While many citizens of New Washington utilize cars to travel, any city of its size and density must have a public transportation system in order to thrive. New Washington cannot support a car in every household; most citizens of lower class and many of middle class use nothing more than the New Washington Rail System, also known on the whole as The Rail.
Much like the pre-Snowfall New York transit system, the New Washington Rail is comprehensive; it is entirely feasible to get nearly anywhere in the city for a reasonable price and within a reasonable time without using a car. Many citizens prefer the subway system to driving because the issue of New Washington's prohibitively difficult parking situation can be completely avoided, as well as the inconveniences of owning a car.
A Rail Pass is considered a basic utility for most Washingtonians; even upper class citizens keep their Pass available. By the mid 2200s, the majority of the population keeps their Rail account encoded on their handshell, completely obviating the need for a card to represent the pass. The Rail is an everyday part of life for most citizens.
The Rail has existed since the earliest days of New Washington, thanks to significant funding from its founding corporations and the federal government. As a result, the lines are occasionally difficult to follow and are sometimes redundant. In addition, there are some lines that are no longer used, though the stations for them still exist.
These “Dark Lines” are not without their uses, however. Those familiar with the city and with dimensional science or magic are aware that the entire NWRS line grid lies in an area of thin dimensional separation; the veil between the Earth and alternate dimensions is quite tenuous. Unbeknownst to most of the city, those who are capable of arcane understanding or have a keen awareness of New Washington can actually use the “Dark Stations” to ride trains that do not, by conventional physical laws, exist. The critical ability needed in riding the Dark Lines is the capability to read the nonexistant characters used to label the trains. Where a normal NWRS train would be labeled “A” or “15", the Dark Lines have labels difficult to pronounce and remember, unused in any language or magic but very similar to magical runes in property.
Dark Lines sometimes run within the city, spanning great distances in a fraction of the time that it should take them to traverse. These trains are the ones easiest to access, usable by Street Shamans and some experienced city dwellers, and are essential to their lives. Some trains lead to “temporary stations” that appear on arrival and vanish when exited. Riding these trains is somewhat tricky, as their route will be somewhat unpredictable and may not always go to their destination in a linear fashion.
The most dangerous Dark Lines do not stay within New Washington. They travel through the dimensional veils, leading to locations like the Labyrinth, the Northern Wasteland, The Great Western Forest, South America, The Elven Cities, and some even lead to alternate dimensions. Only those who are exceedingly skilled in the “Subway Alphabet” are capable of even riding these trains, though those with such skill are usually capable of finding the stations they used to exit when it is time to return from their destinations.