45 Funny And Strange Things Spotted On the Subway (New Pics)

Ah, the subway! The magical place where the laws of normality stop working. The moment you go underground to catch a train, you’d best be prepared to see hilarious, weird and, frankly, mind-blowing things.

To keep you laughing all day long and to remind you that life is full of little surprises, Bored Panda compiled this list of funny, bizarre and peculiar things spotted on the subway. Vote for your favorite strange(r) things (pun most definitely intended), and let us know in the comments below what you think the stories behind the pictures are. Also, be sure to check out Bored Panda’s other lists about the subway, including weird people, the most beautiful metro stations, vintage photos of New York’s subway and even more baffling things on the subway.

For some reason, entering the subway is like turning on an episode of The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror. Whatever you thought you knew about reality doesn’t matter anymore.

I think these two would do anything for each other. Owner is toting his pet via a customized back carrier and getting an appreciative paw hug the whole time. I have never seen so many smiles on the Uptown A Train.

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Subway systems are ancient — over 150 years old. The first urban underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway, began operating in London in 1863. It was very popular even though it wasn’t the most comfortable mode of transportation: it was worked by steam trains and was unhealthy for passengers and staff. In 1890, the first electrified underground urban railway, City & South London Railway, opened. Since the tunnels were tubular, the term “tube” eventually became synonymous with the London Underground.

In 1896, Budapest opened the first electrified underground line in Europe. The Budapest system was the first underground with overhead cables. In 1898, the technically outdated two-line Vienna Metropolitan Railway in Vienna was opened which was operated by steam trains. The system was converted to a modern underground railway only in 1978. The first line of the Paris Métro opened in 1900. Its full name was the Chemin de Fer Métropolitain; the name was shortened to ‘métro’, a word we’re all familiar with and borrowed by many languages.

Boston has the oldest subway tunnel in the United States that is still in use, dating from 1897. The New York City Subway which became one of the world’s largest rapid transit systems, opened its first section in 1904, stretching from City Hall to 145th Street.

Cairo was the first African city with a metro system. It opened in 1987. The second African metro opened in Algiers in November 2011. Pretoria, Lagos, and some other African cities also have plans to build rapid transit networks. Which means they too will soon be enjoying all the odd sights and sounds of the subway, just like us.

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Note: this post originally had 89 images. It’s been shortened to the top 46 images based on user votes.