In the city built are $2019$ metro stations. Some pairs of stations are connected. tunnels, and from any station through the tunnels you can reach any other. The mayor ordered to organize several metro lines: each line should include several different stations connected in series by tunnels (several lines can pass through the same tunnel), and in each station must lie at least on one line. To save money no more than $k$ lines should be made. It turned out that the order of the mayor is not feasible. What is the largest $k$ it could to happen?
1. **Understanding the Problem:**
   We are given a connected graph \( G \) with \( 2019 \) vertices (metro stations). The goal is to cover all vertices with paths such that each path is a sequence of connected vertices (stations) and each vertex lies on at least one path. We need to determine the largest number \( k \) such that it is impossible to cover the graph with \( k \) or fewer paths.

2. **Example of a Metro System:**
   Consider a star graph where one central station \( S_1 \) is connected to all other stations \( S_i \) for \( i = 2, 3, \ldots, 2019 \). This graph has \( 2018 \) edges, all connected to \( S_1 \). In this configuration, each path must start or end at \( S_1 \), and each path can cover at most two edges. Therefore, we need at least \( \lceil \frac{2018}{2} \rceil = 1009 \) paths to cover all edges. Hence, it is impossible to cover this graph with \( 1008 \) or fewer paths.

3. **General Case:**
   To show that any connected graph with \( 2019 \) vertices can be covered with \( 1009 \) paths, we use the concept of a spanning tree. A spanning tree \( T \) of \( G \) is a subgraph that includes all vertices of \( G \) and is a tree (connected and acyclic).

4. **Spanning Tree Construction:**
   - A spanning tree \( T \) of \( G \) has \( 2018 \) edges (since a tree with \( n \) vertices has \( n-1 \) edges).
   - We can partition the edges of \( T \) into pairs. Since \( 2018 \) is even, we can form \( 1009 \) pairs of edges.

5. **Path Construction:**
   - Each pair of edges in \( T \) can be covered by a path. Specifically, for any two edges in a tree, there is a unique path that includes both edges.
   - Thus, we can construct \( 1009 \) paths that cover all \( 2018 \) edges of \( T \).

6. **Covering All Vertices:**
   - Since \( T \) is a spanning tree, it includes all vertices of \( G \).
   - Therefore, the \( 1009 \) paths constructed from the pairs of edges in \( T \) cover all vertices of \( G \).

7. **Conclusion:**
   - We have shown that it is impossible to cover the star graph with \( 1008 \) paths.
   - We have also shown that any connected graph with \( 2019 \) vertices can be covered with \( 1009 \) paths.

\(\blacksquare\)

The final answer is \( \boxed{ 1008 } \).