You get into the metro, find a place to stand, and, without even thinking about it, your hands have already touched three or four things. The gate, the railing, the lift button, and the escalator handrail. Then comes the familiar routine: phone in hand, perhaps a snack on the way out, and eventually your hands near your face.

Metro stations are built for thousands of people to move through every day. That also means several commonly touched surfaces are handled by a constant stream of commuters. You do not need to become paranoid about every surface, but being a little more careful about what you touch can be a sensible habit.

Here are some metro station surfaces that deserve extra attention.

Images: Canva (for representative purposes only)