List of United States light rail systems

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The following is a list of all light rail systems in the United States, ranked by ridership. Also included are some of the urban streetcar/trolley systems that provide regular public transit service (operating year-round and at least five days/week), ones with data available from the American Public Transportation Association's (APTA) Ridership Reports. This list does not include statistics for metro/rapid transit systems (see: the List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership for those). Daily and annual ridership figures are based on "average weekday unlinked passenger trips" (where transfers between lines are counted as two separate passenger "boardings" or "trips"). References with supplementary (non-APTA) ridership figures are included in the System column.

Contents

List

Systems excluded from ridership table

The following light rail systems have been excluded from the ridership table above:

SystemLargest city servedOpenedRoute lengthReason(s) for exclusion from Ridership table
San Francisco cable car system San Francisco, CA18735.1 mi (8.2 km)APTA does not provide ridership figures for this system.
Lowell National Historical Park Trolley System Lowell, MA 1984 [75] 1.2 mi (1.9 km) [76] Primarily a tourist system (does not operate daily, year-round). APTA does not provide ridership figures.
Galveston Island Trolley Galveston, TX 1988 [77] 6.8 mi (10.9 km) [77] Non-operational; suspended since September 2008 due to damage from Hurricane Ike.
Kenosha Streetcars Kenosha, WI 2000 [78] 2.0 mi (3.2 km) [78] Primarily a tourist system. APTA does not provide ridership figures.
Metro Streetcar Little Rock, AR 2004 [79] 3.4 mi (5.5 km) [79] Primarily a tourist system. APTA does not provide ridership figures.
River Street Streetcar Savannah, GA 20091 mi (1.6 km)Primarily a tourist system. APTA does not provide ridership figures.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 This system also has available connections to a commuter rail system; the ridership figures and statistics presented here represent only the light rail portion of the system.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 This line or system is operated using heritage streetcars.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 This system also has a heavy rail rapid transit/metro portion (see List of metro systems), and connections to a commuter rail system; the ridership figures and statistics presented here represent only the light rail portion of the system.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 This is the Average Daily Ridership figure, not an "Average Weekday Ridership" figure – it is averaged from the Total Ridership figure for this system.
  5. ↑ Uses streetcar-like surface stops.
  6. ↑ As current incarnation of light rail.
  7. ↑ This system is owned by the City of Portland, which is not a member of APTA, and its ridership figures are not included in the APTA statistics for Portland.
  8. ↑ This system also has a heavy rail rapid transit/metro portion (see List of metro systems); the ridership figures and statistics presented here represent only the light rail portion of the system.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Light rail</span> Form of passenger urban rail transit

Light rail transit (LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit characterized by a combination of tram and rapid transit features. While its rolling stock is similar to that of a traditional tram, it operates at a higher capacity and speed and often on an exclusive right-of-way. In many cities, light rail transit systems more closely resemble, and are therefore indistinguishable from, traditional underground or at-grade subways and heavy-rail metros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Municipal Railway</span> Public transport agency in San Francisco, California, USA

The San Francisco Municipal Railway ( MEW-nee; SF Muni or Muni), is the primary public transit system within San Francisco, California. It operates a system of bus routes, the Muni Metro light rail system, three historic cable car lines, and two historic streetcar lines. Previously an independent agency, the San Francisco Municipal Railway merged with two other agencies in 1999 to become the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). In 2018, Muni served 46.7 square miles (121 km2) with an operating budget of about $1.2 billion. Muni is the seventh-highest-ridership transit system in the United States, with 142,168,200 rides in 2023, and the second-highest in California after the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Area Rapid Transit</span> American transit agency

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is a transit agency serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex of Texas. It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and twelve of its suburbs. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 50,463,300, or about 157,900 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority</span> Public transport agency in Los Angeles County, California, United States

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), branded as Metro, is the county agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the public transportation system in Los Angeles County, California, the most populated county in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Metro Rail</span> Light rail line serving Buffalo, New York

Buffalo Metro Rail is the public transit rail system in Buffalo, New York, operated by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA). The system consists of a single, 6.4-mile-long (10.3 km) light rail line that runs for most of the length of Main Street from KeyBank Center in Canalside to the south campus of the University at Buffalo in the northeast corner of the city. The first section of the line opened in October 1984; the current system was completed in November 1986. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,433,300, or about 8,000 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TRAX (light rail)</span> Light rail system in the Salt Lake Valley, Utah, United States

TRAX is a light rail system in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah, in the United States, serving Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs throughout Salt Lake County. The official name of Transit Express is rarely, if ever, used. The system is operated by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA). All TRAX trains are electric, receiving power from overhead wires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muni Metro</span> Light rail system in San Francisco, California

Muni Metro is a semi-metro system serving San Francisco, California, United States. Operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni), a part of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), Muni's light rail lines saw an average of 75,500 boardings per day as of the first quarter of 2024 and a total of 24,324,600 boardings in 2023, making it the sixth-busiest light rail system in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro Streetcar</span> Heritage streetcar in Little Rock, Arkansas

The Metro Streetcar, formerly known as the River Rail Streetcar, is a two line heritage streetcar system operating in Little Rock and North Little Rock, Arkansas. It has operated since November 1, 2004. Most recently expanded in 2007, the streetcar now operates over 3.4-mile (5.5 km) of track in a figure-eight loop pattern. The Metro Streetcar is operated by Rock Region Metro. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 22,600.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Light rail in North America</span> Mode of public transit

Light rail is a commonly used mode of public transit in North America. The term light rail was coined in 1972 by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration to describe new streetcar transformations which were taking place in Europe and the United States. The Germans used the term Stadtbahn, which is the predecessor to North American light rail, to describe the concept, and many in UMTA wanted to adopt the direct translation, which is city rail. However, in its reports, UMTA finally adopted the term light rail instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streetcars in North America</span> History of street cars

Streetcars or trolley(car)s were once the chief mode of public transit in hundreds of North American cities and towns. Most of the original urban streetcar systems were either dismantled in the mid-20th century or converted to other modes of operation, such as light rail. Today, only Toronto still operates a streetcar network essentially unchanged in layout and mode of operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Light rail in the United States</span> Overview of light rail in the United States

Light rail is a mode of rail-based transport, usually urban in nature. When compared to heavy rail systems like commuter rail or rapid transit (subway), light rail systems are typically designed to carry fewer passengers and are capable of operating in mixed traffic or on routes that are not entirely grade-separated. Systems typically take one of four forms: the "first-generation" legacy systems, the "second-generation" modern light rail systems, streetcars, and hybrid rail systems. All of the systems use similar technologies, and some systems blur the lines between the different forms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DART Light Rail</span> Light rail system in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex

DART Light Rail is the light rail system serving the metropolitan area of Dallas, Texas and is owned and operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). The DART Light Rail system opened June 14, 1996 and serves 65 stations and four lines, covering 93 miles (149.7 km): the Blue Line, the Red Line, the Green Line, and the Orange Line.

References

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  15. ↑ fpadmin (January 25, 2013). "Central Subway Project". SFMTA. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
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  35. ↑ "Ridership Reports". Valley Metro. 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
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  52. 1 2 3 4 "Port Authority of Allegheny County – Company Info & Projects – Agency Profile". Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT). 2013. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
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  73. 1 2 3 The Hop MKE - Ridership
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  79. 1 2 "River Rail – Central Arkansas Transit Authority". Central Arkansas Transit Authority (CATA). Archived from the original on September 2, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
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