I checked out Mexico City's metro and was blown away by how much cleaner, faster, and quieter it is than New York's subway. Here's what it was like.

• Mexico City is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, and its metro carries 1.6 billion people every year. 
• New York City is the only subway that carries more passengers, but Mexico City's system puts it to shame.
• My experience in the Mexican capital showed that trains can be fast, clean, and quiet, without the need for expensive station upgrades or even express trains. 

New York City could learn a lot from Mexico City's metro system.

The Mexican capital is the largest city in North America, and even the US' largest city pales in comparison to its sweeping neighborhoods and suburbs that stretch for miles across the valley.

Despite carrying 1.6 billion passengers per year — second only to New York in North America — in and around Mexico's capital and the largest Spanish speaking city in the world the system is relatively simple to navigate and eerily quiet compared to New York's screeching trains (and often time, loud musicians).

And while the streets above are clogged with traffic and pollution, below ground, trains were quiet, quick and efficient. Here's what my experience was like:

Like most cities, the entrances are clearly marked from above ground. In most of the stations I visited there were multiple entrances for a stop.

Many stations in the historic city center, like here at Bellas Artes, look almost exactly like Paris' famous Guimard-designed Art Nouveau entrances. 

Every station has its own icon, usually related to its history or location in the city. That makes the city a lot easier to navigate for people who may not be able to read.

There's a total of 12 lines criss-crossing the city, and connecting to regional rail services.

The system is open from 5 am to midnight and only has two tracks in each direction — which means no express trains like in New York.