The table presents a comparative analysis of underground railway systems across six major cities, detailing their respective opening dates, route lengths in kilometers, and annual passenger figures in millions.
Overall, the data indicates significant variability in the length of systems and passenger usage, with older systems tending to have longer routes and higher annual ridership.
London, the oldest underground system established in 1863, boasts a substantial route length of 394 kilometers, accommodating approximately 775 million passengers each year. Following closely in terms of ridership, Paris, which commenced operations in 1900, has a route length of 199 kilometers and an impressive annual passenger count of 1,191 million. Furthermore, Tokyo, inaugurated in 1927, features a relatively shorter route of 155 kilometers but leads all cities with an extraordinary annual ridership of 1,927 million passengers.
In contrast, the more recent underground systems exhibit both shorter routes and lower passenger numbers. Washington D.C.’s system, introduced in 1976, has a route length of 126 kilometers, serving about 144 million passengers yearly. Similarly, Kyoto’s underground railway, operational since 1981, is notably limited, featuring only 11 kilometers of track with an annual ridership of 45 million. Lastly, Los Angeles, the newest system initiated in 2001, spans 28 kilometers and registers around 50 million passengers annually, reflecting the challenges faced by newer systems in attracting high levels of usage