Map credit to Robert Schwandl at UrbanRail.net for the Shanghai and New York MapsThe map above shows the difference in growth between the Shanghai Metro and New York City Subway between 1992 and 2025.

Here’s how the two stack up:

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London Underground Maps © Transport for London (TFL) and Delhi Map from Maximilian DörrbeckerThe map above compares the London Underground and Delhi Metro in 2001 vs 2025.

The London Underground was the world’s first underground passenger railway and opened in 1863, when India was still firmly under British Imperial rule.

In contrast, the Delhi Metro opened in 2002, but in that time has rapidly grown and in many surpassed London’s network.

Here are some comparisons below:

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Map found on redditThe map above shows the decline of the Irish Railways system from 1920, two years before the founding of the Irish Free State, and where it was in 2020.

There are many reasons for the decline, which are outlined below. However, it should be noted that Ireland was not unique in this process, the UK saw a similar decline as a result of the Beeching cuts.

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The animated map above shows peak-hour New York City MTA Subway Services based on scheduled services.

It was created by Brian Greenlees using Adobe Animate.

Also see the Animated Timelapse of The London Underground

The New York City Subway operates 24/7, with train frequencies varying by line, time of day, and day of the week.

Here’s a general overview of train frequencies for each line:

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Map found via redditThe map above shows the progress on California’s High-Speed rail project after nearly a decade of construction. At the time of writing only the green sections are ready for passenger use (as of June 2024).

Here’s more about the project:

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Map published by Mark Ovenden via Big ThinkThe map above is an East German transit map from 1986 showing U-Bahn (Underground) and S-Bahn (Suburban) train lines in Berlin.

However, if you look closely, you might notice something’s missing.

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Map created by reddit user Not_Quite_Vertical (Ali Carr). Click for full sized version

The map above shows what the Tube Map might have looked like had proposals from 1946 had been implemented.

The plans are nothing if not ambitious, especially for a country that still had rationing in effect following the devastation of World War 2.

The source for these plans was the Railway (London Plan) Committee: report to the Ministry of War Transport 21st January 1946.

Some highlights include:

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Map created by Sasha Trubetskoy

The map above is tube / subway style map of the major Roman roads around 125 AD. It is the amazing work of Sasha Trubetskoy and is largely based off the ORBIS Model of the Roman World and The Pelagios Project.

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Maps by Peter Dovak at Transit Oriented

The 8 maps above are just a sample of the 220 metro and light rail system maps from around the world that have been shrunken and simplified by Peter Dovak at Transit Oriented.

You can see the complete list of mini metro maps below:

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