rapid transit: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Oct. 2, 2026

Facts

Also Known As	metro system • heavy rail transit

Photos

A London Underground train with red and white cars arrives at a curved subway platform, with passengers visible inside and signs overhead.

Metro Center Station in Washington, D.C.

See All Images →

Topics

subway monorail elevated transit line automated guideway transit personal rapid transit railroad mass transit bus streetcar stagecoach taxicab trolleybus national railways light rail transit high-speed rail Today in History—March 25: All Aboard History for the First Passenger Railway Launch Today in History—March 18: The Debut of the World’s First Public Transit System

Key People

Norman Foster: 30 St Mary Axe

Norman Foster

British architect

Widener, Peter A.B.

Peter A.B. Widener

American businessman and philanthropist

default image

Rufus Henry Gilbert

American surgeon and transit expert