Is it correct to say:
This is Bangkok Metro.
This is London Underground.
This is New York Subway.
(Without "the" and without possessive 's)
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1No, they don't sound idiomatic to me. They need "the", but not possessive.Barmar– Barmar2025-03-02 00:52:16 +00:00Commented Mar 2 at 0:52
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So the best way to phrase it is The Bangkok Metro, The London Underground, and The New York Subway?Sabir– Sabir2025-03-02 01:22:40 +00:00Commented Mar 2 at 1:22
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The sentences are not idiomatic IMHO . Here in the UK at least, we almost always use the definite article for the London Underground. more commonly referred to as "the Tube" when it's used in a sentence. The possessive form is generally not used either. As a British English speaker, I would also use the definite article for all city metro/subway/underground systems.Billy Kerr– Billy Kerr2025-03-02 09:12:21 +00:00Commented Mar 2 at 9:12
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A lot depends. Subsidiary companies of Transport for London (TfL) include: Operational - London Underground London Underground Limited (operates the London Underground network). So for TfL, London Underground denotes the operations considered as a whole, London Underground Limited is the company, the London Underground is the railway network. HF Howson published London's Undergound (a book, a history of the system) in 5 editions from 1962. These terms are all fluid and travellers, vistors to London, transport journalists, etc, will mix 'em up without fear of being 'wrong'.Michael Harvey– Michael Harvey2025-03-02 09:41:22 +00:00Commented Mar 2 at 9:41
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@MichaelHarvey Do we need all that? Really?Lambie– Lambie2025-03-02 15:14:28 +00:00Commented Mar 2 at 15:14
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2 Answers
It depends somewhat on what the official name of the subway is.
- The authoritative source for New York City might be the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which refers to New York City subway (except when the title of a map), sans apostrophe and lower case s.
- Transport for London refers to the London Underground or simply, Tube, with equal facility, as does Wikipedia.
That said, if one is comparing London's subway with New York city's, then it's reasonable to use lower case as well as possessive form.
Public transportation systems like the London Underground, and New York Subway generally require either "the" or a possessive form.
In informal speech, people may drop "the." Also in titles and logo. Google Ngram shows that the article-less version "London Underground" is more common.
Edit - 1.
But "Bangkok Metro" does not use "the" in its official name.
BMR has two types of metros; namely, Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS-Skytrain) and Mass Rapid Transit (MRT-Subway), which are located at the heart of the city adjacent to business centers. Running north–south of the inner city, the BTS has two main lines and the MRT has one line; covering distances totaling over 45 km.
On Wikipedia, Indian metro system names appear without "the" in titles, but "the" is used in sentences.
Kolkata Metro, Delhi Metro, Kochi Metro..
Rather than calling it "wrong grammar," you can consider it a stylistic choice.
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The main issue is that ChatGPT suggests "Bangkok Metro" should be without "the", whereas the other two are with "the". On the one hand, Bangkok Metro sounds correct. On the other hand, it creates inconsistency and confusion, especially considering the context. I am talking about the announcements in those public transport systems in a video. The announcement in Bangkok goes "mind the gap between train and platform"Sabir– Sabir2025-03-02 01:21:08 +00:00Commented Mar 2 at 1:21
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@Sabir. On Wikipedia, Indian metro system names appear without "the" in titles, but "the" is used in sentences. Kolkata Metro, Delhi Metro, Kochi Metro.. Rather than calling it "wrong grammar," you can consider it a stylistic choice.James Mathai– James Mathai2025-03-02 02:25:42 +00:00Commented Mar 2 at 2:25