List of North American light rail systems by ridership
The following is a list of all light rail systems in North America, ranked by ridership. Daily figures for American and Canadian light rail systems are "average weekday unlinked passenger trips" (where transfers between lines are counted as two separate passenger "boardings" or "trips"), unless otherwise indicated. For light rail systems in the United States and Canada, these figures come from the American Public Transit Association (APTA) Ridership Reports statistics. For Mexico, the figures are obtained from Banco de Información Económica's Instituto Nacional de Estadísitica y Geografía (INEGI), and the daily figures represent daily passenger trips averaged from the monthly and quarterly ridership figures. All figures are from 2018 and the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2018, unless otherwise noted. "Daily boardings per mile" figures have been rounded to the nearest 5 or 10.
The question of which systems would count as "light rail transit systems" is debatable, so this table includes some systems (such as Toronto's) which are technically streetcars rather than "true" light rail.
Systems
System | Country | City/Area served |
Annual ridership (2018)[1][2] |
Avg. daily weekday boardings (Q4 2018)[1][2] |
System length |
Avg. daily boardings per mile (Q4 2018) |
Year opened |
Stations | Lines | Year last expanded | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Guadalajara light rail (Tren ligero de Guadalajara) | MEX | Guadalajara | 103,649,000 | 295,043[note 1] | 76 km (47 mi)[3][4] | 19,800 | 1989[3] | 48[4] | 3[4] | 2020[5] |
2 | CTrain | CAN | Calgary | 91,029,100 | 312,300 | 59.9 km (37.2 mi)[6] | 8,395 | 1981[7] | 45[6] | 2 | 2014 |
3 | Toronto streetcar system | CAN | Toronto | 64,917,000 | 199,700 | 82 km (51 mi)[8] | 3,915 | 1861[9] | 708 streetcar stops[8] | 11[8] | 2016 |
4 | Metro Rail light rail:[note 2] A, C, E & L Lines |
USA | Los Angeles | 64,715,700 | 210,400 | 141.8 km (88.1 mi)[10] | 2,390 | 1990[10] | 65[10] | 4[10] | 2016[10] |
5 | MBTA light rail:[note 2] Green Line & Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line[note 3] |
USA | Boston | 53,715,600 | 162,900 | 42 km (26 mi)[11] | 6,265 | 1897;[12] 1929 |
74[11] | 2[11] | 2004; n/a |
6 | Muni Metro[note 2] (incl. F Market[13][14][note 3]) |
USA | San Francisco | 49,971,700 | 159,900 | 57.5 km (35.7 mi)[15] | 4,480 | 1980[15] | 152[14][15] | 8[13][15] | 2007 |
7 | Edmonton Light Rail Transit | CAN | Edmonton | 39,448,700 | 110,786[16] | 24.3 km (15.1 mi)[17] | 7,335 | 1978[17] | 18[17] | 2[17] | 2015[17] |
8 | MAX Light Rail | USA | Portland, Oregon |
38,953,100 | 119,600 | 97 km (60 mi) | 1,995 | 1986 | 97 | 5 | 2015 |
9 | San Diego Trolley (incl. Silver Line[18][note 3]) |
USA | San Diego | 37,139,700 | 115,400 | 86.1 km (53.5 mi)[19] | 2,155 | 1981[19] | 53[19] | 4[18][19] | 2005[19] |
10 | Xochimilco Light Rail[note 2] | MEX | Mexico City | 33,766,000 | 88,065[note 1] | 12.9 km (8.0 mi) | 11,010 | 1986 | 18[20] | 1[20] | 1988 |
11 | DART Light Rail | USA | Dallas | 28,759,200 | 95,800 | 150 km (93 mi)[21] | 1,030 | 1996[22] | 64[21] | 4[23] | 2016[22] |
12 | RTD Light Rail | USA | Denver | 25,669,700 | 101,700 | 94.1 km (58.5 mi)[24] | 1,740 | 1994[25] | 46[24] | 6[24] | 2017[25] |
13 | Link light rail: Tacoma Link and Central Link |
USA | Tacoma & Seattle | 25,314,500 | 77,900 | 32.8 km (20.4 mi)[26] | 3,820 | 2003, 2009 |
5,[26] 15[26] |
2[26] | 2016[27] |
14 | METRO Light Rail | USA | Minneapolis | 24,955,700 | 76,600 | 35.1 km (21.8 mi)[28][29] | 3,515 | 2004[28] | 37[28][29] | 2[28][29] | 2014[29] |
15 | SEPTA light rail:[30][note 2] Subway–Surface Lines, Suburban Trolley Lines, & Girard Ave Trolley[note 3] |
USA | Philadelphia | 24,868,200 | 91,000 | 110.1 km (68.4 mi)[31][32] | 1,330 | 1858[33] | >100[31] | 8[31][32] | 2005 |
16 | METRORail | USA | Houston | 18,806,300 | 60,700 | 36.9 km (22.9 mi)[34] | 2,651 | 2004[34] | 37[35] | 3[34] | 2015[34] |
17 | TRAX (light rail) | USA | Salt Lake City | 17,899,600 | 57,700 | 72.1 km (44.8 mi)[36] | 1,288 | 1999[37] | 50[38] | 3[38] | 2013 |
18 | Hudson–Bergen Light Rail | USA | Jersey City, New Jersey |
16,691,558[39] | 54,434[39] | 27 km (17 mi)[40] | 3,202 | 2000 | 24[41] | 3[41] | 2006 |
19 | Valley Metro Rail | USA | Phoenix | 15,406,300 | 46,800 | 42 km (26 mi)[42] | 1,800 | 2008[43] | 35[42] | 1 | 2016[44] |
20 | St. Louis MetroLink | USA | St. Louis | 13,210,200 | 39,400 | 74.0 km (46.0 mi)[45] | 857 | 1993[46] | 37[45] | 2[47] | 2006[48] |
21 | Sacramento RT Light Rail | USA | Sacramento, California |
10,464,700 | 36,800 | 69.0 km (42.9 mi)[49] | 858 | 1987[49] | 53[49] | 3[49] | 2015[49] |
22 | VTA Light Rail | USA | San Jose, California |
8,538,900 | 47,300 | 67.9 km (42.2 mi)[50] | 1,121 | 1987[50] | 62[50] | 3[50] | 2005[50] |
23 | Streetcars in New Orleans[note 3] |
USA | New Orleans | 7,712,900 | 18,800 | 35.9 km (22.3 mi)[51][52] | 843 | 1835 | streetcar-like surface stops | 4[51] | 2013[51] |
24 | Lynx Rapid Transit Services | USA | Charlotte, North Carolina |
7,376,500 | 23,200 | 30.4 km (18.9 mi)[53] | 1,228 | 2007[54] | 15[55] | 1[55] | 2018 |
25 | The T: Pittsburgh Light Rail |
USA | Pittsburgh | 7,328,100 | - | 42.2 km (26.2 mi)[56] | 1,057 | 1984 | 53[56] | 2[56] | 2012[56] |
26 | Baltimore Light Rail[note 2] | USA | Baltimore | 7,157,000 | 18,400 | 53.1 km (33.0 mi)[57] | 558 | 1992 | 33[57] | 3[57] | 1997 |
27 | San Francisco cable car system[note 4][note 3] |
USA | San Francisco | 6,286,900 | 15,700 | 8.4 km (5.2 mi) | 3,021 | 1878[58] | streetcar-like surface stops | 3[14][59] | 1952 |
28 | Portland Streetcar[note 5] | USA | Portland | 5,627,588[60][note 6] | 20,011[60][note 7] | 11.83 km (7.35 mi)[61] | 2,723 | 2001[61] | 76[61] | 2[61] | 2012[61] |
29 | Newark Light Rail | USA | Newark, New Jersey |
5,356,687[39] | 18,505[39] | 10.0 km (6.2 mi)[40] | 2,985 | 1935 | 17[62] | 2[62] | 2006 |
30 | Buffalo Metro Rail | USA | Buffalo, New York |
4,492,200 | 16,000 | 10.3 km (6.4 mi) | 2,500 | 1985 | 14[63] | 1[63] | n/a |
31 | O-Train | CAN | Ottawa | 3,922,500 | 15,500 | 20.4 km (12.7 mi)[64] | 3,100 | 2001[65] | 18[64] | 2[64] | 2019 |
32 | River LINE | USA | Trenton–Camden, New Jersey |
2,869,707[39] | 9,014[39] | 55 km (34 mi)[40] | 265 | 2004 | 20[66] | 1[66] | n/a |
33 | SPRINTER | USA | Oceanside, California |
2,403,200 | 7,500 | 35 km (22 mi)[67] | 341 | 2008[67] | 15[67] | 1[67] | n/a |
34 | Seattle Streetcar | USA | Seattle | 1,686,500 | 5,500 | 6.1 km (3.8 mi) | 1,447 | 2007[68] | 17[69] | 2[69] | 2016[70] |
35 | RTA Rapid Transit:[note 2] Blue, Green, and Waterfront Lines |
USA | Cleveland | 1,638,100 | 5,000 | 24.6 km (15.3 mi)[71] | 327 | 1913[72] | 34[71] | 2[71] | 1996[72] |
36 | Tide Light Rail | USA | Norfolk, Virginia |
1,461,500 | 4,600 | 11.9 km (7.4 mi)[73] | 622 | 2011[74] | 11[73] | 1[73] | n/a |
37 | MATA Trolleys[note 3] | USA | Memphis, Tennessee |
485,100[note 8] | 0[note 8] | 10.1 km (6.3 mi) | 0[note 8] | 1993[75] | 25[76] | 3[76] | 2004[75] |
38 | TECO Line Streetcars[note 3] | USA | Tampa, Florida |
423,000 | 1,700 | 4.3 km (2.7 mi)[77] | 630 | 2002 | 11[78] | 1[78] | 2010 |
39 | Atlanta Streetcar | USA | Atlanta, Georgia |
280,800 | 300 | 4.3 km (2.7 mi) | 111 | 2014 | 12 | 1 | n/a |
40 | Sun Link | USA | Tucson, Arizona |
n/a | 4,000[79] | 6.3 km (3.9 mi)[80] | 1,026 | 2014 | 22[80] | 1[80] | n/a |
41 | CityLynx Gold Line | USA | Charlotte, North Carolina |
n/a | 1,500[81] | 2.4 km (1.5 mi) | n/a | 2015 | 6 | 1 | n/a |
42 | Dallas Streetcar | USA | Dallas, Texas |
n/a | n/a | 3.94 km (2.45 mi) | n/a | 2015 | 6 | 1 | 2016 |
43 | Ion rapid transit | CAN | Waterloo, Ontario | n/a | 17,166[82] | 19 km (12 mi) | n/a | 2019 | 19 | 1 | n/a |
Sources:
- American Public Transportation Association - Transit Ridership Report - Q4 2016.[83]
- Banco de Información Económica - Instituto Nacional de Estadísitica y Geografía (INEGI)[2] (Note: INEGI only provides monthly figures - figures in table above are for the Q4 2014 monthly average, then divided by 30 days to get the daily average.)
Excluded systems
The following systems have been excluded from the ridership table above (generally because the system's ridership statistics are not tracked by APTA):
See also
- Light rail in North America
- Light rail
- List of tram and light rail transit systems
- List of United States light rail systems by ridership
- Light rail in the United States
- Streetcars in North America
- List of Latin American rail transit systems by ridership
- List of North American rapid transit systems by ridership
- List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership
- List of rail transit systems in the United States
- Public transportation
Notes
- This is the Average Daily Ridership figure, not an "Average Weekday Ridership" figure – it is averaged from the Q4 2018 Total Ridership figure for this system.
- This system also has a heavy rail rapid transit/metro portion (see List of metro systems); the ridership figures and statistics here represent the light rail portion of the system only.
- This line or system is operated using heritage streetcars.
- It is debatable whether this system truly qualifies as "light rail" (or as a true "transit" system either), but it is included in the table anyway for comparison purposes (and due to its ridership statistics being tracked by APTA).
- 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.
- This annual ridership figure is for Fiscal Year 2014, which covers the period from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014.
- This figure is from Portland Streetcar's First Quarter Fiscal Year 2015 (Q1 FY2015), which covers the same calendar period as Q3 2014: July to September 2014.
- The MATA Trolley system completely suspended operations for a significant portion of 2014 (including all of Q4 2014) due to maintenance issues.
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