Weird Train Lines Around the World

In this video, we will go around the world and see the wackiest subway lines the world has to offer.
Pictures
Shanghai Metro Line 11
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Metro Line 11 Logo
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Singapore NS Line
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Singapore EW Line
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Madrid Metro Line 5
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Singapore Downtown Line
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Sources/Further Reading
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/ ushaped_transit_lines
• Is This Europe's Best ...
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[@katybechnikova2821]

Usually, U-shaped lines are never meant to be travelled from one end to the other. It's just a way to connect two suburbs with a city centre without neeeding to end a train in the centre while also working with asymetric city. (Not enough suburbs on opposite sides of the centre.)

[@kaya9994]

Marunouchi Line actually isn't weird at all - it's never meant for people to travel between the two ends (for which you should just change to JR at Shinjuku). It provides an alternative and sometimes faster way to travel between the subcentres of Shinjuku & Ikebukuro and Tokyo station & Ginza, which are at the middle of the U.

[@uranusjr]

Same goes to most of the U shaped lines. Downtown Toronto has multiple E-W bound lines and the U shape is just two N-S lines joined into one, I’m not sure why it’s cassified as weird in the first place.

[@rurigf.6886]

its purpose is actually more like a circular line that dont expect you to go for a whole trip

[@jalflight3513]

What's wrong with U shaped lines? They're just two lines which don't have to terminate in the busy central section and can just through run.

[@davidmorris8319]

Exactly. If anything, it's faster and more efficient than two lines covering the same route.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

he completely ignored that some lines are the way they are because of merging and extensions

[@thihal123]

I agree. He tries to characterize something as ridiculous just to add information to the video

[@techtransitassociation]

Nothing, it looks cosmetically weird, which is the entire point of the video, lines that are cosmetically weird until you start digging a bit deeper.

[@qolspony]

Oftentimes geography often dictate how lines are drawn.

[@TransportForLuka]

True, many of Londons tube lines are often following the roads above it

[@EuanBCFC]

Often

[@SKO_PL]

oftentimes often this is often the case often

[@qolspony]

@@TransportForLuka more legal than anything. But for an engineering standpoint, it is cheaper to go under a street than property. Anyway, I was referring to land, waterways, mountains, ect., that determine a line (not just subway, but also elevation and ground level transit) routing

[@TransportForLuka]

@@qolspony it's also easier to make because you know where to follow and do it

[@Qiyunwu]

When Singapore finished its Jurong Region Line, you will find what is truly cursed

[@alonlevy8622]

One of the reasons the M and V were combined is that the L was overcrowded at rush hour, and the M could act as a relief line for Midtown-bound passengers. By the mid-2010s, the L and the J/M/Z were the two most crowded subway crossings from Brooklyn to Manhattan due to growth in Manhattan-bound commuting in and east of Williamsburg; Lower Manhattan just ain't what it used to be.

[@ommy7672]

I was about to argue with you but then I was like.. wait is that actually Alon Levy

[@joshuaedwards5822]

The M & V also combined because the V short stopped at 2Av on the F line & the M train was basically an alternative J train for most of its route so using the existing Christie St connection was a great idea to make a great line that I use often traveling

[@bostonrailfan2427]

they were getting more passengers going north than south especially with the N and R taking the bulk of passengers through the Montague St. Tunnel so it was win/win

[@electro_sykes]

Fun fact: the eastern portion of the Downtown line was meant to be part of the Eastern Region line. It would have basically been a long oval shape. Instead it was later decided to merge the northern part of that as the eastern part of the Downtown Line and then the southern part of the Eastern line is now been built, but as part of the Thompson-East Coast line because they decided to merge the two together.

[@svc43bsoe]

as a singaporean transport enthusiast, i can confirm that this is true.

[@lheng2474]

(Singaporean here) Just to add on, unfortunately i think part of the reason Downtown line didn't have an interchange station at the loop (Rochor/Little India) for through-commuters is because the new highway needed that space. (if that's true) talk about prioritsing road traffic (albeit with nonzero # buses) over transit

[@electro_sykes]

@@lheng2474 why not an out-of-station transfer. Simple yet easy fix

[@asantaraliner]

Originally the Bukit Timah Line segment was planned to terminate at Nicoll Highway, but due to the station collapse, it was no longer possible

[@electro_sykes]

@@asantaraliner the loop in the Downtown line is actually part of the reason why it is one of my favorite lines in the world. Some of my other favourites include Sydney Metro Northwest, Melbourne's City Loop, the Tokyo Ginza line and London Underground Piccadilly Line.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Of the short subway lines, one of the most interesting is NYC's Franklin Ave Shuttle. The original purpose of the BMT Franklin Ave Line was as part of a line to Coney Island, but an extension of the D to Coney Island via the Culver Line in 1954 put a dent to this service. It became a full-time shuttle in 1963. And Park Place is the only station that is served by just a Shuttle service AND the only station to have a single-track that is NOT a terminal station. Dean Street, another Franklin Ave Shuttle station, used to be this way too but it closed in 1995 due to fare evasion. In the 1990s, service almost ended altogether because the stations were severely dilapidated However, thanks to community opposition which pushed the NY State Assembly to force the MTA to fix the line, it was completely rehabilitated for 18 months and reopened in October 1999. In 1918, the line was home to the deadliest crash in NYC subway history, as over 90 people lost their lives because a speeding train derailed in a sharply curved tunnel when it approached Prospect Park station. This crash is what led to the BRT to phase out wooden cars. What led to this crash was a labor strike against the BRT and the BRT tried to keep service running with non-striking personnel, and decided to use Antonio Edward Luciano, a crew dispatcher with NO experience operating the line.

[@alexhajnal107]

The infamous Malbone Street wreck.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Another U-shaped line is WMATA's Red Line! It's like that because of politics and existing rail right-of-ways that it used. When WMATA was formed in October 1966, planning of the system shifted from federal hands to a regional body with representatives of the District, Maryland, and Virginia. Routes had to serve each suburban jurisdiction to assure that they would approve bond referendums to finance the system. Because the least expensive way to build into the suburbs was to use existing railroad right-of-ways, the Red Line took much of its present form, except that it continued to feature a further link between its two stems along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad right-of-way Service on the Red Line (and the Metro as a whole) began in March 1976, with operation between Farragut North and Rhode Island Avenue. The western side was then extended to Dupont Circle in January 1977, three stations to Van Ness-UDC in 1981, five stations to Grosvenor-Strathmore in August 1984, and four stations to Shady Grove in December 1984. The eastern end was extended one station from Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood to Brookland-CUA on February 3, 1978. then extended three stations to Silver Spring three days later, which added Maryland to the system for the first time. Finally it was extended two stations to Wheaton in September 1990, and one station to Glenmont in July 1998.

[@MattMcIrvin]

The most famous loop line of all, London's Circle Line, used to be a closed loop, but it got un-closed to increase the flexibility of train scheduling and use the depot at Hammersmith, and is now a sort of spiral with distinct ends. To complete the circle you might have to transfer from the line to itself at Edgware Road. It looks very odd on the map. Singapore's Circle Line is also an incomplete loop but the completion is under construction.

[@xander1052]

Another completely whack circle is that of the Overground's North London, East London, South London and West London Lines, which can be ridden by taking a WLL&NLL train from Clapham to Highbury & Islington, and then taking the ELL&SLL back to Clapham Junction from there. best part is that even though you pass through zone 1 this is treated as a Zone 2 to Zone 2 via Zone 2 journey.

[@KasabianFan44]

“True” circular lines are, in general, a pretty terrible idea, because they are a nightmare to operate. I remember reading somewhere that London’s Metropolitan and District railway companies were actually quite reluctant to combine their lines at Mansion House into a loop, because they were well aware of the consequences. The lack of a natural terminus station makes it difficult for a train to recover from its delays. It also means that the train is constantly in service, making it hard to organise short breaks (e.g. to go to the toilet) for drivers. Some circular routes try to partially compensate for this lack of turnaround times, by adding artificial stop-times at a few stations along the way. This does help recover from delays, but has the drawback of slowing the service down overall, which is always frustrating for passengers. The pre-2009 Circle line did this as well, and in their case it was made even harder by the fact the Circle line shared its tracks with other Underground lines practically everywhere - so, realistically, the only places where the Circle line trains could stop for a few minutes without risking delays on the rest of the network were Aldgate, Gloucester Road (clockwise only), and maybe Edgware Road if you got clever with platform use. So the 2009 change to make the Circle line a “lasso” line was, at least in theory, a great move. It also nearly doubled the frequency of services on the Hammersmith branch, so that’s another positive. It’s only a shame that the end-result is such a confusing mess from the perspective of a passenger.

[@laincoubert7236]

@@KasabianFan44 there are now THREE circular train lines in my city. the oldest and most significant one traffic-wise (connects several railway terminals) runs every 2-3 minutes during rush hour, not kidding. idk the specifics of how it operates so well but an important factor is that NO other lines share tracks with the circle. (otherwise you're right, the system is too complex to be able to plan for traffic and mishaps and run smoothly). the downside is the line switches are pedestrian, and honestly i prefer that over waiting until a dozen other trains pass for me to get the one i need. time is money and walking is good for your health lol

[@lzh4950]

Actually the Dhoby Ghaut branch of the Circle Line was originally planned to be its own Arts Centre Line instead

[@hemangandhi4596]

Tokyo's Oedo line is a similar shape too. I have no idea why

[@meltingtomato]

Uh, Toronto wasn't quite correct. Trains from the Yonge line (the Eastern leg of what is now line 1) were intended to through run either East or West onto what is today's line 2, diverging north of Museum station. This pattern only lasted for 6 months, mainly owing to the bad design of both St. George and Bay stations (no cross platform transfers). The extension north to Wilson and the neighbouring yard came a decade later.

[@MicasLenny]

Also spadina is pronounced spa-die-nah, not spa-dee-na

[@djhsilver]

@@MicasLenny Not in the original Ojibwe, it isn't! You guys changed the pronunciation at some point. Spadina (pronounced spa-DEE-nah) is Ojibwe for "hill".

[@SaumonMirshahi]

​@djhsilver well now it's pronounced spa-die-nah

[@bostonrailfan2427]

@@SaumonMirshahiso you’re telling the first nations people that their own word is wrong because some white ignorant person said so? it’s Spa-DEE-na, get over it

[@djm5687]

​@@djhsilverSpadina Road is named for the Spa-DIE-Nah Indian Tribe, while Spadina Avenue is named for John Spa-DEE-Nah.

[@jasperjonkers3615]

All good examples, but none come close to being the weirdest. That would have to be line 5 in Oslo. Its a bit similar to the Downtown line in Singapore, only Olso line 5 runs throught the loop twice. Look at it on a map, its fascinating.

[@bioLarzen]

That one definitely looks like the designer lost a huge bet...

[@ikelom]

That's pretty cool!

[@aaxanimex]

Oslo has a good explanation to it, all lines have to pass throught central tunnel in oslo and there is a circle line which is short in total (like 20 min) and capacity throught the tunnel is at maximum right now, so you get a line nr 5 running throught it twice, before it was something similar but instead line 4 turned into 6 and other way around. Ps. in the future loops on line 5 will be even funnier, it will do a circle but using 2 diffrent tunnels, so you get a train passing throught majorstua station 2 using 2 diffrent tunnels coming from same place

[@purplemarsmotionpictures]

Literally was watching this video to see if Linje 5 would be on the list. Back in the day, before "Ringen" got connected, there used to be 2 different lines for 5, one terminated at Storo and one terminated at Stortinget on a platform that only served that line.

[@jakobgib]

I love the way you get emotional about train lines😂😂 Awesome video, keep the content up

[@gabrielstravels-discoverin7368]

I'm surprised you haven't included Naples Metro Line 1. It has a weird loop similar to Singapore Blue Line around the Vomero area (from Salvator Rosa to Medaglie D'Oro). What's even weird about Naples is that when complete, line 1 would be a circle line!

[@ahoj7720]

It's not really a loop, but a helicoidal tunnel, with Medaglie d'Oro uphill and Salvator Rosa downhill

[@gabrielstravels-discoverin7368]

@@ahoj7720 yeah, still a rather weird but interesting and great line too!

[@schlollepop]

Yup, Napoli definitely belongs to the list.

[@xander1052]

As a fun fact, one of my family members (who are from Vomero) helped in the building of Line 1's stations at some point... according to my family.

[@sammycool1653]

Tokyo’s Oedo line is a loop with another smaller arm branching out to west. Singapore’s central line is an incomplete loop, but has a internal arm. London’s Northern Line is also whacky, branching out every now and then in not just the North side, but also in central London

[@AlexanderFlanagan-jq7kq]

1:06 no way , when he said sneezed during the design , I spit every bit of my food out , out of laughter 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@JBS319]

You missed out on Oslo Line 5, where at 10 stations, two consecutive Line 5 trains going in the same direction could be several intervals apart. That's because Line 5 comes into the city center tunnel on one end, goes fully around the city center loop back to the same platforms it was serving in the city center tunnel before going out the other end.

[@iamlarsen7896]

Yes it joins the central loop and does one and a half loops before splitting off again, so there are some stations it stops at twice.

[@SprinZGD]

Great video bro, but for other video can you add the Northern, Metropolitan or District line of London? Are so confusing lines lmao. And sorry for my bad english.

[@ltankk]

Hello there, I'm from Singapore! The Downtown Line is actually a merger of 3 separate lines. The section from Chinatown to Promenade was originally part of the Circle Line. The Bukit Timah Line is from Bukit Panjang to Promenade and the Eastern Region Line from Chinatown to Expo. So basically you could just use another colour to denote those old plans! The land transport authority here eventually decided to combine these 3 separate lines into one mega ribbon that many have now come to know as the Downtown Line, mainly for the lower cost of construction for 1 line instead of 3, and the use of a single rolling stock (Bombardier Movia driverless trains) and signalling system (Siemens Trainguard CBTC) for 1 line instead of 3 separate rolling stock and signalling systems.

[@AbsintheBabe]

Disappointed to not see the Melbourne Suburban network included here. 11 out of our 15 commuter train lines run into the city, around a loop of tunnel, then back out the same way they came.

[@melbutterworth7976]

This is how the Wirral lines on the Merseyrail Network in Liverpool, England work too. trains head from various terminus stations accross the Wirral, around a unidirectional loop of 3 stations in the city centre before heading back to the staton from which they came. This creates the interesting situtaton of only one Wirral line platform at Moorfields and Liverpool Central and only one platform for Merseyrail entirely at Lime St. Lime St is also the terminus for Mainline trains from the rest of the country so oddly the merseyrail platform is given the letter A, likey to avoid confusion with the mainline numbered platforms. This lettering of platforms also happens in multiple locations on the Elizabeth Line in London.

[@ilyapetoushkoff8362]

The weird part is that the loop is four single-track segments completely independent from each other, and some of them change the direction of travel during the day and this also means some trains during the midday do not enter the loop at all and change direction at Flinders Street. No other system has anything like that.

[@Elitist20]

Sydney's 'City Circle' (not actually a circle) does the same thing.

[@BlackGateofMordor]

@@Elitist20 Nah, Sydney's is different. Every train entering the circle starts and ends at Central, so if you want to go the other way you just hop off there and pick a different train. Melbourne though, has five different entrances (Jolimont, Richmond, North Melb, SXS, Flinders) and two of the loops (it used to be all four!) swap direction at lunch time. In the morning you can't go from Flinders to Parliament, and in the evening the other way is impossible. It's complex to the point that even regular travellers don't understand it, not to mention that things are different on weekends too. There's a reason there are plans to convert the whole thing to two bidirectional lines.

[@ikelom]

Montreal Metro Orange Line is also a U, though much wider so it makes more sense. The Western end was supposed to terminate further north by two stops (Bois-Franc rather than Côte-Vertu), but budget cuts prevented that from happening. There are no plans to make a complete loop as far as I know.

[@jaimerosado3896]

Montréal’s Orange line is U-shaped. And it also travels outside Montréal city limits.

[@maxwellepstein5706]

In Toronto, we still refer to Line 1 as the "Yonge line" or "University line", depending on which side we mean. One route, two lines. Kinda like some New York lines!

[@Stylzzz.Offical]

we also say SP A DINA NOT SPA DEE NUh'

[@BeamFan_2023]

(0:33) Most of the NSL and EWL run by or over roads, and like the downtown line you cannot just build anywhere you want, especially north of bishan due to it being elevated (and the underground parts not making buildings collapse by drilling through foundations)

[@queens.dee.223]

Fun fact about the NYC J/M/Z services. The NYC's railroad directions are north and south, with "northbound" M trains and "southbound" J/Z trains going in the same direction from Myrtle-Broadway to the Chrystie Street connection. edit: See correction in the comments. When you're wrong, you're wrong! Especially when what's right is even more mind-boggling!

[@JBS319]

Actually, the BMT Eastern Division runs with all lines running railroad south from Chambers St. Therefore, Jamaica Center is the Southern Terminal of the J. But because Broad St is also railroad south from Chambers St, Broad St is also the Southern Terminal of the J. This is partly because of the Nassau Street Loop where trains running compass north from Chambers St could operate onto the south tracks of the Manhattan Bridge. In addition, the BMT Eastern linked up with the BMT Fulton St, BMT Myrtle and BMT Lexington Avenue Lines, where the North Terminal for each was Park Row, common with the BMT Southern Division. Chambers St is in roughly the same location as the old Park Row station, and was the closest when both were operating.

[@queens.dee.223]

@@JBS319 Wow, thank you for the correction. That's really fascinating and even mind-boggling.

[@akhtarflagboi]

I Like entertaining Content like this!

[@thomasyayay]

I think you might want to take a look at Naples(Italy) metro line, it is planned to become a full circle, already has a loop and several Us inside of it, crazier than any of these

[@telbayshore]

If you flip your screen around the loop in the downtown line looks exactly like the logo of the Singapore Land Transport Authority

[@jayfielding1333]

I literally was thinking about searching for a video on this topic three days ago.

[@melbutterworth7976]

The yellow line on the Tyne and Wear Metro in the UK crosses over itself like the downtown line in Singapore. Unlike singapore the T&W Metro loop is huge and goes out to the the coastal towns/suburbs of Whitley Bay and Tynemouth. Monumnet is the station at which trains cross over and has 4 platfors on 2 levels to accomodate this. One of the platforms at monument is practically empty if a train is not unloading as there is only one station beyond it, St James. This station exists to serve the football stadium. I believe it is quite rare for a metro line to cross over itself like this, The T&W Metro is one of only a few

[@djhsilver]

Vancouver's Millennium Line crossed over itself from 2000 to 2014, it was interlined with most of the original Skytrain line until a new extension opened in 2014, the interlining stopped and it became a single east-west line.

[@MichaelKidd-bb1xf]

From Wikipedia: As of April 2021, it [Monument on the Tyne & Wear Metro in UK] is one of only three stations in the world where the same line passes through the same station twice in a pretzel configuration. Other stations using this layout are (1) Voorweg on the RandstadRail network in The Hague, Netherlands, and (2) Serdika and Serdika II on the Sofia Metro in Sofia, Bulgaria.@@djhsilver

[@djhsilver]

@@MichaelKidd-bb1xf on the SkyTrain, the millennium line did cross over itself, but the two ends of the line didn't interchange in the same station, it was two very nearby stations with a walkway between them.

[@RunawayTrain2502]

The Tyne & Wear is also one of a few metro`s to run on regular railway tracks.

[@RunawayTrain2502]

​​@@MichaelKidd-bb1xfthe Voorweg stop is in Zoetermeer and is (officially at least) tram. HTM Line 3.

[@mulsenhfk]

If you want to see a really stupid line, check out the Lisbon Metro's Circular line, which is being built.

[@TomZimmerlinkat]

Yes, more lines, can't wait for part 8 in February

[@lankyalpaca]

please make more!

[@guylavoie1342]

Montreal has an unusual 180 degree turn between two consecutive stations (Atwater and Lionel Groulx). This came about when it was decided to extend the line in a completely new direction, going south first.

[@RemcovanZuijlen]

Check out line 3 & 4 (randstadrail) in Zoetermeer as well, it does some sort of loop/8-figure route and there is also some split off in the east. Station Zoetermeer Voorhof even has a lower level and higher level platform where the line goes over itself.

[@__Poli_]

Another weird line is the falsely advertised 'circle line' in Singapore again. The circle is actually not closed yet but construction is underway. For years, the gap between Habourfront and Marina bay is literally infuriating. If you wanted to go from Habourfront to Marina bay, you have to take the Northeast line to Outram park, then take the Thomson. However, since Thomson is a new line, people had to go a longer route before it existed.

[@justthatguy9946]

Marina Bay is not a particularly useful station as a destination. Either Downtown or Bayfront (both on the Downtown line) are arguably better stops closer to most buildings, and just require a single connection at Chinatown from Harbourfront.

[@__Poli_]

@@justthatguy9946 yeah honestly marina bay is nothing much, it's an interchange for lines about to reach the end. The only useful thing I can think of is the connection with TEL to Gardens By the Bay.

[@huaiwei]

@@justthatguy9946 obviously Marina Bay is built for the future. The entire empty area above it will be smack in the middle of the new CBD area. In fact, buildings have already reached one side of it.

[@lzh4950]

@@justthatguy9946 Maybe we could've saved on fare hikes if Thomson-E Coast Line had fewer stations built so close to each other e.g. instead of building Shenton Way station, maybe we could've instead built an underpass from Marina Bay station & boosted its ridership. Also, Napier & Orchard B'lvd and Havelock & Great World stations should've been merged.

[@xene_o_o]

i would love a 2. Part

[@mrnoname2353]

Between Germany and Denmark there is a overnight Intercitytrain who changes its drivingdirection 3 Times

[@tomburke5311]

The Circle Line on the London Underground is in fact a spiral….. You start at Edgware Road, go round the circle (Paddington, Victoria, Tower Hill, Kings Cross, Baker Street plus al the intermediate stations) and eventually arrive back at Edgware Road - and then keep going a bit further west and south to Hammersmith, where the line terminates. Then you can do it all in reverse!

[@lorenzolasier9918]

Barcelona metro is so wild, literally lines 3 to 10 have strange things

[@bluegaming2746]

The tramline 3 in the Hague, the Netherlands also has an interesting route in Zoetermeer.

[@phamnguyenductin]

Now as the Sydney Metro southwest is heading towards completion, the Bankstown line is being converted to a metro. The new metro does not encompass the full train line, so Transport for NSW is planning a ridiculous 6-station shuttle between Lidcombe and Bankstown which spans about 7km in length.

[@BlackGateofMordor]

I thought Lidcombe - Bankstown was just becoming a part of the inner west line?

[@transittoronto]

Okay, a few mistakes in your Toronto section. One, "Spadina" is pronounced locally as "Spa-DIE-na", not "Spa-DEE-na". That's a small matter, but your history of Line 1 is quite wrong, and leaves out critical parts. The Yonge subway was built in 1954 from Eglinton Avenue south to Union Station. The first extension, called the University Subway, opened in 1963, taking the line from Union up University Avenue to Bloor Street, producing a single J-shaped line. There was some method to this madness: 1) this was actually the first phase of the Bloor-Danforth crosstown line, which was supposed to be interlined with the Yonge subway through the University subway. Trains departing each end of the Bloor-Danforth line would alternately go across town, or downtown via University, and then run up to Eglinton. Yonge Trains departing Eglinton would alternately go to either the east end or the west end of the Bloor-Danforth subway. This arrangement didn't stick, and within six months, the TTC had decided to operate the Bloor-Danforth and Yonge-University subways independently. This resulted in our first abandoned subway platform, "Lower Bay", which exists beneath Bay Station, on the line facilitating transfers from the eastern half of the Bloor-Danforth line to the University subway. Bay was the second of the two interchange stations along the line (St. George being the other, with both platforms active). Lower Bay went on to have a full career in inter-line equipment transfers, and standing in as generic subway stations in movies, one of the most recent ones being Shazam. The other method to the madness is that the University Subway was designed to effectively double the capacity of the Yonge line south of Bloor. They knew that traffic from the Bloor-Danforth line could overwhelm the Yonge line without some redress, which was why they rerouted every second Bloor-Danforth train down the University line in the first place. Even after the interlining experiment failed, the University line acted as a relief valve, allowing many passengers to transfer to go downtown at St. George station rather than Bloor-Yonge. University's presence probably kept the Yonge line functional during rush hour, although the construction of a Downtown Relief subway (now called the Ontario line) is frankly overdue. After this point, things do get a little weird. After completing a bunch of extensions to the ends of the Bloor-Danforth and Yonge lines, work began on what was initially supposed to be a separate line, the Spadina Line, planned to extend rapid transit service into northwestern Toronto, and take advantage of space being made available in the median of a newly built expressway (a la Chicago). There was a lot of discussion and debate over how this subway should link to the rest of the subway. They eventually settled on linking it up with the end of the University subway at St. George. Later on, extensions were made at the ends of the Spadina line, taking it further north and west into Vaughan, even before the Yonge line got its plans to be extended north into Richmond Hill, north of the city (though, to be fair, that extension would likely overwhelm the line unless the Ontario Line opens first). So, to sum up, the shape of Line 1 is due to a failed inter-lining experiment with the crosstown subway, but also a conscious decision to double up capacity of the subway downtown, and in that last regard, it works quite well.

[@luke_darga]

Shoutout to Farragut North/Farragut West in DC. If you’re traveling between NW DC and NOVA, you’re going to wind up traveling through these two stations, but the question of how you do it is up to you, and there’s an objectively better way to do it. Let’s say you’re traveling south on the Red Line and heading to NOVA. You could ride through Farragut North en route to your transfer at Metro Center, and then essentially backtrack from the direction you just came from, passing through McPherson Square and then Farragut West on your way out to NOVA. A lot of extra time with stops and having to deal with the pain of transferring at Metro Center, one of the busiest stations in the city. Or you could just get off at Farragut North, walk a literal single block south, and get on at Farragut West. Given that there’s really only 3 major tunnel paths through DC, there’s really no other examples of there being a connection between two stations where it’s more beneficial to walk between the two stations rather than just ride it out.

[@manveensingh3494]

You should see the map of Delhi metro. It is amazing. Specially the green line, rapid metro loop, blue line branching, mangenta line being an incomplete loop, aqua line.

[@kevinb8881]

Metrorail Red Line in DC also runs in a U-shape!!

[@LeoMoreira86]

São Paulo Metro's Line 5 was disconnected from the rest of the network metro for years, it opened in 2002 and only became connected in 2018, at this time, the only connection was with the suburban railway line 9, and as a fun fact, depending on where you lived, you actually had to go beyond São Paulo's city limits to access the Line 5 or the rest of the metro network.

[@ruzgaraltinses]

5:17 Because this project is made for interchange with the one of the World’s largest coach station. And they wanted the line getting starit in by Aksaray. Actually, the reason why they extanded the line from south (İncirli, Yenibosna, Atatürk AirPort (closed)) is to make a interchange behind Güngören, Zeytinburnu, Bakırköy and Bahçelievler districts.

[@keluj862]

The Metro Line 1 in Naples, Italy is an interesting one as well....

[@gaedingar9791]

In Hamburg, we also have a line, that splits at one end. Also that line is an giant U shape, connecting the north eastern and the north western suburbs with the city center, with the split being at the north eastern end. The trains start alternately at the two ends of the split, making it twice as much trains in the city that far out. Also Hamburg has a ring line with some kinde of panhandle, going two stations out and connecting it with another line. And two other lines share their track for a long strech in the city center. I think, many puplic transport systems in bigger cities have their quirks, which are only start making sense, when you know the circumstances, you probably can't see on the map. Or they don't make any sense but are due to the growth of the city and the building of the system over a long time period.

[@MichaelPuterbaugh]

The current plan is for the IBX to be light rail service, with connections to the M at Metropolitan Ave and Roosevelt Ave. Won't really be closing the loop, as intramodal transfers will be required.

[@stevenroshni1228]

I didn''t even realize that, IBX makes complete intramodal loops.

[@matthewlee9342]

Even tho Toronto's Line 1 is Wacky, it's the Busiest Line wih just under 800 Thousand People Per DAY

[@techtransitassociation]

I know, as it serves two very important corridors.

[@hrishiv]

The Epping loop of London's Central Line, as well as the Northern line having as many branches as it does are honourable mentions.

[@KasabianFan44]

You mean the Hainault loop? Because Epping is literally one of the only stations at that end of the Central line that isn’t on any loops lol

[@VinceHere98]

You should do a video about the 63rd Street reconstruction discussing if the F/M swap will be permanent or not, and ways to de-interline Queens Boulevard. Here’s a couple of mine: Scenario 1: E/K: 53rd Street, QBL Express (E to Jamaica Center, K to Jamaica-179th Street) F: 63rd Street, QBL Local to Jamaica Center M: To 96th Street R: 59th Street, QBL Local to Jamaica-179th Street G and N/Q/W remain unchanged This would involve having the M run to 96th Street with the Q, while the F replaces the M via QBL local, and the E and K run via 53rd and QBL Express. I am aware that I’ve reverse-branched the M with the Q and the F with the R, and that there could potentially be delays at Lexington-63rd, but it’ll offer a one-seat ride between 96th Street and Metropolitan Avenue. That, and I’m not a huge fan of the M being an incomplete loop. Scenario 2: E/F: 53rd Street, QBL Express (E to Jamaica Center, F to Jamaica-179th Street) G: QBL Local to Jamaica Center M: 63rd Street, QBL Local to Jamaica-179th Street N/Q: To 96th Street R: To Astoria W: Eliminated The second option doesn’t have much deinterlining, at least not on QBL, as it has the E and F run via 53rd and QBL express, the M via 63rd and QBL local, the G via QBL local, the N and Q to 96th Street and the R to Astoria (elimination of the W). The problem is that there’s reverse branching on 53rd, but on the plus side, there’s no more delays caused by M trains having to merge onto the local tracks. Plus the G is extended back to run on QBL and runs with 10-car trains as it should. Scenario 3: E/K: 53rd Street, QBL Express (E to Jamaica-179th Street, K to Jamaica Center) F/M: 63rd Street, QBL Local (F to Jamaica-179th Street, M to Jamaica Center) N/Q: to 96th Street R/W: to Astoria G and Q remain unchanged The more preferred option, although with a few alterations as the W will still exist. The R and W will both run along Astoria, and the N will run with the Q to 96th Street, during the weekends however, the N will run with the R to Astoria as W trains are not running. As for Brooklyn, B and D trains will run via 4th Avenue express and West End (B terminates at Bay Parkway [again, both the B and D may have to split at 145th for this to work!), N and R trains run via 4th Avenue local (N via Sea Beach, R to Bay Ridge, and both the Q and W will handle Brighton (Q express to Coney Island, W local to Brighton Beach). During the weekends, the Q will make all local stops on Brighton. Only problem is that there might still be delays at DeKalb, but only the B and D are unaffected as they will simply just bypass it entirely.

[@gerrit-jannap8792]

I might add some more examples: - Circle Line of London Underground (UK) and line U3 of the Hamburg U-Bahn (Germany). Both are basically circle lines, but with a branch attached to them, and both are kinda running in a spiral. - Another example from Germany - the Berlin Ringbahn. Two lines run the full loop - S41 clockwise and S42 counterclockwise.

[@skyscraperdata2518]

And the Northern line for having 2 branches, one in the west end, the other through the city!

[@sagbon98]

Madrid's line 5 has another problem...it is reaaalllyyyy slow. Actually, where the line bulges out to Acacias (the station that is connected by an underground walkway to Embajadores on line 3) there are two stations on either side: Puerta de Toledo and Pirámides. It is possible to walk between the two in the same amount of time it takes to ride between the stations, taking into account the absurdly long waiting times of the Madrid Metro. The only problem is that the street above it, Calle de Toledo, is the steepest street in Madrid. Nonetheless, this metro line has so much history and every station and train is iconic in so many ways.

[@bibliopolist]

The OEG line (now "Linie 5") between Heidelberg and Mannheim in Germany is also a loop in the inner city of Mannheim. It has alwas confused me and I always have to look on a map deciding which direction I want...

[@ALVIN-mv1he]

randomly clicked into a video and found that I had been travelled on that loop few months ago 🤣

[@isaacfung622]

As a Sydneysider - T1 North Shore & Western Line - T2 Inner West & Leppington Line - T3 Bankstown Line - T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawara Line - T7 Olympic Park Line - T9 Northern Line

[@dr.damian]

you should check out the oslo subway where one of the lines makes a double loop through the centre

[@ingor.522]

Please have look onto the Hamburg Elevated Subway Company = Hamburger Hochbahn AG short HHAG... They are servicing the biggest german, northern city with still 4 subway lines only but the 5th line is still under construction. In the past they used a circle line at the inner city, than they cut it off and operated three subway lines for more than 30 years until they are decided to operate the circle line again with a small extension into the north west. Another weird city is the city of Frankfurt in middle of germany, which is operating 9 different subway lines, these subways trains are based onro tramway trains which are running below the street level mostly. Because of the higher traffics during the rush hour they are using longer trains with up to 5 units of two cars each but they have two metro stations at the inner city with too short platforms so that one door from first and last 5 Unit trains do reaching the platform while the rest of the train is standing inside the tunnel. The same problem has got Hamburg, but they made an arrangment with special trains which are shorter and who are running in higher frequence during the rush hours by around all 90 seconds a new train. Greetings from Germany, Ingo R.

[@user-ly8rj5bl6l]

beijing metro line 13 is an N too, from Xizhimen to Dongzhimen, as taking line 2 costs 18mins but line 13 costs almost an hour

[@PeterLiuIsBeast]

Ever checked out the route that line 5 of the Oslo Metro takes? It does this loop and a half through the city center.

[@ilyapetoushkoff8362]

Naples Line 1 and Oslo Line 5 should be on this list! =)

[@AppleOranges12]

You should talk about the London Underground Northern Line with multiple branches and converges.

[@sandsturm5997]

Hamburg, Germany has two pretty good ones to, the U1 wich is a big U shape wich ends in a sort of Y shape on one side. The U3 would be good to, a circle line with a single station added as a "tail" making it have a desinct beginning/end

[@jayzo]

this is one of the big problems Metro systems seem to have for some inexplicable reason. They're built to be somehow incompatible. You could solve Toronto's U shaped line and have two separate lines if they ran empty trains from the depot into the Union Station to form services on the line that didn't have a depot and have the two lines connected. You'd do this with a regular train line. I see numerous metro systems that have different rolling stock, loading gauge, track gauge, and signalling systems on a line by line basis, often in a way that certain trains can only be used on certain lines, either due to compatibility issues, or due to the fact they are not physically connected together. Take Manchester's Metrolink light rail, ignoring ATS being needed on one of the lines it shares with a heavy rail line, any tram can run on the TMS equipped lines so a vehicle from any of the two depots can run on pretty much the whole network, and the the first lot of vehicles that were delivered before the TMS upgrades can run on _all_ lines because they are compatible with both ATS and TMS.

[@lzh4950]

For Singapore I think its because the gov't now calls the tender for contracts for each line separately (maybe to show that it has more transparency) & as it keeps trying new ideas each time a new line is built e.g. North E Line was the 1st to use overhead wires instead of 3rd rail as its also the 1st fully underground line here, so the former won't be as unsightly. The wires sometimes came loose though, so subsequent lines reverted to 3rd rail, until we started building the Cross Island Line recently, as by then the gov't realised that overhead wires could be substituted by overhead power rails, which are more sturdy. We also switched from 8 to 10 doors/train car from the Thomson-E Coast Line onwards for easier boarding & alighting, except for the Jurong Region Line whose train cars are shorter (to negotiate tighter bends) & thus have only 6 doors/car. Additionally from the Downtown Line onwards we started installing more advanced signalling systems (Invensys Sirius/Siemens TrainGuard as opposed to Alstom Urbalis 300) that not only had CBTC but also ATC as a backup, reducing the need for human drivers for its driverless trains in case of signalling failure

[@manveensingh3494]

You should also see Bengaluru metro. In one of the lines you need to get off the metro walk or cab to the next station then again continue with the metro

[@najibm]

Fun fact Montreal and Toronto's network have the same layout except the recent expansions in Toronto

[@caffienatedcanuck4294]

Not sure if anyones mentioned it, but I thought I should let you know that Spadina, the road the west half of TTC Line 1, is pronounced Spa-dine-ah. Not trying to be nitpicky, just helping out someone who's not a native😊

[@JimbobsTransportVideos]

Newcastle, UK metro is well funny and worth a look at

[@yellowsnow7530]

The Toronto Line 1 reminds me lot of Hamburg U1. It's besically the same shape, but with another small branch at the northeastern end

[@quelquun6812]

It would’ve been interesting to talk about the Paris RER C, because it is …quite something Like imagine the NYC M but 10x worse

[@ioancrafter95canalinchis]

6:07 look at older bucharest metro maps, it wasnt that eeird but it was. Escpecially that the line M4's tunnels and stations stayed unfinished 20 yrs and they were in danger to colapse due to inflation

[@harubynspades]

Fun fact about the Romanian metro stations: We literally have a metro station that was not supposed to exist, but still does but it was built in secret because the wife of the former dictator didn't like it so much, so the metro station was separated by some kind of wall so they wouldn't see the train or something like that. It lasted for only a year but the station still exist and has very thin platforms.

[@gabrielstravels-discoverin7368]

Is it Piata Romana by any chance? I recently visited Bucharest so I'm literally curious to know. It was my least favourite station as I remember the platform being literally so thin

[@harubynspades]

@@gabrielstravels-discoverin7368 yes it is!

[@gabrielstravels-discoverin7368]

@@harubynspades Piata Romana literally was my least favourite - the waiting area is mostly separated by a wall and it was difficult to see the train, and the actual platform was the thinnest I ever saw On the other other hand, ironically also on line 2, I'd say my favourite Bucharest Metro station is literally the next stop going northbound towards Pipera, and that is Piata Victoriei

[@isaacfung622]

I took the Downtown Line (loop) from Chinatown to Bukit Panjang en route to Woodlands Train Checkpoint before changing SBST 178 at Bukit Panjang Station Exit B

[@xekolaxo]

I think the weirdest line is London's Northern Line with Euston Station being served by 2 different branches of the same line that crisscross over eachother and join back up later

[@petrfedor1851]

That makes the wierdness that is north part of line C in Prague relativly tame.

[@pizzaipinya2442]

In Barcelona we've got our own U-shape line (L3, which is more of a V) and uncomplete loop (L4, which is shaped like a C and future plans shape it like a... G :/ )

[@NATO4623]

I live in Singapore and the downtown line exist since 2014

[@BobFrTube]

So close, yet so far ... Imagine if the F and the J/Z routes were combined. Both ends of the F would terminate at the same station but on different levels. Then try to give directions ...

[@apexhunter935]

Yikes, no thanks

[@stevenroshni1228]

NYC's interlining capabilities creates visual frustrations like a service (M train) from Queens Blvd making an almost loop via Myrtle Ave. The map doesn't look that way when Myrtle Ave and Jamaica Ave services are branches from Nassau street (Brown M and J) service. Currently, the MTA is using yet another excuse to keep the Myrtle Ave service (M train) off Queens Blvd and send more Queens Blvd service down Broadway to Fourth Ave (R train).

[@MartinInBC]

U-shaped rail lines are only weird to people who live in grid-plan cities. A city like Sydney Australia is radial: there's a downtown hub on which all the lines converge. This is due to Sydney being built around a harbour that is a drowned river valley, so there are lots of finger-style bays. Those bays make the city an ideal port (lots of safe ship parking spaces) but limit land travel to 'arteries'. So in city both rail and roads tend to go outward from the centre, with only limited connectivity around the edges. To avoid the necessity of terminus handling in the city itself, each radial rail line becomes another radial line after going through the city, and the radial lines (because they were not all built at the same time) do not necessarily exit directly opposite the way they came in. It's not really a problem for rail users, simply because most rail commuter trips are outer suburb to city downtown, not THROUGH the city downtown. Those who are travelling through are quite used to the fact that they will go into the city and then out again, because for centuries that's how most travel has been done in Sydney due to the limitations of the bays.

[@jamesgarcia09]

In Manila, we have this heavy rail metro with wide cars but the government calls it LRT Line 2, so it's a misnomer since it's not a light rail system.😅

[@videoreon]

Visiting Istanbul not so much time ago, I was wondering about this loop near the bus terminal and ever was a a passenger on this route. I think the exact position of the line was selected due to the limitation of the dense city buildings because the line is overland in this place.

[@curtiswagner1]

How about the Red Line DC metro which forms a “U” with both legs in different parts of Montgomery County, Maryland?

[@_CaptainCookie]

I think the District and Northern lines from London need to be on this

[@notenoughpaper]

If you think about it, U shaped lines make a lot of sense in cities with coastal city centers, as they essentially allow you to operate two lines as one. However, it probably only makes sense if the lines arent very delay prone individually as that would "infect" the other line otherwise

[@tl8211]

Unbranched metro lines being delay-prone is NBD, just run on headway

[@notenoughpaper]

@@tl8211 thats not really true, as delays can also occur at stations, and hence length is also a factor as a longer line just has more stations

[@tl8211]

@@notenoughpaper My point is an unbranched metro line can just run on headway, and then delays are of no consequence.

[@sparkswolverine]

"Been around the world and I, I, I." I like the M train.

[@techtransitassociation]

The M train is definitely unique, and as much I don't like the M train's aesthetics, it is a very useful line and serves ridership patterns very well. So it is going to stay, which goes the same for all of the lines featured here.

[@milouribebotta]

Brussels metro line 2. Is a circle line between two stations that have different names but are essentially the same. In general Brussels metro is very confusing, and it only has 4 lines.

[@zaferyurt7703]

i live in istanbul 1989 bus station (otogar) station was opened next to it the largest shopping center in europe was opened forum istanbul Kocatepe station between 2007/2008 . There was no airport in the plans for the m1a extension. It was extended to the airport in 2002. m1b line is still being extended it is said to be split into separate lines

[@joshuaedwards5822]

3:19 the M line in NYC would've been a better example of a "U" because both terminus are less than a few miles apart yet not a shuttle train

[@ollie2074]

If you consider Sydneys T2 and T8 as one big line, then it becomes quite an interesting line

[@th3thrilld3m0n]

I think one of the weirdest would be Oslo's double looping line.

[@xymaryai8283]

just wait until you learn about all the lines running through Melbourne's City Loop, and all the different directions they run at all different times

[@sussy001]

I live in Singapore and I will change to the EWL or walk or just don’t take DTL All trains in Singapore are automatic so won’t be a problem

[@zdtrlik]

See the plans for a U-shape line (Violet Line) in Lisbon's Metro.

[@nyeponpon]

this video gave me anxiety, thank you

[@thetrainguy1]

This reminds me of the hoops you gotta jump through to build a metro in city skylines.

[@TWGF1853]

anyone else proud of their subway system in the thumbnail

[@techtransitassociation]

As a NYer, I do like the Singapore MRT system.