This list of metro systems includes electrified rapid transit train systems worldwide. In some parts of the world, metro systems are referred to as subways, undergrounds, tubes, mass rapid transit (MRT), metrÎ or U-Bahn. As of 6 October 2025, 205 cities in 65 countries operate 920 metro lines.
The London Underground first opened as an underground railway in 1863 and its first electrified underground line, the City and South London Railway, opened in 1890, making it the world's first deep-level electric metro system. The Budapest Millennium Underground Railway, which opened in 1896, was the world's first electric underground railway specifically designed for urban transportation and is still in operation today. The Beijing Subway is both the world's longest metro network at 879 kilometres (546Â mi) and the busiest with the highest annual ridership reaching approximately 2.83 billion passenger trips. The Beijing Subway has the greatest number of stations, with 424. As of 2024, the country with the most metro systems is China, with 54 in operation, including 11 of the 12 longest networks in the world.