surface subway
n.— «One thing that Aaron should absolutely be ashamed of himself for is his use of the phrase “surface subway.” Subways and elevated trains speed people along because they’re grade-separated. You just can’t go that fast on the surface, even if you have a dedicated right-of-way and signal priority. A surface subway is nonsense.» —“I Want a Nice Big Imitation Steak” Cap’n Transit Rides Again Jan. 19, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
There are lots of colloquial phrases to explain away the cacophony of a thunderstorm: The potato wagons are rolling, The tater wagon’s going over the bridge, The potato wagon broke down, and God is dumping out potatoes and washing them off. In...
What kind of book do people ask for most often in prison? Romance novels? No. The Bible? No. The most requested books by far are … dictionaries! A number of volunteer organizations gather and distribute used dictionaries to help inmates with...
Here is something close. Part of Philadelphia transportation system is known as “subway surface.” These are trolley cars that run on the streets at the outer portion of the city and then descend into subway lines when they get near the center of the city.