Is metro the name for subway?

In terms of strict dictionary definitions, both terms imply underground trains. Subway is a generic term, but metro is more localized to certain cities.



Yes, "metro" and "subway" are generally terms for the same type of high-capacity underground rapid transit system, but their usage is regional. "Metro" is the most internationally recognized term, used in cities like Paris, Tokyo, Madrid, and Montreal. It originates from "Metropolitain," the name of the original Paris system. "Subway" is the preferred term in New York City, Toronto, and Glasgow. In London, the system is officially the "Underground" but is universally known as the "Tube." Other regional names include the "U-Bahn" in Germany and Austria and the "T-Bane" in Scandinavia. While they all refer to grade-separated electric trains, in some contexts, "subway" can specifically refer to a pedestrian underpass (common in the UK), whereas "metro" almost always refers to the train system itself. In 2026, most digital map apps use these terms interchangeably depending on the local language settings of your destination.

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Metro is an abbreviation for the word Metropolitan. When used in conjunction with transportation it can mean anything from a bus line, train system, thoroughfare, subway, etc. It is simply a local preference in vernacular. A subway denotes under such as the NYC subway system or under passes in Los Angeles.

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In America the first metro was built in New York, and it was called SUBWAY because it was built mostly under the streets (sub= under / way= road), since Manhattan street plan is quite a regular grill and it was easy to do so. But most everywhere else they usually call it simply the TRAIN.

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London Underground, also called the Tube, underground railway system that services the London metropolitan area.

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Glasgow, though it is in Britain, uses the word subway, but in the rest of Great Britain subway is an underground passage for pedestrians (to cross under a road or street). In America metro is usually short for metropolitan area (a big city and its area of influence).

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In Europe, the underground train network is called the metro. This same type of underground system in the United States is called the subway.

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Each region has a name for their transportation system, so it varies. For New York, I have mostly seen subway, for DC it's metro, for Boston and Pittsburgh it's the T, for Chicago it's the L. In terms of strict dictionary definitions, both terms imply underground trains.

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In 1966 DeLuca and Buck incorporated a company called Doctor's Associates. DeLuca later identified the doctor as Buck and the associate as himself. A second store was opened in 1966, and two years later the restaurant name was changed to Subway.

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THE world's first metro, now the world's oldest system, is the London Underground in England, which is more commonly known as the Tube, which was opened in 1863. At 402 kilometers in length the London Underground is also the world's second longest metro system.

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The subway is the largest part of Boston's public transit system, with more than 700,000 trips each weekday. It is often referred to simply as the T (the “T” from MBTA—the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority).

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THE world's deepest metro system is the Pyongyang Metro in North Korea which is 110 meters deep. The tunnel was built as part of an underground military facility. THE world's deepest metro, underground station is the Arsenalna Station on the Kiev Metro in Ukraine, at 107 meters deep.

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What is an underground train called in the UK? Usually (especially in London) people generally call it “the tube” though there are many specific lines.

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