DISCUSS: Best Subway

[Metropolitan]

Paris metro is the most dense in the world, as much if you count the 200+ stations under the 87 km² of the city center or the 21 independent lines crossing it underground. By independent I mean that each line has its dedicated tunnels, something which isn't true in NYC for instance. All those are world records.

Those are about 16 metro lines :
And about 5 RER lines :

The is the busiest urban rail line in the world with nearly 300 million passengers a year.

But enough about stats, let's show pictures !

Here is a list of "cultural stations", that's about stations which have been decorated in an dedicated way.

• Arts et Métiers : As its name has been attributed after one of the most famous French engineering school (which is located right above), the station has been decorated in honour of the Engineers. There's also a museum dedicated to science and engineering above. It's a really beautiful station, integrally covered of copper panels with portholes and big wheels coming out from the ceiling. It gives a bit the impression of being in the Nautilus submarine from the book "20000 Leagues under the Sea" by Jules Vernes.

• Assemblée Nationale : That station is very specific as the frescos on its walls are constantly changed. It used to picture stylised heads symbolizing the representatives of the people (the station is located at the French National Assembly). Now it pictures only circles changing colours.

• Bastille : If we believe our History books, it's at the place de la Bastille that officially started the French revolution. It's been decorated with frescos picturing the insurrection against the despotic power. That station is also very interristing since it offers a view on the St-Martin Canal before it becomes underground. The station is built right above the tunnel entrance of the canal.

• Carrefour Pleyel : The theme in here is the music, as Pleyel was a famous composer who left his name to a company building pianos of a very high standard which is located in Paris.

• Chaussée d'Antine-La Fayette : The ceiling pictures a huge fresco picturing the US war of Independence and the common cultural past shared between the United States and France.

• Cluny-La Sorbonne : That station have been decorated with a huge painting "Les Oiseaux" (The Birds) from Jean Bazaine and with a myriads of signatures of the most famous authors from the Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter).

• Concorde : That station is covered with tiles having all one letter. If you start reading it in French, you'll realize that it's the text of the declaration of the Human Rights from 1789.

• Europe : That station is located at the Place de l'Europe (Europe Circus), and hence exhibits pictures about our European neighbours. Last time I was there, there were plasma TV showing documentaries about each country. I don't know if it's still the case today.

• Hotel de Ville : That station got its name after the Hotel de Ville de Paris (Paris City Hall). It's been then decorated with a documented gallery picturing the History of Paris City Hall.

• Louvre-Rivoli : The station have been decorated with copies of sculptures and paintings from the museum of the Louvre. The walls of the stations are covered with the same stone that's been used to build the Palais du Louvre.

• Luxembourg : The station has been dedicated to the year of Brazil in France and pictures various scenes about that huge Latin American country. As the year was ending last December 31st, I wonder if there's still the exhibition there. However, the station is still really nice.

• Pont-Neuf : As the station is located near the Hotel de la Monnaie (Currency Hall). That's why it's been decorated with huge replicas of coins coming from various countries.

• St Germain des Prés : That station is decorated with lights illustrating the neighbourhoods which is known for its intellectual and typically Parisian feeling. It's really a well-done work.

[Metropolitan]

Other stations of interests :

• Abbesses : That station has been built at a very deep level because it's located on the Butte Montmartre, which is a big hill. When you get into it, don't take the elevator... take the stairs instead, it is surprisingly long ! By the way, the Rue des Abbesses is a particulary nice street, I advise you walk around.
  
  Here is a picture of the stairs at Abbesses :

• Cadet : That station is dedicated to the United States of America. And it harbours a huge American flag.

• Chateau d'Eau : That station is decorated with beautiful frescos at the level of its extremities.

• Cité : That station is very tall because of its depth. Very beautiful stations.

• Gare de Lyon : All stations on line 14 are very well made. It is the most recent of all métro lines. However, if I insist on Gare de Lyon, it's because we can admire a garden at that station, and this even if the station is fully underground !

• Haussmann-St-Lazare : One of the two most recent RER stations built in Paris. They are huge and very well illuminated. Very beautiful.

• Lamarck-Caulaincourt : That station is also located on the Butte Montmartre. Outside its Nord-Sud decoration, Lamarck-Caulaincourt has also a fantastic entrance which is surrounded by the typical stairs from Montmartre :

• Liège : There are beautiful sceneries about the city of Liège in Belgium. Furthermore, Liège is a weird station as there as the two platforms aren't in front of one another. Indeed, as the street above was too thin, they had to build two successive stations hosting each one a single platform for a single direction.

• Magenta : The other of the two most recent RER stations built in Paris.

• Passy : Outside the outstandin view you have on the Eiffel tower while crossing the Bir-Hakeim bridge, Passy is also interesting as it starts on a viaducts and it ends inside a hill, the line becoming underground again.

• Porte des Lilas : That station is also decorated with beautiful frescos.

• Saint-Jacques : Graffitis on the walls of that stations have been preserved with glass windows.

• Saint-Lazare

This is the at St-Lazare.

• Saint-Michel : Graffitis on the walls of that stations have been preserved with glass windows.

• Varennes : As the Musée Rodin is just above it, that station is decorated with copies of his sculptures.

Nord-Sud stations :

The subway network has been build originally by two companies. Most lines were built by the CMP, but the lines 12 and 13 have been build by a competitor which was known as "Nord-Sud". Hence many older stations of those lines have a specific "Nord-Sud" decoration. The most interesting of those stations is certainly Liège, even if Solférino has the interests to be fully authentic. But there are other stations which are decorated this way.

• Lamarck-Caulaincourt
• Liège
• Pasteur
• Place de Clichy
• Porte de la Chapelle
• Porte de la Clichy
• Porte de Versailles
• Sèves-Babylone
• Solférino (That station is the only one remaining which is fully authentic)

Typical Nord-Sud decoration :





Other points of interests :

• The lines and are really nice experiments as they are in a big part built on viaducts. The best parts would certainly be around Barbès and La Chapelle on , and on the Bir-Hakeim bridge between Passy and Bir-Hakeim on .

Bir-Hakeim Bridge .


Barbès station. Really a great place you shouldn't miss .

• The RER network is also very impressive, especially the . The line A is indeed one of the busiest urban rail line in the world, if not actually the busiest. Stations are huge and traffic is very dense during the rush hours.

at Charles de Gaulle-Etoile.



Some other photos to illustrate Paris subway.




This is the at La Plaine-Stade de France.




The huge crowd getting into the at Châtelet.




Metro viaduct for the line between Gare d'Austerlitz and Quai de la Rapée.




Office buildings built below the viaduct at Issy-les-Moulineaux.




This is the at Saint-Germain-des-Prés.




This should be the at Gare d'Austerlitz.




This is the at Louvre-Rivoli.




I just like that picture because we almost hear the guy thinking : "What the hell is that weirdo taking in picture ???"




Bir-Hakeim bridge on




Bir-Hakeim bridge from the other side of the Seine river.




Guimard metro entrance at Abbesses.



Vaneau metro entrance.




This is the at Saint-Michel.




Bir-Hakeim bridge on and viaduct taken from the Eiffel Tower on a snowing day.




The viaduct.



[IMG]http://www.*************/archive/2001/07/010719-metro-arche.jpg[/IMG]
The on the "Pont de Neuilly" bridge arriving at La Défense.




The same "Pont de Neuilly" bridge on but this time taken from La Défense.



Metro entrance at Palais-Royal - Musée du Louvre on .



All the 21 independent lines of Paris Metro RER network in one shot :

[Justme]

I can't pin in down to just one, so here is my top 5.

London Underground Much has been done to modernise this amazing network over the last few years, yet it is still the most historical in the world. Fantastic atmosphere, stations and coverage. Amazing history and amazing modern sections as well. Not to mention the longest in the world, it is simply the most iconic and atmospheric.

Paris Metro The densest metro in the world, and brimming with terrific history. A network needs history in my opinion, without this it is sterile. But Paris, like London also has some fantastic modern sections as well. Great stations and atmosphere, great frequencies and where it goes above ground in elevated sections, is in my opinion, the most beautiful elevated metro in the world.

Tokyo metro Almost as dense as the Parisian network and connected to the massive suburban systems. It lacks history and is far more functional in design. But the great frequencies, large network and reliability set it in the top list

Moscow metro Without doubt some of the most stunning stations of any metro system in the world, in particular the older ones. Amazing frequencies and low costs, not to mention a pretty large network in it's own right.

New York Subway No top 5 could be without the NYS. Not as iconic as the London Underground and many of the stations appear quite "rustic" in appearance, but it's enormous size (largest number of stations), 24 hour operation and historical significance makes this a fantastic network.

There are other great networks I could add, but these 5 make my top list.

[Muyangguniang]

PARIS SUBWAY FOR ME!

[wjfox]

Originally Posted by Justme

I can't pin in down to just one, so here is my top 5.

London Underground Much has been done to modernise this amazing network over the last few years, yet it is still the most historical in the world. Fantastic atmosphere, stations and coverage. Amazing history and amazing modern sections as well. Not to mention the longest in the world, it is simply the most iconic and atmospheric.

Paris Metro The densest metro in the world, and brimming with terrific history. A network needs history in my opinion, without this it is sterile. But Paris, like London also has some fantastic modern sections as well. Great stations and atmosphere, great frequencies and where it goes above ground in elevated sections, is in my opinion, the most beautiful elevated metro in the world.

Tokyo metro Almost as dense as the Parisian network and connected to the massive suburban systems. It lacks history and is far more functional in design. But the great frequencies, large network and reliability set it in the top list

Moscow metro Without doubt some of the most stunning stations of any metro system in the world, in particular the older ones. Amazing frequencies and low costs, not to mention a pretty large network in it's own right.

New York Subway No top 5 could be without the NYS. Not as iconic as the London Underground and many of the stations appear quite "rustic" in appearance, but it's enormous size (largest number of stations), 24 hour operation and historical significance makes this a fantastic network.

There are other great networks I could add, but these 5 make my top list.

Good post; interesting comments and reasoning.

[Metropolitan]

@Justme :

On Wikipedia, the largest system by length listed is supposed to be NYC with more than 1,000 km. I'm a bit sceptic towards that figure since I've always seen sources mentionning it between 360 km and 430 km.

I guess that the 1,062 km of NYC subway are either a total length of the 26 services or a total length of all single tracks (NYC subway tunnels host 4 tracks inside Manhattan). No matter what's the case, it's obviously not a measurement made with the same criterias as for other systems.

Unfortunately, all sources are giving different datas. Maybe some are including the the PATH system, while other don't. Anyway, do you have any reliable data about NYC subway ?

EDIT : Here is a link to Wikipedia's article.

[sk]

the three best are : moscow,athens,paris in no particular order

[JDRS]

I've only ever travelled on the London Underground so these comments aren't made on experience.

London Underground - Iconic, Great atmosphere, fantastic old stations and some great new ones, quite large

Tokyo - Very efficient, large, and reliable

Madrid - Small but growing fast and efficient and modern

Moscow - Great older stations, cheap and high frequencies

New York - 24 hour, air conditioning and heating

Paris - Great fronts to some of the stations, many lines and large, historic

[coth]

actually Moscow metro is not cheap... 15 roubles per ride from average nominal wage in 13000 in Moscow... it is about 0,0012% of nominal wage...
New York is $2 per ride. I suppose average nominal wage is about $2500. So 0,0008%...

but it should be noted that Moscow metro is very efficient, reliable and fast. Commercial speed is over 42kph. Timetable fulfilment is 99,93%.

[AndySocks]

I like my gritty little NYC subway. Although "my stop" is one of the farthest ones from Manhattan and not necessarily important, and hence a bit boring. There are unused express tracks in the middle--just in case of an expansion that never happened? I love the four-track subway system, do any other subways have that? The express F train does wonders when compared to the local R train in Queens, especially, and is a big plus for our system.

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/stations?219:3240

[Castle_Bravo]

1. London without no doubt
2. Paris
3. Tokyo
4. NYC
5.Moscow
6. Warsaw (1line)

[Zaki]

1. Tokyo (with its suburban network its just crazy they built something like that)
2. Seoul
3. NYC (just because its extensive)
4. London
5. Hong Kong (its really efficient)

[stanford]

tokyo

[Bitxofo]

Tokyo.

[Manila-X]

London though I prefer HK's subway stations and efficiency

[Tomesh]

For me its between London & Moscow counting all factors

other than that a type of station design I really like is the cave style you find in Stockholm

[redstone]

What's with that design?

[Justme]

@Tomesh, year, I love those Stockholm stations which look as though they are carved straight out of the stone. Such as great idea, and fantastic atmosphere.

[Manila-X]

The cave design in Stockholm is hardcore.

[Jaye101]

Paris is amazing.