Should Every Major City Have a Metro System? – Video

By Action Kid 1 day Ago 1 Min Read

In “Does Every Major City Need a Metro?”, we dive into the debate surrounding multi-billion dollar subway systems. Are they the answer to our ever-growing traffic woes, or just a costly vanity project for cities on the rise? Join me on a chaotic street walk as I explore whether every major city truly requires a metro, comparing gold standards like London and Tokyo to the realities faced by developing and sprawling urban areas. Recorded in December 2025, this urban planning journey will challenge preconceived notions about public transit solutions. Don’t miss it!

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Video “Does Every Major City Need a Metro?” was uploaded on 12/11/2025 to Youtube Channel ActionKid

Action Kid 13 December 2025

34 Comments

@ChristopherDotson says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

This one cool ass train !!! Great video

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@jarihult says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

0:19 Perfect start for the video despite the topic🤔Probably having metro in every major city isn’t necessary but it depends like you said so it’s a two barrell question 🙂Thank you for sharing this enjoyable and relaxing walk A K🙂👍!!!

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@peggy-p4r says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

❤

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@RichardAuletta says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

New York's first subway opened on October 27, 1904 — not 150 years ago, but just over 122 years ago.

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@Kitcat-i5v says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

❤❤

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@PD55_ says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

Hey Kid, any idea what proportion of people also speak English in China vs Vietnam vs Thailand? More younger in cities, I'd imagine.

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@dwaynewladyka577 says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

I think Edmonton has the youngest subway system in North America. It was created around 1977. We have expanded our LRT (Light Rail Transit) over the years, and we are still doing it.

There were controversies with the more recent expansions to it. Certain businesses didn't like that the expansions were impeding on their business, because of the long periods of construction. If I recall correctly, businesses in our Chinatown had concerns with the expansion of it.

Costs were another factor, as were technical glitches in the design of the expansions. There was one expansion that took longer before people could use it, because of the glitches in the design. If I recall correctly, there was a scapegoat for that, and the city council of Edmonton gave the person a big severance package, of around $800,000 after they were fired. Also, there were issues with ARC card dispensers malfunctioning.

There have been other issues, because of the homeless were frequently in the LRT stations, and it was a big safety concern, and more security and even the police had to be put in the LRT stations.

Subway systems are good for their speed, and are great for people who don't drive. You can get someplace faster than you can with a bus. That's their advantages.

Thanks for sharing this. Cheers! 👍👍✌️🎄

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@atuljoshi1990 says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

the answer is YES. for it to really be a city imho.

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@blyve says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

NYC had great vision in the early years in building it's subway. Take the 7 line, they had 3 car trains and platforms that built for 10 or 11 cars when very little was out in Queens.

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@smc-b5x says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

Elevated driverless systems like Vancouver skytrain + BRT can be a good cost compromise especially for cities with water table issues like Saigon

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@s.cosmin306 says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

A Metro is good to have when the city grows and needs

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@jlamm2223443 says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

I think it is important that mass transit be faster than taking the car, and that means a metro. Otherwise, people just take the car over the bus because the bus slows down and the congestion gets worse as the bus has to stop. And then it makes it harder later. I ride the silver line in Boston all the time. And I love it. But it slows down as traffic slows down. It really is a lot worse than if it had its own lane. And that causes ridership to be less, which takes away from the original goal, to ease traffic congestion. I think car sharing at major stations would be a good help for last mile issues.

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@Michael-yb5md says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

i dont think he's going Live anymore!

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@michaelchin3550 says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

Actionkid for Mayor! LOL.

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@wiiiz3 says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

In a big city, Subways are great but LRT's are the worst thing known to mankind. Because it's is inefficient and once you build an LRT, they will never build a subway in that area. It's better to do it the right way the 1st time, once and for all.

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@peppertree5706 says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

The number 7 Flushing Line in Queens was built on mostly undeveloped land.

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@frankm4277 says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

I am Frank M>>>>Probably a lot safer and cleaner than NYC. I would not feel safe in the NYC Subway these days. Happy I do not need to use them. Thanks Ken.

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@Lee-vb4vh says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

Excellent insights 😊 good to learn about city traffic, light rails, trolleys, trams, subways, metrorails, undergrounds, metros, infrastructure, civil engineering, urban planning, etc. 🎉

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@friedhelmrosner8216 says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

4 miles in 4 minutes instead of 20 minutes by subway or 40 minutes by bus

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@coreyrocks2002 says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

Hello, Kenny. All major cities need at least a subway or a metro. Hope you have a nice day. How long will you be staying in Vietnam?

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@williammansfield2919 says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

Action…your videos are more interesting lately because you include yourself and your opinions more…keep on doing great work…

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@JM-vh7oc says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

I like your new haircut and looks like new glasses too!

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@JM-vh7oc says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

Are all those motorbikes mostly gas powered or electric? Amazing how many and how there isn't more accidents

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@HitenMumbai says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

Good topic to be highlighted

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@rogertemple7193 says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

I guess it depends how big the city is for a Metro in it have a wonderful time in
Vietnam and Merry Christmas Action Kid Thank You.🎄

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@porkchopsavings says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

I can see the AK urbanism niche taking off!

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@anhbinbaccuc8850 says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

I'm sure everyone says yes , and I can't wait for Saigon to have more and more lines, until I watched your the Hong Kong night clips, then I changed my mind to "que sera sera". In my mind Hong Kong is busy 24/7 and the streets never sleep, but the streets of Hong Kong central district is all quiet at night and the people are all crowded undergrounds trying to get to places. I just think if Saigon is like that at night I don't need to come back to Saigon, I get that here in Toronto, the city is all mine most of the time. Then the pandemic locked down so scary. I need the chaos, that's why I love watching Asian cities, Mumbai, Old Delhi, Manila, Bangkok, Saigon

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@MsKleinlaut says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

This is not about public transport, I am happy to see a bit of Saigon. I am ancient, as old as Jane Fonda. We fought hard against the V'nam war. Demonstrating. It was so worth it.

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@jenlarge9036 says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

Brisbane is expanding it's underground rail system.

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@TonyW79SFV says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

It's good that Vietnam got new Metros built in Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh despite being relatively late in the transit game. With the Vietnamese economy flourishing, they will need a rail system to help its citizens get around. Bangkok, Thailand was also late in the transit game with no urban rail system until 5 December 1999. A quarter century has passed and it'll be difficult to fathom a Bangkok that is still dominated by cars and buses. Many of the malls in central Bangkok most likely wouldn't have been built if it hasn't been for the rail system because trains brings in foot traffic, not cars, especially in a city that already relies on alternative forms of transportation like motorcycles and tuk tuks. In the U.S., many of the systems were able to be built in the early 20th century except some that were planned but wasn't able to proceed until decades later like NYC's Second Avenue Subway. The U.S. did have an era of metro construction helped by President LBJ's Great Society program that has the following cities open new metro systems in the 70s: Washington, D.C. Metrorail, San Francisco Bay Area BART, & Atlanta's MARTA. Other cities that attempted to follow the steps of those cities like Baltimore, Miami, & Los Angeles did build 1 or 2 metro lines but with the Reagan administration severely cutting federal funding in the 80s, those cities couldn't build out their metro system as planned and either stopped building new lines or looked for alternatives like light rail (which dominates Los Angeles) and bus rapid transit (BRT). BRT was tried on one line in Bangkok, Thailand and was suppose to expand on other lines, but currently has been only one line as Bangkok officials found BRT to be an insufficient solution for the city; Bangkok did however build two monorail lines, which is another technology that has been frowned upon by transit advocates. For us in the U.S., look no further than Honolulu, Hawaii; they've planned their rail line since the 60s and barely opened their line this decade with the next extension opening in their downtown by next decade. Los Angeles will finally have its second metro (heavy rail/HRT/subway) line open towards Beverly Hills and UCLA by the Summer Olympics.

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@JohnRay-x5m says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

AK can you go to the Opera House station there is the Union square bazaar in Saigon its well decorated interesting. Can you go today? i will be watching.

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@City-Hiker says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

Jersey has light rail.
Light rails are usually for the city has lesser population.
Subways are usually for city has people with more population.
High Speed trains are usually for cross city or state.

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@kennyadvocat says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

Make a video on the new Brightline train please. It goes right to your apartment in Miami. =)

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@muscleman125 says:

13 December 2025 at 21:35

My 2 cents is that the vast majority of people who talk about infrastructure don't really have any clue what they are talking about or the implications of the things they want to see happen.

Infrastructure and transportation projects are extremely important, but they aren't something that can just be torn up and reconfigured (in most cases). The BQE in NYC is the perfect example; it's an impossible task to solve and thus, it will literally never be solved, just endless patchwork and small scale refurbishing.

If a major city didn't expand with transport and infrastructure in mind, it is impossible to fix without destroying unfathomable levels of money, housing, existing infra, and lives. It could easily destroy an entire city or country's economy to uproot everything in the name of having more train stops or rerouting an expressway. This applies to basically every city west of the Mississippi, if we are talking about the US.

East Asia was able to do what it did because the major cities were being planned alongside the growth, rather than as secondary thought.

That's why the only cities with actual public transport in America are Chicago and NYC, they were planning the city as it was expanding, thus they were able to plan ahead and make the infrastructure super efficient.

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