FAQ

What is a metro?

A metro is a subway. A subway is:

an urban electric mass rail transport system, i.e. it is primarily used to move within the city,
totally independent from other traffic, rail or street traffic,
providing high-frequency service (maximum interval approximately 10 minutes during normal daytime service).

This definition is from [urbanrail.net]. The most prominent feature of a metro is that the trains run mostly in tunnels and stop at underground stations, though this is not part of most official definitions.

Subway systems can move people within cities more efficiently than any other means of transport. Hidden from view, like the arteries in a living organism, underground railways keep big cities alive. The dense skyscraper districts of modern cities would not be possible without subways.

The name of the subject is kind of problematic. Metro is used in many cities around the world while subway is mainly American usage, but there are exceptions. Washington's and Los Angeles's underground networks, for instance, are officially named metros while Glasgow's underground line is called subway. Furthermore, subway is used in Japan and South Korea, probably due to the fact that American English preferred there. Both terms are ambiguous. Subway in British English denominates a pedestrian underpass, and in North America, metro is often used as a short term for 'metropolitan area'.

Of course do many countries or cities have their own terms for their systems, for example underground or tube (London), MRT (mass rapid transit; several Asian cities), U-Bahn (Germany), T-Bane (Sweden, Norway), subte (Argentina). Conclusion: since metro and subway are both likewise ambiguous and widely in use in English, both terms are used in a lively mixture throughout this website.

How to take photos?

Many cities have banned photography in metros after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But most metro companies will issue a photography permit for free.
Don't use a flash. It will bother train drivers and is useless anyways because it makes photos dull.
Most underground stations are a little dark. If using a tripod seems inappropriate, shoot with the camera in hand the same picture 5 or 10 times (some cameras have a 'burst' mode). One or two of the photos will be sharp enough for most purposes.
Some stations have furniture or ledges where a camera can rest on, either on its own or on a pocket-sized tripod.
Flocks of passengers can spoil the best architectural photos. On early Sunday mornings there may be fewer of them (so I've been told...)

Can I have a larger version of this photo?

Please take a look at the metro wallpapers section.

How safe are metros?

Basically, very safe. But in places where a lot of people gather, anywhere in the world, but especially in touristy areas, pickpockets or robbers are likely to be operating (look here for some stories). Some cities are safer than others. Metros are generally safe, so the following rules are actually for the paranoid tourist only:

Store your valuables in a safe place. The back pocket of your pants is not safe enough to store a wallet.
Don't look like a tourist. Hide camera, maps, dictionary etc. from view, don't puzzle over the subway maps in the trains or stations too obviously.
In areas of a city which are known to be unsafe (like The Bronx in New York), the metro, especially the stations, should also be avoided.
The safest place to ride a metro is in the first carriage because there is the driver (if it's not driverless).

Unfortunately, subway systems are vulnerable potential targets for terrorist attacks, as are airports, shopping malls or other places where lots of people gather. The most serious attacks on metros have been:

Mumbai (Bombay), 11 July 2006: Seven bombs detonated in first-class compartments of the local suburban railway and resulted in 207 dead and 714 injured. An eighth bomb could be defused. Lashkar-e-Qahhar, an islamic group linked to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility [wikipedia.org].
London, 7 July 2005: Islamic suicide bombers set off explosions on three underground trains and one bus almost simultaneously, resulting in 52 dead and 700 injured [wikipedia.org]. This was followed by four attempted bomb attacks two weeks later with only one person injured.
Madrid, 11 March 2004: ten explosions in four Cercanias suburban metro trains killed 191 people and wounded 1460. Islamic extremists were found to be responsible [wikipedia.org].
Moscow, 6 February 2004: a suicide bomber from Karachay-Cherkessia (a republic in the Russian Federation) killed 42 and wounded 250 on a line 2 metro train [wikipedia.org].
Tokyo, 20 March 1995: the Aum cult sect released sarin, a chemical warfare gas, in the Tokyo subway, causing 12 fatal casualties and 5000 injured [cfrterrorism.org], [wikipedia.org].

The danger of terrorist attacks on subway systems persists, but chances to get involved in such an attack seem to be extremely low, considering the number of daily passengers in subways (3 million in London for instance). Compared to road traffic, riding the subway is much safer.

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This page: http://mic-ro.com/metro/faq.php, last update: 28 August 2007.