METROCOSMOS
We explore the underground railway systems in Berlin, Prague, Naples, Paris and Vienna, meeting the diverse people who use them daily and learning about their connections with the much-loved local metros.
No part of a big city captures the diversity of its people and cultures as vividly as its underground railway systems with their trains, tunnels and shafts. In Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Naples and Paris, we meet artists, historians, underground railway employees and ordinary passengers. Together, we explore these networks with their familiar and lesser-known tunnels and we learn about the workings and weaknesses of these systems. More importantly, we find out about the unique relationships people have with their often beloved metros. With a total track length of over 155 kilometres, Berlin’s U-Bahn transports around 580 million passengers every year. Naples’ Metropolitana di Napoli consists of three lines, with plans to expand line 1 hampered not only by archaeological finds but by earthquakes and the city’s geography. The largest system featured in this first series is Paris. Stretching 220 kilometres, the Métro network consists of 16 different lines and carries over 4 million passengers every day. The underground is also the primary means of transport in the Czech capital of Prague, with around one million passengers travelling along the city’s three lines every day.