# List of rail transport systems using third rail

Third rail railways predominantly operates in urban areas. Notable exceptions are (or were) mainline electrics of the former Southern Region of British Railways and a few interurban railways in the US. In Europe top contact third rail tends to be limited to early electrified urban railways (the current conductor is normally left naked on top), contrary to North America where it usually has a protecting cover. Considered safe, the covered top contact conductor also appeared at most North American systems built relatively recently. Modern European systems predominantly make use of bottom or side contact power rails.
There are numerous urban rail systems, including these running mostly in tunnels, which do not use third rail at all. Such systems can be found in Asia, which may have been influenced by the overhead power supply formula followed by Tokyo Metro after 1960. All South Korean systems use overhead wires (or rigid conductors), as do most modern mainland Chinese metros. In Europe all significant Spanish systems now have overhead power supply. Modern Latin America urban rail also uses overhead wires, though with some important exceptions.
Special group of bottom power supplied railways are rubber-tyred systems. In fact, it may be difficult to classify them beyond any doubt. They may be trains but are they still railways? And do they still have 'third' rails? Despite doubts, such guided systems have been included in the list below.
The list does not include conduit system trams (trolleys), once quite popular in some countries, but none survive.
| | Notes: |
| t/c | top contact; others have bottom or side contact power rails (or rail type not known) |
| gr/c | combined with guiding rail on rubber-tyred systems (including light metros such as VAL) |
| b/c | b/c – bottom contact |

## Europe

| Country | Location | Name of System | Notes | Link |
| Armenia | Yerevan | Yerevan Metro | | |
| Austria | Vienna | Vienna U-Bahn | (b/c) Except line U6 | |
| Azerbaijan | Baku | Baku Metro | | |
| Belarus | Minsk | Minsk Metro | | |
| Belgium | Brussels | Brussels Métro/Metro (STIB-MIVB) | | STIB-MIVB |
| Bulgaria | Sofia | Sofia Metro | | |
| Czech Republic | Prague | Prague Metro | (b/c) | |
| Denmark | Copenhagen | Copenhagen Metro | | Metro |
| Finland | Helsinki | Helsinki Metro | | |
| France | Paris | Paris Métro | (all lines on rails: t/c) (all lines on tyres: gr/c) | |
| France | Paris | Orlyval | (gr/c) | |
| France | | Culoz–Modane railway | (gr/c) | 1925–1976 |
| France | Lyon | Lyon Métro | Line C is a rack railway and thus uses overhead wires | |
| France | Marseille | Marseilles Métro | (gr/c) | |
| France | Rennes | Rennes VAL | (gr/c) | |
| France | Toulouse | Toulouse VAL | (gr/c) | |
| France | Lille | Lille VAL | (gr/c) | |
| France | Bordeaux | Tramway de Bordeaux | (partly) | |
| France | Villefranche-de-Conflent | Yellow Train | (t/c) | |
| France | Haute-Savoie | Ligne de Saint Gervais - Vallorcine | (t/c, covered occasionally) | |
| Georgia | Tbilisi | Tbilisi Metro | | |
| Germany | Berlin | Berlin S-Bahn | | |
| Germany | Berlin | Berlin U-Bahn | (small profile lines: t/c) | |
| Germany | Hamburg | Hamburg S-Bahn | (side contact) | |
| Germany | Hamburg | Hamburg U-Bahn | | |
| Germany | Munich | Munich U-Bahn | | |
| Germany | Nuremberg | Nuremberg U-Bahn | | |
| Germany | Frankfurt | Frankfurt/Main Airport de:SkyLine PM | (gr/c) | |
| Greece | Athens | Athens Metro | | |
| Hungary | Budapest | Budapest Metro | (t/c) except 'Földalatti' (now Line M1) | |
| Italy | Brescia | Brescia Metro | AnsaldoBreda Driverless Metro | |
| Italy | Milan | Milan metro line 1 | 4 rails | |
| Italy | Milan | Milan metro line 5 | AnsaldoBreda Driverless Metro | |
| Italy | Milan | Ferrovie Varesine | Former System (1901–1951), t/c) | |
| Italy | Turin | Turin VAL | (gr/c) | |
| Italy | Turin | Superga Rack Railway | | |
| Italy | Naples | "metropolitana FS" | Former system (1925–1935), t/c | |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam | Amsterdam Metro | (b/c) Except Sneltram alignments | |
| Netherlands | Rotterdam | Rotterdam Metro | (b/c) Except Sneltram alignments | |
| Norway | Oslo | Oslo T-bane | | T-bane |
| Poland | Warsaw | Warsaw Metro | (b/c) | |
| Portugal | Lisbon | Lisbon Metro | (t/c) | |
| Romania | Bucharest | Bucharest Metro | (b/c), except sidings where overhead wire is used | |
| Russia | Moscow | Moscow Metro | | |
| Russia | Saint Petersburg | Saint Petersburg Metro | | |
| Russia | Novosibirsk | Novosibirsk Metro | | |
| Russia | | Kazan Metro | | |
| Russia | | Yekaterinburg Metro | | |
| Russia | | Nizhny Novgorod Metro | | |
| Russia | | Omsk Metro | | |
| Russia | | Samara Metro | | |
| Spain | Madrid | Madrid Barajas International Airport PM | (gr/c) | |
| Spain | Barcelona | Barcelona Metro | Former System (until 2002): Line 1 (t/c, covered) and lines 3 and 4 (b/c) | |
| Sweden | Stockholm | Stockholm T-bana | (t/c, covered) | |
| Switzerland | | Chemin de Fer de Martigny au Châtelard | partly 3rd rail | |
| Turkey | İzmir | İzmir Metro | | |
| Turkey | Ankara | Ankara Metro | | |
| Turkey | Istanbul | Istanbul Metro | | |
| Ukraine | Kyiv | Kyiv Metro | | |
| Ukraine | Kharkiv | Kharkiv Metro | | |
| Ukraine | Dnipro | Dnipro Metro | | |
| United Kingdom | Brighton | Volk's Electric Railway | (t/c) | |
| United Kingdom | Glasgow | Glasgow Subway | (t/c) | |
| United Kingdom | Hythe | Hythe Pier Railway | | |
| United Kingdom | London | Docklands Light Railway | (b/c) | |
| United Kingdom | London | London Underground | (four-rail, t/c) | |
| United Kingdom | London | LNWR suburban electrification | (four-rail, t/c at inception, but now three-rail, t-c between Harrow & Wealdstone and Watford Junction, three-rail, t-c between Acton Central and Gunnersbury, third-rail, t-c between Shoreditch and Highbury & Islington, and overhead electrified between Dalston and Acton Central. Adjacent sections of overhead and third rail, t-c between Dalston and Highbury & Islington. Still four-rail, t-c on sections shared with London Underground (Gunnersbury-Richmond, Queens Park-Harrow & Wealdstone). Shoreditch to Broad Street section now closed) | |
| United Kingdom | London | Northern City Line | (t/c) | |
| United Kingdom | Liverpool | Merseyrail | (t/c) | |
| United Kingdom | Southern England | Southern Region | (t/c), (large area covering most of the current South Western, Island Line, Southern and Southeastern TOCs ) | |
| United Kingdom | Stansted Airport | Airport people mover | Transfer between terminals | |
United Kingdom
Former:
* Giant's Causeway Tramway (elevated third rail; later replaced by overhead wire)
* Bessbrook and Newry Tramway (t/c)
* Liverpool Overhead Railway (t/c)
* Manchester Victoria - Bury (by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) (side contact)
* Tyneside Electrics (t/c)
Switzerland Former:
* Chemin de fer Fribourg–Morat–Anet (1903–1947)

## Asia

| Country | Location | Name of System | Notes |
| China | | Beijing Subway | |
| China | | Tianjin Metro | t/c, covered |
| China | | Wuhan Metro | |
| China | | Guangzhou Metro Line 4&5 | |
| India | | Kolkata Metro | t/c |
| India | | Kanpur Metro | b/c |
| India | | Namma Metro | b/c |
| India | | Kochi Metro | b/c |
| India | | Rapid Metro Gurgaon | b/c |
| India | | Ahmedabad Metro | b/c |
| Indonesia | Palembang | Palembang LRT | |
| Indonesia | Jakarta | Jakarta LRT | |
| Iran | | Tehran Metro | |
| Japan | Hiroshima | Astram Line | (gr/c) |
| Japan | Kobe | Portliner | (gr/c) |
| Japan | Kobe | Rokkoliner | (gr/c) |
| Japan | Nagoya | Nagoya Municipal Subway | Higashiyama, Meijō and Meikō lines |
| Japan | Osaka | Osaka Municipal Subway | Midōsuji, Tanimachi, Yotsubashi, Chūō and Sennichimae lines |
| Japan | Osaka | Kita-Osaka Kyūkō Railway | reciprocal service with Midōsuji Line |
| Japan | Osaka | Keihanna Line | reciprocal service with Chūō Line |
| Japan | Osaka | New Tram | (gr/c) |
| Japan | Sapporo | Sapporo Municipal Subway | Namboku Line |
| Japan | Tokyo | Yamaman Yukarigaoka Line | (gr/c) |
| Japan | Tokyo | Tokyo Metro | Ginza and Marunouchi Lines (t/c, covered) |
| Japan | Tokyo | Yurikamome Line | (gr/c) |
| Japan | Tokyo | Seibu Yamaguchi Line | (gr/c) |
| Japan | Tokyo | Saitama New Shuttle | (gr/c) |
| Japan | Yokohama | Yokohama Municipal Subway | Blue Line |
| Japan | Yokohama | Kanazawa Seaside Line | (gr/c) |
| Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | Ampang Line | |
| Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | Kelana Jaya Line | |
| North Korea | Pyongyang | Pyongyang Metro | |
| Philippines | Metro Manila | MRT-7 | Under construction;; |
| Singapore | Singapore | Light Rail Transit (LRT) | Three separate systems |
| Singapore | Singapore | Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) | Except North East Line |
| South Korea | Busan | Busan-Gimhae Light Rail Transit | (b/c) |
| South Korea | Seoul | Ui LRT | (b/c) |
| South Korea | Uijeongbu | U Line | (gr/c) |
| South Korea | Yongin | Everline | (t/c) |
| Taiwan | Taipei | Taipei MRT | (VAL Line: gr/c) |
| Taiwan | Kaohsiung | Kaohsiung MRT | |
| Thailand | Bangkok | MRT | |
| Thailand | Bangkok | BTS skytrain | |
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai | Dubai Metro | |
| Uzbekistan | Tashkent | Tashkent Metro | |
Japan
* Sapporo Chikatetsu - Namboku Line: rubber-tyred with central guiding/return rail and a flat power rail (t/c) which is also one of the rollways for the rubber tyres; Tōzai and Tōhō Lines: rubber-tyred with o/h power supply, a flat return rail which is also one of the rollways for the rubber tyres and a central guiding rail
* Nagoya Chikatetsu - Higashiyama, Meijō, Meikō Lines (t/c, covered)
* Osaka Chikatetsu - except Sakaisuji, Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi and Imazatosuji Lines (t/c, covered)
* Kinki Nippon Tetsudō - Keihanna Line (t/c, covered)
* Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway (t/c, covered)
Former:
* Shin'etsu Line at Usui Pass (Yokokawa-Karuizawa) - mainline system
* Komaki Peachliner (rubber-tyred, but power supply separate from guiding rail; closed in 2006)

## Africa

| Country | Location | Name of System | Notes |
| Egypt | Cairo | Cairo Metro | Line 2 (Shobra - El Mounib) Line 3 (Attaba - Al Ahram) |
| Nigeria | Lagos | Lagos Rail Mass Transit | Blue Line |

## North America

| Country | Location | Name of System | Notes |
| Canada | Montreal | Montreal Métro | (gr/c) |
| Canada | Toronto | Toronto subway and RT | (t/c, covered) |
| Canada | Vancouver | Vancouver SkyTrain | (t/c, covered) |
| Mexico | Mexico City | Mexico City Metro | All lines (gr/c), except Line A (overhead) |
| United States | Chicago | Chicago 'L' | Chicago 'L' and Subway, (t/c) |
| United States | New York City | Airtrain JFK | |
| United States | New York City | Amtrak | Penn Station complex, north and east river tunnels on Northeast Corridor, Empire tunnel and Sunnyside Yard for diesel/electric engines and LIRR service to Penn Station (t/c, covered) |
| United States | New York City | Long Island Rail Road | NYC commuter system (t/c, covered); (Portions run on diesel & diesel/electric hybrid) |
| United States | New York City | Metro-North Railroad | NYC commuter system (b/c); (Portions run on diesel & diesel/electric hybrid); (New Haven Line trains switch between third rail and overhead catenary power between Mount Vernon East and Pelham, at speed) |
| United States | New York City | New York City Subway | (t/c, covered) |
| United States | New York City | PATH | (t/c, covered) |
| United States | New York City | Staten Island Railway | (t/c, covered) |
| United States | San Francisco | BART | (t/c, covered) |
| United States | San Francisco | AirTrain SFO | (gr/c) |
| United States | Washington DC | Washington Metro | (t/c, covered) |
| United States | Boston | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) | Red, Orange and Blue (partly) Lines (t/c) |
| United States | Philadelphia | Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) | Market-Frankford Line: (b/c, covered), Broad St Line, Route 100 to Norristown: (t/c, covered) |
| United States | Philadelphia | PATCO | (t/c, covered) |
| United States | Atlanta | MARTA | (t/c, covered) |
| United States | Atlanta | Atlanta International Airport PM | (gr/c) |
| United States | Los Angeles | Metro Rail | Red Line (t/c, covered) |
| United States | Miami | Miami Metrorail | (t/c, covered) |
| United States | Miami | Miami Metromover | (gr/c) |
| United States | Baltimore | Baltimore Metro Subway | (t/c, covered) |
| United States | Detroit | Detroit People Mover | |
| United States | Chicago | O'Hare International Airport | Transit System (gr/c) |
| United States | Tampa | Tampa International Airport PM | (gr/c) |
| United States | Denver | Denver International Airport PM | (gr/c) |
| United States | Seattle | Satellite Transit System PM in Airport | (gr/c) |
| United States | Dallas | Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport PM | (gr/c) |
| United States | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Tren Urbano | Semi-suspended inverted collector rail (b/c?) |
United States
Former:
* World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago, 1893) railway (t/c)
* Pennsylvania Railroad, suburban network New York - New Jersey (t/c, covered)
* Albany & Hudson Railroad (t/c)
* Baltimore Belt Line, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
* Scioto Valley Traction Co. (Ohio) (t/c?)
* Oneida Railway (NY Central RR) (b/c)
* Detroit River Tunnel (Detroit - Windsor), Michigan Central Railroad
* Michigan Rly.: Grand Rapids - Kalamazoo and branch lines
* Central California Traction Co., Sacramento – Stockton (b/c)
* Sacramento Northern Railway (t/c)
* Laurel Line (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA)
* Aurora Elgin & Chicago Railroad (t/c)
* Key System - on San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge (t/c, covered)
* Jacksonville VAL (gr/c)
* Nantasket Beach Branch; Greenbush Line Braintree-Cohasset, suburban New Haven Railroad, (t/c, center of track)

## South America

| Country | Location | Name of System | Notes |
| Argentina | | Trenes de Buenos Aires | Mitre and Sarmiento railways |
| Argentina | Buenos Aires | Metrovías | Urquiza railway, Buenos Aires subway line B (t/c, covered) |
| Brazil | | São Paulo Metro | (b/c), except Line 5 (overhead) and 15 (monorail) |
| Brazil | | Rio de Janeiro Metro | (t/c, partly covered) |
| Brazil | | Federal District Metro | (b/c) |
| Chile | | Santiago Metro | Line 1, Line 2 and Line 5 (gr/c), Line 4 and Line 4A (t/c) |
| Venezuela | Caracas | Caracas Metro | |