Metro vs Subway
If you are a major city dweller that has a large population, chances are that your city has a mass transit system or rapid transit system known variously in different part of the world like underground, metro, subway, or metropolitan railway system. These are all names of electricity driven railways that were once available in only a few select countries. Thus, we have tube in London, subway in New York, Metro in New Delhi, and so on in various cities of the world. But are all such underground railway systems same or is there any difference between metro and subway? Let us take a closer look.
The word subway is commonly used for an underground railway, though it is also used to refer to an underground pass used by pedestrians. In New York, local people seem to be confused between metro and subway, though officially it is referred to as subway. However, in London, the subterranean train system is always referred to as The Tube. Sometimes, people call London rapid transit system as metro also. One reason why Londoners call the system as Tube or Underground is because of the reason that all lines earlier were underground tracks.
If we go by British English, the word subway typically refers to an underground pedestrian crossing. Though, both New York Subway and The Tube in London serve the same purpose of connecting city with suburban areas, their names differ. Subway, though is a generic term that refers to an underground rail system.
The word Metro was officially used for the first time when Paris rail network was opened for the first time. The word however came to be used to refer to similar underground rail networks in different cities of the world later on. Thus, we have Washington metro, though the reason behind it being called Metro is because of the name of the operating company being Washington Metropolitan Area transit Authority.
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What is the difference between ? · Metro, Tube, Subway, Underground etc. are all names of rail systems operating underground in different cities of the world. · Thus, we have New York Subway while we have Paris Metro. · Metro word was first used by French in their Paris underground railway, which was adopted by other such systems such as Moscow and New Delhi.
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Pittsburgh’s “T” has parts that are underground,elevated and street level. I think it would be considered a ‘metro” system since it uses electric trains designed for mass transit, as opposed to a “commuter train” that uses standard gauge railroad trains that may use diesel or electric locomotives. Our “T” uses overhead power wires, so it a relative of our former trolley system. The name “T” either came from “trolley” or they just “stole” it from Boston. To me it means “T”oy train set! As recently as the early 1900s in Pittsburgh, the word “subway” meant a passenger walk or a roadway that went under railroad lines. Today such things are called “underpasses”. Pittsburgh clung on to a lot of British English in the 20th century. The use of “flat” for “apartment” existed until the 20’s or ’30s. and to this day most people here over 50 still call their mothers “Mum”
I think (personal opinion) you can call any subway a metro, but since some metros go above ground, you can’t call any metro a subway.