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Your guide to the underground
Beneath the streets in many of the world's biggest cities, subways move millions of people through huge tunnels to their destinations. Subway systems are known by a variety of names, including "the Metro," "the Underground," "U-Bahn" and of course "the Subway."
UrbanRail houses maps of subways and light-rail systems from around the world. In some cases, histories and lengths of specific subway lines are mentioned. Several transit systems have pages that list facts and figures regarding their subway lines. For example, the New York City Transit page lists the track gauge, the longest trip on its system and the world's 10 most-used subway systems. Metro Rail Facts describes the route, stations and cars used in our local subway system.
For history buffs, George Mason University supports an online exhibit, "Building the Washington Metro: An Online Exhibit," that describes the planning, engineering, architecture, construction and operation of the Metro system in Washington, D.C. Transport for London, the London Underground's official site, documents its underground rail system from its inception in 1863.
Don't know the difference between switching and an absolute block? The Subway Terminology Glossary lists the jargon used to describe the New York City subway system and its operations. Do you know subway etiquette? The most-ridden subway system, the Tokyo Metro, provides a page entitled "Subway Manners," and New York Magazine published an article that describes a variety of discourteous subway users.
The UB Libraries own several subscription databases that cover a variety of aspects of subways. The engineering database, Ei Village, houses thousands of articles on the technology used to create and operate underground urban-transit systems. For the hidden architect in all of us, the Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals provides access to international and domestic articles on the design of subway systems and their effect on urban planning. For a historical perspective on subways, try searching Historical Abstracts.
Finally, several subway-based videos on YouTube can inform you, entertain you and make you get up and dance. Don't jump the turnstile—and mind the gap!
—Dean Hendrix, University Libraries