 95 |
| Germany | Nuremberg | Nuremberg U-Bahn | 22 | 36 |
| Greece | Athens | Athens Metro | 52.6 | 84.7 |
| Hungary | Budapest | Budapest Metro | 23.7 | 38.2 |
| Illinois | Chicago | Chicago L | 102.8 | 165.4 |
| Italy | Brescia | Brescia Metro | 8.5 | 13.7 |
| Italy | Catania | Catania Metro | 5.5 | 8.8 |
| Italy | Genoa | Genoa Metro | 4.4 | 7.1 |
| Italy | Milan | Milan Metro | 63 | 101 |
| Italy | Naples | Naples Metro | 12.7 | 20.5 |
| Italy | Rome | Rome Metro | 37 | 60 |
| Italy | Turin | Turin Metro | 8.2 | 13.2 |
| Maryland | Baltimore | Baltimore Metro Subway | 15.5 | 24.9 |
| Massachusetts | Boston | MBTA Subway | 38 | 61 |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam | Amsterdam Metro | 25.6 | 41.2 |
| Netherlands | Rotterdam | Rotterdam Metro | 48.7 | 78.3 |
| New York | New York City | New York City Subway | 236.2 | 380.2 |
| New York | New York City | PATH | 13.8 | 22.2 |
| New York | New York City | Staten Island Railway | 14 | 22.5 |
| Ohio | Cleveland | RTA Rapid Transit: Red Line | 19 | 31 |
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | PATCO Speedline | 14.2 | 22.9 |
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | SEPTA | 36.7 | 59.1 |
| Poland | Warsaw | Warsaw Metro | 18 | 29 |
| Portugal | Lisbon | Lisbon Metro | 27.4 | 44.1 |
| Romania | Bucharest | Bucharest Metro | 44.4 | 71.4 |
| Spain | Barcelona | Barcelona Metro | 75 | 120.7 |
| Spain | Bilbao | Metro Bilbao | 28 | 45.1 |
| Spain | Madrid | Madrid Metro | 179.3 | 288.5 |
| Sweden | Stockholm | Stockholm Metro | 67 | 108 |
| United Kingdom | Glasgow | Glasgow Subway | 6.5 | 10.4 |
| United Kingdom | London | Docklands Light Railway | 21 | 34 |
| United Kingdom | London | London Underground | 250 | 402 |
| United Kingdom | Newcastle | Tyne and Wear Metro | 48.2 | 77.5 |
| Washington DC | Washington, D.C. | Washington Metro | 117 | 188 |
Sources
Wikipedia. 2019. "List of Metro Systems." Accessed February 24, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metro_systems.