Stockholm: where the metro is a work of art

When it came to writing about Hamburg and Copenhagen, I decided what to write about based on this being a transport blog, and my posts were definitely aimed at transport enthusiasts, but when it came to Stockholm I think this will appeal to everyone.

Stockholm has one of the most amazing metro systems I have even been on. It's not just a transport network, it's not just a load of trains and stations. It quite simply is, a work of art.

There's definitely a lot more to Stockholm than the amazing 'T-bana' metro; (off the top of my head I'd suggest the Vasa ship museum, the old town of Gamla Stan... and of course, meatballs!) But the thing is that unlike most cities, in Stockholm, I would recommend a trip on and around the metro system to anyone, not just people with an unusually high interest in transport like myself, and it would be right up there at the top of my list.

Unlike the Copenhagen metro, every station in Stockholm in unique. On the surface the stations of the older sections, such as those on the shared route between Slussen and T-Centralen can appear like any other metro system, but then you can come across the immaculate preservation of some of the original 1950s station details, or the understated art involved in stations like Hortorget. But to appreciate the T-Bana to the full, you need to venture on to the more modern stations, the more eccentric and exciting caverns found along the blue line or further out of town on the other lines. Just to be clear though, by 'modern'... I'm actually talking about stations that were opened back in the 70s. But trust me, they look as amazing now as they did then.

I'm just going to let the pictures do the talking here... I find it amazing that some of these station were built in the mid 70s, and I have the utmost sympathy for the architects and engineers that have had to try and maintain that legacy as the system has expanded.

This is part of the more recent extension of the central 'T-Centralen' hub. Designed to fit in with the exposed rock design of the older stations, this section includes artistic light installations and really adds to the atmosphere.

But it's simply impossible to beat some of the incredible design and architecture of the original stations. Each station has it's own theme and colour scheme, a unique design. The exposed rock and 'caverns' are simply stunning, and add a level of scale and magnitude that is hard to find anywhere else in the world.

These pictures were taken at T-Centralen, Stadion, Solna Centrum, Stadion, Kungsträdgården and Rådhuset stations, but the best way to see the Metro is definitely just to hop on a few trains, and explore for yourself!