Transport

The European capital cities with the best metro systems

Published

2 years ago

November 5, 2024

Rank	Capital City,Country	Metro Name	Total Number of Stations	Total Length of Metro (Miles)	Annual Ridership	"Angry" Reactions	"Love" Reactions	Average Google Review Score	Underground Index Score
1	Oslo, Norway	Oslo MetroOslo T-Bane	101	52.8	74,000,000	7.00%	22.00%	4.13	8.06
2	Sofia, Bulgaria	Sofia MetroСофийски Mетрополитен	47	32.3	164,200,000	0.00%	95.00%	4.28	7.64
3	Athens, Greece	Athens MetroΜετρό Αθήνας	62	44.1	259,200,000	7%	33%	4.10	7.29
4	Madrid, Spain	Madrid MetroMetro de Madrid	242	179.3	355,600,000	14.00%	23.00%	4.03	6.74
5	Warsaw, Poland	Warsaw MetroMetro Warszawskie	39	25.7	195,400,000	17.00%	35.00%	4.37	6.60

Oslo has the best metro system in Europe, with an underground index score of 8.06 out of 10. The Oslo Metro, known locally as either the “Oslo T-Bane” or “T-banen i Oslo,” has 101 stations covering 52.8 miles of track and serves all 15 city boroughs, as well as extending part-way into the neighbouring Baerum municipality, writes Harry Judd, Bounce.

The Sofia Metro, or “Софийски Mетрополитен” in Bulgarian, is the second-highest-scoring metro system in our study, with a score of 7.64 out of 10. Serving the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, it is the only metro system in the country and one of the youngest in our study, only opening to passengers in 1998.

The European capital cities with the worst metro systems:

Rank	Capital City,Country	Metro Name	Total Number of Stations	Total Length of Metro (Miles)	Annual Ridership	"Angry" Reactions	"Love" Reactions	Average Google Review Score	Underground Index Score
1	Budapest,Hungary	Budapest MetroBudapesti Metró	48	24.7	382,600,000	75%	1%	4.05	3.13
2	Brussels,Belgium	Brussels MetroMétro de BruxellesBrusselse Metro	59	24.8	87,600,000	26%	11%	3.82	3.2
3	Rome,Italy	Rome MetroMetropolitana di Roma	73	36.9	320,000,000	34.00%	9.00%	3.60	3.75
4	Amsterdam,Netherlands	Amsterdam MetroAmsterdamse Metro	39	26.5	111,300,000	47%	9%	4.03	4.03
5	Paris,France	Paris MétroMétro de Paris	320	152.6	1,411,000,000	41.00%	4.00%	4.40	4.38
5	Berlin,Germany	Berlin U-BahnU-Bahn Berlin	175	96.6	596,000,000	33%	7%	3.86	4.38

Budapest Metro, or “Budapesti Metró” in Hungarian, is the lowest-rated metro system in our study with a score of 3.13 out of 10. The Budapest metro system is relatively small, with 48 stations across just 24.7 miles of track, and even though the average Google review score across all metro stations was a respectable 4.05 out of 5, 75% of online reactions to articles about the metro system were “hate,” while just 1% of reactions were “love.”

Brussels Metro has the second-lowest underground index score of 3.20 out of 10, performing just slightly better than Budapest. It has 59 stations along 24.8 miles of track covering the wider Brussels metropolitan area. The Google review scores for stations on the Brussels Metro are also underwhelming, with an average score of 3.80 out of 5.

Rome Metro had the third-lowest underground index score of 3.75 out of 10. The Italian capital’s metro system is more extensive than those of Budapest and Brussels, with 36.9 miles of track accessible via 73 stations. The average Google review score of metro stations is just 3.60 out of 5, with only 13.21% of stations receiving a score of four or above. Additionally, 34% of online reactions to news articles about the Rome Metro are “angry,” while “love” reactions account for just 9%.

You can view the full research here.

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