Subway (underpass)

Subway (underpass)

In the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth countries (such as India, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, and Singapore), the term subway normally refers to a specially constructed underpass for pedestrians and/or cyclists beneath a road or railway, allowing them to reach the other side in safety.

The term is also used in the United States, specifically by the California Department of Transportation, for a road undercrossing which is depressed [http://www.dot.ca.gov/ser/downloads/cultural/CalHwyPhotoIndex.pdf] [http://groups.google.com/group/misc.transport.road/msg/0edef8a59ff141f2] .

Underground pedestrian passageways are less common in North American cities than in European cities of comparable size. They are constructed when it is necessary for pedestriansto cross a railroad or a limited-access highway such as an interstate highway,and of course they appear at the exits from underground rapid transit systems,but one would be rarely built just to enable people to cross an ordinary city street. When they are built, the term "pedestrian underpass" is more likely to beused, since the word "subway" is usually used there to refer to rail-based rapid transit systems suchas New York Subway.

External links

* An image of a [http://www.guardian.co.uk/gallery/image/0,8543,-10404562633,00.html subway] in Pyongyang, North Korea.


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  • Subway — may refer to:*Subway, an underground rapid transit system also known as a metro, underground, MRT or U Bahn ** For a list of individual subway systems, see the list of rapid transit systems *Subway (underpass), an underground walkway, usually a… …   Wikipedia

  • subway — [sub′wā΄] n. 1. a) an underground way or passage b) Chiefly Brit. an underpass for pedestrians ☆ 2. an underground, metropolitan electric railway or the tunnel through which it runs …   English World dictionary

  • subway — [[t]sʌ̱bweɪ[/t]] subways 1) N COUNT: oft N n, also by N A subway is an underground railway. [mainly AM] ...the Bay Area Rapid Transit subway system... I don t ride the subway late at night. (in BRIT, use , tube) 2) N COUNT A subway is a passage… …   English dictionary

  • subway — /sub way /, n. 1. Also called, esp. Brit., tube, underground. an underground electric railroad, usually in a large city. 2. Chiefly Brit. a short tunnel or underground passageway for pedestrians, automobiles, etc.; underpass. v.i. 3. to be… …   Universalium

  • subway — UK [ˈsʌbˌweɪ] / US noun [countable] Word forms subway : singular subway plural subways Differences between British and American English: subway: In the UK, a subway is an underground tunnel that people can walk through to get to the other side of …   English dictionary

  • subway — sub|way [ˈsʌbweı] n AmE 1.) a railway system that runs under the ground below a big city British Equivalent: underground ▪ the New York City subway ▪ a crowded subway station ▪ Boston has the oldest subway system in the US. 2.) BrE a path for… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • subway — sub|way [ sʌb,weı ] noun count ** 1. ) AMERICAN a railroad that goes under the ground. British underground: the New York subway system take/ride the subway: Let s take the subway it ll be faster. 2. ) BRITISH a tunnel that people can walk through …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • subway — noun Date: 1825 an underground way: as a. a passage under a street (as for pedestrians, power cables, or water or gas mains) b. a usually electric underground railway c. underpass • subway intransitive verb …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • underpass — noun A road or a pedestrian passage in a tunnel that runs underneath a road or railroad. Syn: subway See Also: overpass …   Wiktionary

  • subway — noun a) An underground railway, especially for mass transit of people in urban areas. b) A rapid transit system, regardless of the elevation of its right of way. Syn: metro, rapid transit, tube …   Wiktionary

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