I just returned from my first ride on Zhengzhou’s new subway. It was a fast, fun peek into this sprawling city’s future.

The last U.S. city to build a full-blown subway was Washington D.C., which opened its first line in 1976. Other cities, including Los Angeles and Atlanta, have constructed hybrid rapid-transit systems that include elevated light rail and some underground stations, but their scope and ridership is minuscule compared with major subways around the world.

In China, a new subway opens almost every year. More than a dozen metro areas already have underground transportation and, according to the Wall Street Journal, at least 26 cities are currently building new systems or expanding existing ones. The Beijing and Shanghai metros are among the world’s busiest and most extensive.

Now the subway has come to Zhengzhou, a provincial capital with about 4 million people. Because of traffic gridlock, it often takes an hour or more to go a few miles by taxi or bus, so the subway is a welcome addition.

Unfortunately, the initial 20-stop line that opened yesterday doesn’t reach Henan University of Technology, which is located in a relatively remote area in the city’s northwest corner. The subway should extend to our campus sometime next near, but for now we’re a 20-minute cab ride away from the closest station. (Five more lines are planned, with the whole project slated to be completed by 2020.)

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Today, along with my friends Amber and Patrick, I took the subway crosstown to the CBD (Central Business District), a massive housing, shopping and financial center in eastern Zhengzhou. It took us a half-hour and 11 stops to get there, but it was a lot faster and more convenient than taking a cab or bus.

Like all public transportation in China, it’s also dirt cheap. Ticket prices range from 2 yuan (33 cents) to 5 yuan (82 cents), depending on how far you’re going.

As you would expect with a brand new system, the stations are sparkling clean and ultramodern. They’re equipped with touch-screen ticket machines, video screens showing tutorials on how to use the system and electronic boards displaying the estimated wait time for the next train. They’re also well staffed with blue-uniformed workers who are willing and able to answer any questions you might have about the subway.

Zhengzhou is a provincial city, and many of its residents have never ridden a subway before. So on the opening weekend, the stations were packed with first-timers, including children who acted as if they were on a ride at an amusement park. (One mother calmed down her screaming baby by pointing to the flashing lights on the digital route map.)

Though the cars were jammed, there was no pushing or shoving. All the passengers were on their best behavior, not wanting to spoil the debut of their city’s gleaming new transportation system.

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Several escalators weren’t working and there were long lines to buy tickets, but otherwise the system seemed to be operating smoothly. At every stop, there were clearly audible announcements in Chinese and English (take note, New York) telling riders the name of the station and how to best exit the car.

Riders sit on laminated gray benches, while standing passengers can hold onto one of the numerous plastic straps suspended from metal bars attached to the ceiling. Each bench also includes an orange “courtesy seat’’ for the handicapped, elderly and pregnant.

Signs warn passengers not to drink, eat or smoke, which means the subway will be a welcome refuge from the smelly cloud of cigarette smoke you encounter almost everywhere else in the city.

To leave a station, you must insert your card into an electronic turnstile. It’s quick and simple, just like a ride on Zhengzhou’s impressive new subway.