Actually the subway is my usual means of dream transport. This was more of a long-distance passenger train, like Amtrak, which I've ridden very few times in my life.

Giles will spew Latin if he thinks he knows the right spell to take care of things. I'm pretty sure that was what was happening in the dream. Xander, on the other hand, just wanted to try something, anything, and may well have ended up calling a tap-dancing demon again if Giles hadn't stopped him. Sadly, no attractive television men paid me the least bit of attention in the dream.