Did you know that the subway is called differently in the UK and the USA?
In England, the subway is called the Tube (specifically the subway in London) Subway is the name of the subway in America (more specifically in New York City). The first subway was built in London and then much of it was built underground through tunnels and was shaped like a tube, hence the name The Tube (translated as tube). This is how it is called in London to this day.
In America, the first subway was built in New York City and was called by the word “Subway”. The name was chosen because the subway branches repeated the map of roads and streets. Therefore, a literal translation sounds like “under the road” (sub – under, way – road, way).
The word “Metro” is an abbreviated form of “metropolitan railway” (urban train system) is used to refer to the subway in most other major cities of the world.
The London Underground is the oldest in the world. It was opened in 1863. Since then 270 stations have been built. The largest subway in the world by the number of stops is the New York subway, where at the beginning of 2019 there are 472 stations.
London subway passengers cannot use the subway at night, but they can in New York City. However, it is worth having patience. Waiting for trains in London and New York can be up to 30 minutes. It is better to know the schedule in advance, so as not to waste time on the platform.
In New York, a single ticket costs $3, and in London a trip from the center to the suburbs can cost 6 pounds. At the same time in the British capital the fare depends on the zone: the farther you go, the more you pay. You can save on travel by buying special cards. In New York – MetroCard, in London – Oyster card.
The most expensive monthly pass on the subway is sold in London – for it you need to pay 351.4 pounds. Almost four times cheaper is a pass in New York – $ 121. Despite this, it turned out that the average New Yorker on his salary can buy about 1348 trips on the subway. Londoners who commute long distances have the hardest time – they can afford four times fewer single trips – 445.
We also tried to calculate the load on the subway. To do that, the official population of megacities was divided by the number of metro stations. It turned out that in London there are on average – 32.6 thousand people per station, and in New York – 18.3 thousand people.