World's Most Crowded Subways

Annual Ridership: 3.1 billion

Shinjuku holds the Guinness World Records title for busiest single station, with 3.64 million daily passengers streaming in and out of 200 exits. “Nearly 10 different lines use Shinjuku station,” says Yuki Tanaka, a representative of the Japan National Tourism Organization. “It’s the most complicated train station in Japan, or perhaps in the world.”

Source: World Metro Database, 2011

Annual Ridership: 2.5 billion

You might be tempted to visit Seoul simply to hang out underground—granted, with a lot of company. These subway cars make up for cramped quarters with high-tech amenities: cell phone reception, Wi-Fi, TVs, and heated seats. Each station has escalators and elevators as well as a dedicated arts space. Gyeongbokgung station displays historical artifacts from Korean dynasties throughout the ages. Another crowd-pleaser: fares that start at $1.

Source: Seoul Metropolitan Government, 2012

Annual Ridership: 2.46 billion

Beijing’s subway system is the longest in the world, numbering 275 miles and 227 individual stations. Its flat fare of 2 yuan (about 32 cents) is the lowest among the rapid transit systems in China and possible because of government subsidies. As tourism grows within China, a debate has arisen over proper subway etiquette; reports of physical fights and kids urinating in subway cars helped prompt a new Beijing law intended to curb uncouth habits.

Source: World Metro Database, 2012

Annual Ridership: 2.46 billion

Moscow’s subway system registered its highest number of daily passengers—9.2 million—on November 29, 2012. Some likely passed through just to marvel at the ornate stations, with flourishes like marble floors, intricate mosaics, and sculptural busts. (Kievskaya is our pick for one of the world’s most beautiful stations.) Look for motifs like the hammer and sickle that date to the Soviet era. Stalin made speeches from the platforms of Mayakovskaya station, and the deep tunnels served as air-raid shelters during the Battle of Moscow in 1941.

Source: Moscow Metro, 2012

Annual Ridership: 2.28 billion

March 8, 2013, was a record-breaking day for the Shanghai Metro, when 8.48 million rode the rails. The most crowded station is consistently People’s Square, the interchange between the two busiest subway lines. Exit here to browse shop-lined Nanjing Road, stroll People’s Park, or catch an exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai.

Source: World Metro Database, 2012

Annual Ridership: 1.83 billion

Guangzhou’s subway opened in 1997 and quickly became indispensable. With 144 stations, it’s the third busiest system in China—and the most scandal ridden. In 2005, the operating company came under fire for allowing employees and their relatives to ride for free. In 2010, another scandal erupted around alleged fraud in quality inspections. A sinkhole that developed in January 2013 at a subway construction site consumed several houses. And the latest uproar occurred in June 2013 after construction work destroyed 2,000- to 3,000-year-old underground tombs.

Source: World Metro Database, 2012

Annual Ridership: 1.65 billion

On an average weekday, more than 195,000 riders pass through Times Square, the most congested of New York’s 468 stations (and, not coincidentally, the gateway to the world’s most visited tourist attraction). Next comes Grand Central, whose vaulted ceilings gleam with the constellations of the night sky. Although complaining about the subway sometimes feels like a favorite pastime among New Yorkers, this is one of the few subway systems that operates 24/7—an accomplishment that front-runners Tokyo and Seoul can’t claim.

Source: Metropolitan Transit Authority, 2012

Annual Ridership: 1.61 billion

Severe congestion problems on roads and highways, especially downtown, spurred construction of Mexico City’s subway, which debuted in 1967. It has since become a victim of its success, crowded with tourists and commuters alike. Cuatro Caminos is the station for claustrophobes to avoid, with more than 138,000 riders on an average weekday.

Source: World Metro Database, 2012

Annual Ridership: 1.52 billion

Opened in 1900 during the World’s Fair, the Paris Métro gifted the city with architect Hector Guimard’s now-iconic Art Nouveau station entrances and signage. Gare Saint-Lazare, one of the busiest stations in Europe, has been a favorite among artists: Monet painted the station, as did his cohorts Édouard Manet and Gustave Caillebotte.

Source: STIF (Syndicat des Transports d’Île-de-France), 2011

Annual Ridership: 1.44 billion

No wonder it’s popular: the efficient, affordable MTR system makes it a breeze to navigate densely packed Hong Kong. Before heading to the airport, you can even check your bags in advance at the Hong Kong or Kowloon MTR stations. Hong Kong’s metro also happens to be one of the world’s safest thanks to glass doors introduced in all stations as of 2011—eliminating the risk of falling onto the tracks or being hit by an incoming train.

Source: Metro World Database, 2012

Annual Ridership: 1.23 billion

The oldest metro system in the world celebrated its 150th birthday in 2013. London’s 270-station system employs about 19,000 staffers; the busiest is Waterloo, where 57,000 riders enter during the three-hour morning peak each day, and 82 million people pass through annually. On the bright side, Waterloo also happens to be the Tube station with the most escalators (it has 23).

Source: Transport for London, 2012

Annual Ridership: 1.1 billion

Each day, the subway system in the Brazilian capital transports about 4.5 million passengers. The busiest station is Palmeiras-Barra Funda, which recorded 59.5 million passengers in 2012. Chaotic scenes of passengers struggling to fit on a train aren’t limited to Japan or China; this video of the crowded São Paulo subway gives a new perspective to a South American vacation.

Source: São Paulo Company of the Metropolitan, 2012

Annual Ridership: 836 million

Osaka is the third-largest city in Japan, and the most crowded station within the network is Umeda station, in a major commercial district. Its 2.29 million daily passengers transit through the station to access offices, hotels, shopping malls, and skyscrapers. At the Umeda Sky Building, you can ride an escalator up to a rooftop observatory for panoramic views high above the fray.

Source: World Metro Database, 2010

Annual Ridership: 794 million

Singapore Mass Rapid Transit is notably energy efficient, with escalators that stop moving when not in use—reducing energy consumption by 20 percent—and technology that recovers energy from braking. The attractive Changi Airport station connects two terminals and links to the Singapore Expo, the largest local convention center. It features tall glass atriums that allow sunlight to infiltrate the lower levels.

Source: World Metro Database, 2011

Annual Ridership: 786 million

The St. Petersburg Metro includes beautifully adorned stations like Avtovo, bedecked with chandeliers, a mosaic, and marble columns. But tourists may appreciate most the fact that this metro system (unlike its Moscow counterpart) posts signs in the Roman alphabet as well as the Cyrillic. Petrograd, Prospect Veteranov, and Nevsky Prospect are among the busiest stations, with between 55,000 and 70,000 passengers a day.

Source: World Metro Database, 2011

Annual Ridership: 652 million

About 1.7 million people rely on the Taipei Rapid Transit System each day. Taipei Main station alone sees about 500,000 daily visitors, factoring in passengers for high-speed rail, bus, and consumers in the underground retail stores and restaurants. The award for most artistic station, however, goes to the Formosa Boulevard station in Kaohsiung for its Dome of Light, a massive rainbow-colored art installation made of 4,500 glass panels.

Source: World Metro Database, 2012

Annual Ridership: 649 million

Santiago has South America’s most extensive subway system, with 108 stations and five lines. (It beats out São Paulo, which has a more crowded but also more limited subway system.) Baquedano station in Santiago’s lively Bellavista neighborhood displays artworks including a massive sculpture of a man walking across a log bridge spanning one wall to the next like a tightwire above the rushing subway cars below.

Source: Annual Report of Metro de Santiago, 2012

Annual Ridership: 635 million

The first line of Madrid’s subway opened in 1919, making it the first metro system in Spain and the second among Spanish-speaking countries (after Buenos Aires). One of the most notable stations in the system is Nuevos Ministerios, thanks to its somewhat psychedelic version of the Madrid skyline and massive columns adorned with unnerving giant eyes.

Source: World Metro Database, 2011

Annual Ridership: 606 million

The Delhi Metro has won over any skeptics since it began operating smoothly in 2002. Cars come equipped with air-conditioning and power outlets to let commuters charge their electronics. It has significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions and inspired good behavior from its riders and employees alike. Senior managers are given a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, not for religious reasons but because it tells a story about inspiring unmotivated people.

Source: World Metro Database, 2011

Annual Ridership: 534 million

Vienna’s U-Bahn makes stops at prominent sights like the museum quarter and Rathaus. The system was originally built as a tram network in the late 1800s and was later converted into a metro system. (Plans for the subway’s construction were interrupted by World War I and discontinued after the country’s poor postwar economic state.) In its current form, the metro wasn’t operational until the 1970s, but elegant old-world stations like Karlsplatz Stadtbahn recall the transit system’s early days.

Source: World Metro Database, 2011