Khalid Bin Al Waleed transfer station with its blue interior and jellyfish-shaped chandeliers. (to the right).

New York. Since the subway system was inaugurated in 1904 it has some interesting station design, above ground as well as below. NYC's subway became a little neglected in the following decades and earned a reputation of crime and grime.

B ut besides significantly improving all stations, trains, and the safety since the 1980's, MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) started to thoroughly refurbish 15 historic stations to their original appearance. MTA's 'Arts for Transit' program, founded in 1985, hosts more than 150 modern works of site-specific public art in stations.

One of many humourous bronze sculptures is 'Life Underground' by Tom Otterness in 14th Street station installed in 2004 ( left).

A thens. There are works of art or interesting archeological exhibits in several of the metro stations. Some of the newer stations have even been turned into downright museums. When two new metro lines were planned to be opened on occasion of the Olympic Games in 2004, this arose much concern in the international archaeological community since tunnels, ventilation shafts, and five stations located in the heart of the ancient city could destroy valuable information about the city's history. Athens has strict preservation laws, and the construction turned out to be an archaeological milestone. 30,000 artifacts were found on 70,000 square meters. The Ministry of Culture now features the most important of the excavated objects in permanent displays at three metro stations in the city centre and at the University of Athens. Replica of Parthenon friezes in the entrance

Hall of Akropoli Staton opened in 2000.

Frankfurt. A weird subway entrance, looking like a train bursting through the sidewalk from below, is located in Frankfurt. Architect Zbiginiew Peter Pininski reported he felt inspired by surrealist artist René Magritte when creating it. Some other stations have interesting designs as well.

Tashkent's metro, built in 1977, is one of the most beautiful in the former Soviet Union. Leading architects and artists from Uzbekistan took part in creating unique stations, some of them are decorated in Islamic designs.

Ceiling of Navoiy station from 1984 (right)