Line Designations

[helium]

Hello -

I'm still confused by the MTA line designations, which I know is my fault.
I was wondering the MTA dosen't use a system similar to London?
For instance, the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan lines all at some point share the same physical track, much how I think NYC does, like with the #1, 9, etc.
So London just made "lines" since it doen't matter what is on the map, as long as your train gets to where you want to go.
Does this make any sense?

[Carmine]

I'll have to admit, when I first glanced at the MTA NYC Subway system map, I became disoriented. It is true that it is different from London, Montreal, Toronto and other subway/metro systems. Many lines share tracks and colors as well. But after some time, I studied the map and became more familiar with the system. (Checking out the Individual Line Map section helps a lot.)

Running through Manhattan, lines that share the same track, share the same color. But as they leave into the other boroughs they diverge and run anywhere. Some trains run express, others run only during Peak-Hour and some only on weekdays. Getting used to the system is a pretty daunting task, but if you give it time, it'll come like second nature to you.