This list of metro systems includes electrified rapid transit train systems worldwide. In some parts of the world, metro systems are referred to as subways, undergrounds, tubes, mass rapid transit (MRT), métro or U-Bahn. 214 cities in 63 countries operate 964 metro lines.
The London Underground first opened as an underground railway in 1863 and its first electrified underground line, the City and South London Railway, opened in 1890, making it the world's oldest metro system. the country with the most metro systems is China, with 54 in operation, including 11 of the 12 longest networks in the world and the 4 systems with the highest annual ridership numbers.
Considerations The International Association of Public Transport (, or UITP) defines metro systems as urban passenger transport systems, "operated on their own right of way and segregated from general road and pedestrian traffic". The terms heavy rail (mainly in North America) and heavy urban rail are essentially synonymous with the term "metro". Heavy rail systems are also specifically defined as an "electric railway".
The dividing line between the metro and other modes of public transport, such as light rail and commuter rail, is not always clear. The UITP only makes distinctions between "metros" and "light rail", whereas the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) distinguish all three modes. A common way to distinguish metro from light rail is by their separation from other traffic. While light rail systems may share roads with car traffic or use sections of track with level crossings across roads, metro systems tend to run on a grade-separated exclusive right-of-way with no access for other traffic.
In contrast to commuter rail or light rail, metro systems are primarily used for transport within a city, and have higher service frequencies and substantially higher passenger volume capacities. Most metro systems do not share tracks with freight trains or inter-city rail services. It is not relevant whether the system runs on steel wheels or rubber tyres, or if the power supply is from a third rail or overhead line.
The name of the system is not a criterion for inclusion or exclusion. Some cities use "metro" as a brand name for a transit line with no component of rapid transit whatsoever. Similarly, there are systems branded "light rail" that meet every criterion for being a rapid transit system. Some systems also incorporate light metro or light rail lines as part of the larger system under a common name. These are listed, but the light rail lines are not counted in the provided network data.
Certain transit networks may match the service standards of metro systems, but reach far out of the city and are sometimes known as S-Bahn, suburban, regional or commuter rail. These are not included in this list. Neither are funicular systems, or people movers, such as amusement park, ski resort and airport transport systems.
This list counts metros separately when multiple metros in one city or metropolitan area have separate owners or operating companies. This list expressly does not aim at representing the size and scope of the total rapid transit network of a certain city or metropolitan area. The data in this list should not be used to infer the size of a city's, region's, or country's urban rail transit systems, or to establish a ranking.
Legend
City Primary city served by the metro system. Country Sovereign state in which the metro system is located. Name The most common English name of the metro system (including a link to the article for that system). Year opened The year the metro system was opened for commercial service at metro standards. In other words, parts of the system may be older, but as parts of a former light rail or commuter rail network, so the year that the system obtained metro standards (most notably electrification) is the one listed. Year of last expansion The last time the system length or number of stations in the metro system was expanded. Stations The number of stations in the metro network, with stations connected by transfer counted as one. System lengthThe system length of a metro network is the sum of the lengths of all routes in the rail network in kilometers or miles. Each route is counted only once, regardless of how many lines pass over it, and regardless of whether it is single-track or multi-track, single carriageway or dual carriageway. Ridership The number of unique journeys on the metro system every year. There is a major discrepancy between the ridership figures: some metro systems count transferring between lines as multiple journeys, but others do not. Numbers may also be counted via different methods – faregates/turnstiles or light barriers at entrances or vehicle doors being the most common but far from the only ones.
List
; Table notes
Name City Country Serviceopened Lastexpanded System length Annual ridership(millions) Algiers Metro Algiers 2011 201819 46 (2023) Buenos Aires Underground Buenos Aires 1913 201978 236 (2023) Yerevan Metro Yerevan 1981 1996Charbakh, 10 26.4 (2024) Sydney Metro Sydney 2019 202421 71.7 (2025) Vienna U-Bahn Vienna 1978Vienna's Metropolitan Railway (Wiener Stadtbahn) first opened for service in 1898, operating steam locomotive trains on mostly elevated or underground ROWs. From 1976 onwards, part of it was integrated into the newly established Vienna U-Bahn system (lines U4 and U6), operating as a modern metro. 202699As for the size the system reached by the end of 2017, see As for the station opened after the end of 2017, see 404.8 (2024) Baku Metro Baku 1967 202225 223.3 (2024) Dhaka Metro Rail Dhaka 2022 2023 16 100.38 (2024)Figure extrapolated from 2,75,000 average daily ridership figures over an year as mentioned in the cited report Minsk Metro Minsk 1984 202433 250.3 (2024) Brussels Metro Brussels 1976 2009Line 2's loop was completed in 2009.59Not including stations of premetro Lines T4, T7, and T10. 138.3 (2024) Belo Horizonte Metro Belo Horizonte 1986 202620 54.4 (2019) Federal District Metro Brasília 2001 202027As for the size the system reached by the end of 2019, see As for the station opened after the end of 2019, see 39.1 (2022) Fortaleza MetroIncludes Metrofor's rapid transit line only: Linha Sul (South Line). Fortaleza 2012 2013 20 8.9 (2022) Porto Alegre Metro Porto Alegre 1985 2014 22 31.9 (2022) Recife MetroIncludes Metrorec's rapid transit lines only: Linha Centro (Center Line) and Linha Sul (South Line). Recife 1985 2009 28 93.5 (2019)This ridership figure is the sum of those quoted for the two metro lines: as for the Linha Centro, see as for the Linha Sul, see via GOAPO (Gerência Operacional de Apoio) – Demanda de usuários transportados Rio de Janeiro Metro Rio de Janeiro 1979 201641 188.9 (2023) Salvador Metro Salvador 2014 2023 22 117.5 (2024) São Paulo MetroDoes not include São Paulo Metropolitan Trains system. São Paulo 1974 2026103 1,265 (2025)This ridership figure includes the ViaQuatro Line 4 and Via Mobilidade Line 5 ridership in the total. Sofia Metro Sofia 1998 2026 50 127.2 (2024) Montreal MetroMontreal 1966 200768 330.8 (2024)All American Public Transportation Association figures are derived from unlinked transit passenger trips (i.e. a transfer between two lines counts as two passenger trips, transferring twice counts as three trips, etc.). Réseau express métropolitain 2023 202623 n/a Toronto subwayThese statistics do not include Line 5 Eglinton and Line 6 Finch West as they are light rail lines. Toronto 1954 201770 331.8 (2024) SkyTrain Vancouver 1985 202454 149.1 (2024) Santiago Metro Santiago 1975 2023 126 640.0 (2024) Beijing Subway Beijing 1971The Beijing Subway's first line began trial operations on 1 October 1969. It opened to revenue service under trial operations on 15 January 1971. Initially, only members of the public with credential letters from their work units could purchase tickets, but this restriction was removed on 27 December 1972. The subway line passed its final inspections and ended trial operations on 15 September 1981. During the trial operations period, annual ridership rose from 8.28 million in 1971 to 55.2 million in 1980. See the history section of the Beijing Subway for details and references. 2025 3,621.3 (2024) Changchun Rail Transit Changchun 2017Opening of metro Line 1 and not light rail Line 3, which opened in 2002. 2026107 271.1 (2024), may include light rail traffic Changsha Metro Changsha 2014 2026148 1,031.6 (2024) Changzhou Metro Changzhou 2019 202143 72.1 (2024) Chengdu Metro Chengdu 2010 2025 363 2,209.0 (2024) Chongqing Rail Transit Chongqing 2004 2026 286 1,416.5 (2024) Dalian Metro Dalian 2003 2023100 276.6 (2024) Dongguan Rail Transit Dongguan 2016 2025 39 49.4 (2024) Foshan MetroFirst line of Foshan Metro, the Guangfo Line, serves two cities – Foshan and Guangzhou. The Guangfo Line is operated by Guangzhou Metro and as such is included in Guangzhou's tally. Foshan 2010 202649 94.9 (2024)Ridership of Guangfo Line counted in Guangzhou's ridership figures. Fuzhou Metro Fuzhou 2016 2025 102 305.7 (2024) Guangzhou Metro Guangzhou 1997 2025317 3,255.0 (2024) Guiyang Metro Guiyang 2017 2024 82 255.2 (2024) Hangzhou Metro Hangzhou 2012 2025254 1,469.8 (2024) Harbin Metro Harbin 2013 2024 78 361.2 (2024) Hefei Metro Hefei 2016 2026 195 524.4 (2024) Hohhot Metro Hohhot 2019 2020 43 77.0 (2024) Mass Transit Railway Hong Kong 1979The first MTR route to offer metro service was the Modified Initial System in 1979, which consists of portions of the later Tsuen Wan Line and Kwun Tong Line. Though the eventual East Rail Line opened as a conventional railway in 1910, it did not offer metro service until at least in 1982 when it was electrified. 202299 1,770 (2024)Note that: the ridership includes "Domestic Service", "Airport Express" and "Cross-boundary";