What do Americans call the metro?

In America metro is usually short for metropolitan area (a big city and its area of influence). SUMMARY (simplified) = the tube (or the underground) = the subway / the train.



In the United States, the term used for an underground or urban heavy-rail system varies significantly by city, as there is no single national word like "The Tube" in London. In New York City, it is almost exclusively called the "Subway." In Chicago, residents call it the "L" (short for elevated, though parts are underground). In Washington, D.C., it is officially and colloquially known as the "Metro," which is the closest American equivalent to the European term. In Boston, it is called the "T" (referring to the MBTA), while in San Francisco, the regional system is known as "BART" (Bay Area Rapid Transit). In Philadelphia, you will hear people refer to the "SEPTA" or specifically the "Broad Street Line." While the word "Metro" is becoming more common as a generic term in 2026 due to international influence, if you ask an American for the "metro" in a city like New York, they will understand you, but they will likely correct you or point you toward the "subway" entrance.

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A city's underground railway system is usually called the underground (often the Underground) in British English and the subway in North American English. Speakers of British English also use subway for systems in American cities and metro for systems in other European countries.

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The first metro was opened in London and later most of it was soon built underground (under the city), so it was then called THE UNDERGROUND, even to this day. But in general, in the UK we usually call it THE TUBE, because it mostly goes (or went) inside a tunnel, a tube.

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LOCAL TIP: New Yorkers typically call the subway “trains” (not underground or metro) or by their alpha name (the C or the Q).

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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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Limey (from lime / lemon) is a predominantly North American slang nickname for a British person. The word has been around since the mid-19th century.

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

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

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In the UK, a 'rake of coaches / carriages' describes a set of passenger coaches pulled by a locomotive. Trains can also be described as a 'formation', particularly when both passenger and freight stock is used.

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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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CTA's train system is known as the 'L' (a now-official name originally short for elevated). Trains serve over 140 stations located throughout the city and nearby suburbs, on elevated railways, in subways, or on the ground. Enter the station and pay fare.

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The deepest station is Hampstead on the Northern line, which runs down to 58.5 metres. 15. In Central London the deepest station below street level is also the Northern line.

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Opening in 1863 as Metropolitan Railway, the Metropolitan line includes the oldest underground railway in the world and starting the whole of the London Underground network.

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