Rapid transit

From top, left to right: an R211 A train at 59th St–Columbus Circle station of the New York City Subway; a Line 15 train at Gucun Park station of the Shanghai Metro; train at Charing Cross tube station on the Northern line of the London Underground; a train at Rosedale station on Line 1 of the Toronto subway; a southbound Line 1 train on the São Paulo Metro

Rapid transit, mass rapid transit (MRT) or rail rapid transit (RRT)[a][1][2] and commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separated rapid transit line below ground surface through a tunnel can be regionally called a subway, tube, metro or underground.[3][4][5][6] They are sometimes grade-separated on elevated railways, in which case some are referred to as el trains – short for "elevated" – or skytrains. A common alternative term for rapid transit in North America is heavy rail.[b][7][8] Rapid transit systems are usually electric railways that, unlike buses or trams, operate on an exclusive right-of-way, which cannot be accessed by pedestrians or other vehicles.[9]

Modern services on rapid transit systems are provided on designated lines between stations typically using electric multiple units on railway tracks. Some systems use guided rubber tires, magnetic levitation (maglev), or monorail. The stations typically have high platforms, without steps inside the trains, requiring custom-made trains in order to minimize gaps between train and platform. They are typically integrated with other public transport and often operated by the same public transport authorities. Some rapid transit systems have at-grade intersections between a rapid transit line and a road or between two rapid transit lines.[10]

The world's first rapid transit system was the partially underground Metropolitan Railway which opened in 1863 using steam locomotives, and now forms part of the London Underground.[11] In 1868, New York opened the elevated West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway, initially a cable-hauled line using stationary steam engines.


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  1. ^ Ingvardson, Jesper Bláfoss; Nielsen, Otto Anker (2018). Effects of new bus and rail rapid transit systems – an international review. pp. 96–116. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  2. ^ Automatic Train Control in Rail Rapid Transit. U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. 1976.
  3. ^ "Rapid transit". Merriam-Webster. Archived from the original on 2013-07-20. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  4. ^ UITP (2011). "Recommended basic reference for developing a minimum set of standards for voluntary use in the field of urban rail, according to mandate M/486" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
  5. ^ "Glossary of Transit Terminology" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  6. ^ Fouracre, Phil; Dunkerley, Christian; Gardner, Geoff (2003). "Mass rapid transit systems for cities in the developing world". Transport Reviews. 23 (3). Taylor & Francis Online: 299–310. doi:10.1080/0144164032000083095. S2CID 154931412. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Mass transit - Urban Mobility, Efficiency, Environment". Britannica. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Fact Book Glossary". American Public Transportation Association. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Rapid Transit". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2014-10-17. Retrieved 2014-11-28.
  10. ^ "Chicago". Archived from the original on 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  11. ^ Transport for London (1981). London Underground: History. Capital Transport. ISBN 978-0-904711-30-1. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
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