What ever you call them, in well-developed cities, subways play an important role in moving thousands of people around the city efficiently and cheaply. Upon first looking at a subway map, you will probably become confused by the array of lines and colors going every which way. To see just how complex subway maps can appear, check out these amazing subway maps of London , Paris , or Tokyo .
Subway lines are color coded on maps to help travelers 'untangle' the mess of lines.
Trains run back and forth on each line and never change color. For example, if you were on the subway line indicated by the black line, and you wanted to get on the red line, you would have to get off at Tottenham Court Road station and walk to the platform for the red line within that station. Notice that there are only 2 lines that use this station. Some stations, like Green Park, offer 3 different lines at a station. Looking at the map above, you have several options.