Super Bell Subway

Super Bell Subway is the third course of the Bell Cup. The course is included with the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 downloadable content in Mario Kart 8 as well as the base content of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The course is located in the Golden Bell, a subway station, going through both the station and the track. Similarly to Dolphin Shoals, this course has two music themes that change mid-race depending on whether the highest-placed human player is in the station segment or the subway proper. Highlight Reels instead use an extended version of the station theme for the whole course.

Course layout
The track starts in the station with a U-Turn going to the left right after the start. The track leads into a large area with stairs leading down into the subway. Automatic barriers open to let the players through.

The subway has trains running along the tracks and has a winding layout. Throughout the subway, raised platforms can be used to drive on the trains. At the end of the subway, the train track splits and has stairs that lead up back into the large area of the station with another set of stairs taking the players to the last bend before the finish. After the U-Turn is a straightaway to the finish line.

Shortcuts

 * Throughout the underground sections of the course, a Mushroom or a Star can be used over gravel sections cutting off turns in the track.
 * At the final U-Turn going to the left, a shortcut can be performed through a grass patch next to the Golden Bell Fountain with a Mushroom or a Star.

References to other Super Mario games
This course features several references to other courses in the game and other games in the Super Mario franchise.


 * Several shops appear along the sides of the raceway that make appearances elsewhere in Mario Kart 8, such as Yoshi's Egg Market.
 * The map at the starting line of the track appears to connect nearly all of the raceways that appear in Mario Kart 8. Several other detailed maps by the subway lines also include the names of playable courses and the in-game business advertisements. Much like an actual subway, there are exits for different stations written on signs above the track stating the names of various courses.
 * On a related note, the city map is the only place in the original Mario Kart 8 where Wendy O. Koopa's company, Wendy's Car Interiors, is mentioned, though in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, features banners advertising the company.
 * When in the subway, this track's music contains pieces of the underground theme from Super Mario Bros., much like.
 * World 1-2 from Super Mario Bros. is shown on the graffiti found in the underground section.
 * The graffiti also references Bullet Bills, Warp Pipes, Koopa Troopas, and a Piranha Plant; this is located before the World 1-2 graffiti under the ramp. The graffiti near the World 1-2 graffiti references the Koopalings.
 * The Toads in the ticket booth use feather pens designed after Cape Feathers, just like in Sunshine Airport.

Sponsors

 * 1-Up Fuel (Local information map (Exit C, D3), posters)
 * 1-Up Mushroom Car Insurance Group (Local information map (Exit A, A3/B2/B3/C4), posters)
 * 100% Organic Antifreeze (Local information map (Exit A, B2), posters)
 * BaNaNa Boy (Cans, local information map (Exit A, B3/C3))
 * Bob-omb Plugs (Graffiti)
 * Boomerang Bros. International Airlines (Local information map (Exit A, B3/B4/C3))
 * Bowser Oil (Local information map (Exit A, B3/C3))
 * Bullet Bill Speed Trial (Cans, local information map (Exit B, D3))
 * Burning DK (Bottles, local information map (Exit A, B4), vending machines)
 * Chain Chomp Racing Chains (Local information map (Exit C, D2))
 * Coconut Cafe (Shop)
 * Dream Gliders (Local information map (Exit A, A4))
 * Fountain Cafe (Bottles, posters)
 * Fun Flower (Shop)
 * Galaxy Air (Posters)
 * Green Service (Local information map (Exit A, B4))
 * Green Shell Taxi (Local information map (Exit C, D3))
 * Lemmy's Tire Service (Local information map (Exit B, C2))
 * Ludwig Painting (Graffiti, local information map (Exit A, A4)
 * Luigi Gusters (Local information map (Exit A, B3))
 * Mario Super Motor Team (Local information map (Exit A, A2/A3))
 * Mario Kart TV (Posters)
 * Moo Moo Meadows Milk (Cartons, menus, stickers, vending machines)
 * Morton Construction (Local information map (Exit B, D2))
 * Mushroom Piston (Local information map (Exit B, A3/C2))
 * Paratroopa Airlines (Local information map (Exit A, A3))
 * Peach & Daisy Royal Patisserie (Bottles, menus, posters)
 * Princess Orange (Bottles, local information map (Exit A, C4), menus, posters, trackside banners)
 * Rainbow Exploration Agency (Local information map (Exit A, B4), posters)
 * Red Shell Strike Equipment (Local information map (Exit B, D2))
 * Roy Smooth Sounds (Bottles)
 * Sunshine Parts (Local information map (Exit A, A3))
 * Tropical Bakery (Bottles, shop)
 * Undead Motors (Cans, local information map (Exit C, D2))
 * Wario Billionaires (Local information map (Exit A, C2/C4))
 * Wendy's Car Interiors (Local information map (Exit C, D3))
 * Yoshi's Egg Market (Bottles, local information map (Exit A, A4), posters)

Super Bell Subway
"The name of this course ('Ring-a-Ling Metro' in Japanese) gave me a really strong image, and I worked to create a song that you could imagine singing that title to. We wanted it to have a European metro feel, and so used vintage-sounding tones."

Super Bell Subway (Underground)
"When you actually go underground, the music suddenly shifts to a much more frantic pace, and Teppei Kawasaki really lets his slap bass run wild. It's also the first game that has featured that famous Mario underground motif recorded using live instrumentation."

Trivia

 * Similarly to Sunshine Airport, Super Bell Subway features a PA voice in the background that can be heard faintly. The female intercom speaks German and says general things often heard in German train stations; however, there are several grammatical errors in the speech.
 * Super Bell Subway is one of three new courses in Mario Kart 8 to not feature anti-gravity, the other two being Excitebike Arena and Animal Crossing; it is the only one of these to not be based on another franchise.
 * It is revealed in a "Local information" map seen in the course that the subway system is beneath what seems to be the same town as the one seen below.
 * The map has a key showing the location of several sponsors advertised throughout the game, but Morton Construction is listed with a typo as "Moton Construction". This map was the first mention of Wendy's Car Interiors, advertisements for which later appeared in Mario Kart Tour and the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass.
 * The sound played when passing through the ticket gate is reused in Mario Kart Tour in Tokyo Blur 3, Tokyo Blur 4, Wii DK Summit, and Wii Moonview Highway.
 * Although Super Bell Subway is not present in Mario Kart Tour, the emblem seen on the banners in the course is used for a badge that was released in the 2nd Anniversary Tour (and was present in the game's internal files beforehand). It was also used as the badge representing the 2022 Cat Tour.