Light rail in the United States - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The use of light rail in the United States is low by European standards. According to the American Public Transportation Authority, of the 20-odd light rail systems in the United States only five (Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

, San Francisco, Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, San Diego and Portland, OR), achieve more than 25 million passenger boardings per year, and only Boston exceeds the 50+ million boardings per year of the London Docklands Light Rail system.

Compared with that of Canada, the United States federal government offers considerably more funding for transportation projects of all types, resulting in smaller portions of light rail construction cost to be borne at the local and state levels. This funding is provided by the Federal Transit Administration

Federal Transit Administration

The Federal Transit Administration is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transit systems. The FTA is one of ten modal administrations within the DOT...

though the rules to determine which projects will be funded are biased against the simpler streetcar systems (partly because the vehicles tend to be somewhat slower). Some cities in the U.S. (e.g. San Pedro, California) have set about building the less expensive streetcar lines themselves or with only minimal federal support.

Baltimore

The Baltimore Light Rail is a single line reaching from BWI Airport south of Baltimore, through the city and north to a strip mall and office park. With 30 miles (48.3 km) of track, the line achieves a daily ridership of 24,500.

Major efforts toward the creation of the light rail were championed by then mayor William Donald Schaefer

William Donald Schaefer

William Donald Schaefer was an American politician who served in public office for 50 years at both the state and local level in Maryland. A Democrat, he was mayor of Baltimore from 1971 to 1987, the 58th Governor of Maryland from January 21, 1987 to January 18, 1995, and the Comptroller of...

, who wanted a transit link to the new baseball park, Camden Yards, about to be built downtown. In order to have the line completed the month that the Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

started playing in Camden Yards, the system was built entirely without federal money, a rarity in late 20th century U.S. transit projects. Federal funds would later be used to double track the whole system, decreasing headways which had been restricted to 17 minutes.

The light rail line was built entirely at grade, even through downtown's narrow streets. Though the majority of the track's length is grade-separated from acquiring disused railroad rights-of-way, trains run in the streets in some sections downtown. When the system was built, this resulted in vehicles having to wait in traffic lights, though in 2007 a signal preemption system was installed.

The Maryland Transit Administration

Maryland Transit Administration

The Maryland Transit Administration is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation. It is better known as MTA Maryland to avoid confusion with other cities' transit agencies who share the initials MTA. The MTA operates a...

has drawn up plans for an additional four lines which may be light rail, bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...

, or heavy rail to create a comprehensive city system. As of 2007, only the future of one line is certain. The Red Line

Red Line (Baltimore)

The Red Line is a proposed east-west mass transit light rail line for Baltimore, Maryland. It is still in the planning stages and has been granted federal approval to enter the preliminary engineering phase...

, which is in its intermediate planning stages, would be an East-West link via either bus rapid transit or light rail. Whichever mode is selected, officials have insisted that the line be underground through the city center because of Baltimore's narrow streets and dense traffic.

Boston

The oldest and busiest light rail system in the United States is the MBTA Green Line

Green Line (MBTA)

The Green Line is a streetcar system run by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the Boston, Massachusetts area of the United States. It is the oldest line of Boston's subway, which is known locally as the 'T'. The Green Line runs underground downtown and on the surface in outlying...

in Boston. With 235,300 daily ridership on its 25.4 miles (40.9 km) of track, the Green Line is a primary transportation route within downtown, and is patronized by students and workers from close-in suburbs like Brighton

Brighton, Boston, Massachusetts

Brighton is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located in the northwest corner of the city. It is named after the town of Brighton in the English city of Brighton and Hove...

and Allston

Allston, Boston, Massachusetts

Allston is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located in the western part of the city. It was named after the American painter and poet Washington Allston. It comprises the land covered by the zip code 02134. For the most part, Allston is administered collectively with the adjacent...

.

The subsurface portion of the line was opened in 1897 to alleviate congestion for street level trolley

Tram

A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

cars, with numerous lines from the north and south converging via several portals to Park Street Station. By 1964, the transformation to today's system was nearly complete with the elimination of streetcars entering at Lechmere and Boylston; lines into the four remaining portals would be designated B, C, D, and E (the A line to Watertown being abandoned in the late 1960s). Three of today's four lines, although having their own separate path in the medians of their respective roads, still have segments without grade-separated rights-of-way, and consequently wait at traffic lights. The D line, which runs on a former Boston and Albany Railroad

Boston and Albany Railroad

The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail and CSX. The line is used by CSX for freight...

right-of-way, is the lone exception.

In 2004, the MBTA removed of the Causeway Street Elevated

Causeway Street Elevated

The Causeway Street Elevated was a part of the MBTA's Green Line in Boston, Massachusetts that ran roughly northwards from Haymarket, then ran westwards for a short distance around the Boston Garden indoor sports venue's exterior through the Green Line's North Station stop, and resumed a...

portion of the line, and replaced it with an underground tunnel, as a part of Big Dig

Big Dig

The Central Artery/Tunnel Project , known unofficially as the Big Dig and as the Big Dug since completion, was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the Central Artery , the chief highway through the heart of the city, into a 3.5-mile tunnel...

environmental remediation, leaving the Lechmere Viaduct

Lechmere Viaduct

The Lechmere Viaduct is the last remaining elevated portion of the MBTA's Green Line in Boston, Massachusetts. Opened June 1, 1912, the Viaduct connects the Lechmere stop to the Science Park Station at Leverett Circle. Currently, the Green Line descends into a tunnel just east of Science Park...

as the only remaining elevated part of the line. Other work includes many station overhauls that will improve handicapped accessibility.

Buffalo

Buffalo's light rail line of only 6.6 miles (10.6 km) was to be a starter line in a much larger system. However with the declining population of the area, no expansions were sought. The small line still averages over 20,000 daily riders

Charlotte

Charlotte's LYNX

LYNX Rapid Transit Services

Lynx Rapid Transit Services comprises a light rail line serviced by the Charlotte Area Transit System in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...

system consists of a single 9.6 miles (15.4 km) line called the Blue Line. After receiving a positive Record of Decision from the Federal Transit Administration on May 19, 2003, continued preparation and land acquisition would finally result in its groundbreaking in spring 2005. The line is in full operation, at a projected final cost of $462.7 million. This price tag does not include indirect or ancillary costs such as rerouting water and sewer lines to accommodate the line, estimated at an additional $72 million as of April 2006.

The Blue Line's construction is part of a greater comprehensive transit network for the Charlotte metropolitan region. 70.6 more miles of track are planned, though some of these could be constructed as Bus Rapid Transit

Bus rapid transit

or streetcar lines.

Cleveland

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is the public transit agency for Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and the surrounding suburbs of Cuyahoga County. RTA is the largest transit agency in Ohio, providing over 44 million trips to residents and visitors of the Cleveland area in 2010...

's Blue and Green Lines are descendents of the former Cleveland Interurban Railroad and Shaker Heights Rapid Transit trolley systems.

Dallas

Dallas Area Rapid Transit

The Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority is a transit agency based in Dallas, Texas . It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and 12 of its suburbs...

(DART) is the operator of the 45 miles (72.4 km) light rail system that runs in Dallas

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

and three of its suburbs, along with a 34 miles (54.7 km) commuter rail line that connects to Fort Worth and runs through Irving

Irving, Texas

Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...

, a DART member city. The LRT lines began with the opening of the 20 miles (32.2 km) starter system in 1996. In the first few years after the turn of the century, DART opened several small expansions, culminating in the opening of Victory Station, serving the American Airlines Center

American Airlines Center

The American Airlines Center is a multi-purpose arena, located in the Victory Park neighborhood, near downtown Dallas, Texas.It is home to the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA, and the Dallas Stars of the NHL....

in 2004.

DART currently runs two LRT lines. The Red Line begins in southwest Dallas at Westmoreland Station and runs northeast to downtown, then runs north through the suburbs of Richardson

Richardson, Texas

Richardson is a city in Dallas and Collin Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 99,223. In 2011 the population was estimated to be 107,684. Richardson is an affluent inner suburb of Dallas and home of the Telecom Corridor with a high...

and Plano

Plano, Texas

Plano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...

to its terminus at Parker Road Station. The Blue line begins in South Dallas at Ledbetter Station and runs north, joining the Red Line at 8th and Corinth Station on its trek to downtown. It continues north to Mockingbird Station before it breaks away from the Red Line and turns northeast toward Garland

Garland, Texas

-Climate:* The average warmest month is July.* The highest recorded temperature was in 2000.* On average, the coolest month is January.* The lowest recorded temperature was in 1989.* The maximum average precipitation occurs in May....

, ending its run at Downtown Garland Station.

The system is currently under expansion as the Green Line is under construction and will run from Pleasant Grove in southeast Dallas to the suburbs Farmers Branch

Farmers Branch, Texas

Farmers Branch is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States. It is both an inner-ring suburb of Dallas and is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. The population was 27,508 at the 2000 census. A July 1, 2008 U.S...

and Carrollton

Carrollton, Texas

-Climate:*On average, the warmest month is July.*The highest recorded temperature was 112°F in 1980.*The average coolest month is January.*The lowest recorded temperature was 1°F in 1989.*The most precipitation on average occurs in May....

. It is set to open in two phases, first in September 2009, then in December of 2010. Other expansions include the Orange Line, to run from downtown, the Las Colinas

Las Colinas

Las Colinas is an upscale, developed area in the Dallas suburb of Irving, Texas.Due to its central location between Dallas and Fort Worth and its proximity to DFW Airport, Las Colinas has been a viable place in the Metroplex for corporate and business relocation.As a planned community, it has many...

in Irving and on to DFW Airport. Also, the Blue Line is set to expand east to Rowlett

Rowlett, Texas

-External links:*...

and south to Interstate 20. When the latest expansion round is completed, DART's system will have 93 miles (149.7 km) of LRT.

Honolulu

The City and County of Honolulu is currently in the planning stages of building a 20-mile rail line to connect Leeward Oahu with downtown Honolulu. A city charter amendment directly related to the rail project was passed with a majority of votes in favor at the 2008 general election.

Houston

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO

Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County is a major public transportation agency based in Houston . It operates bus, light rail, future commuter rail, and paratransit service in the city as well as most of Harris County...

), opened its METRORail

METRORail

METRORail is the light rail line in Houston . It is the second major light rail service in Texas following the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system. With an approximate daily ridership of 34,155, the METRORail ranks as the fourteenth most-traveled light rail system in the United States, with the...

service on January 1, 2004 to very large crowds. The system currently consists of a single double track line of 7.5 miles (12.1 km). The system serves 45,000 passengers daily. Like many other light rail systems in America, METRORail runs in city streets and does not have its own right of way for most of its route. Two-car trains are the maximum on the line due to Downtown Houston's city block size.

Los Angeles

The Los Angeles County Metro Rail

Los Angeles County Metro Rail

Metro Rail is the rapid transit rail system consisting of five separate lines serving 70 stations in the Los Angeles County, California area. The new Expo line is due to enter service in early 2012. It connects with the Metro liner bus rapid transit system and also with the Metrolink commuter...

light rail system comprises three lines: the Green, Gold, and Blue lines. Collectively they have 134,300 daily weekday boardings. The Blue line, in particular is the second-busiest line in the United States with 72,295 boardings. The Blue and Gold Lines run mostly at grade, with some street-running, elevated, and underground stretches in more densely populated areas. The Green Line is entirely grade separated, running in the median of I-105

Interstate 105 (California)

Interstate 105 is an Interstate Highway in southern Los Angeles County, California that runs east–west from near the Los Angeles International Airport to Norwalk...

and then turning southward along an elevated route. The Blue Line opened first, in 1990. The Green Line began service in 1995, and the Gold Line entered service in 2003. The Metro Expo Line will enter service in late 2011.

Minneapolis

The Twin Cities have one completed LRT Line, the Hiawatha Line

Hiawatha Line

The Hiawatha Line is a light rail corridor in Hennepin County, Minnesota that extends from downtown Minneapolis to the southern suburb of Bloomington. It was formerly known as the Hiawatha Line named after Hiawatha Avenue. Major connections on the line include the Minneapolis-St...

. This line runs from downtown Minneapolis, next to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...

, near the University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

campus, to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, then to the Mall of America

Mall of America

The Mall of America, also called MOA and the Megamall, is a shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities, in the United States. It is located southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 77, north of the Minnesota River and is across the...

. This line opened in 2004. One line is currently under construction: the Central Corridor

Central Corridor (Minnesota)

The Central Corridor is a light rail line under construction that is to cover the stretch between the downtown regions of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota...

, which will run from downtown Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...

along University Avenue. One line is in planning: the Southwest Corridor, which will run from Eden Prairie

Eden Prairie, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 54,901 people, 20,457 households, and 14,579 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 21,026 housing units at an average density of 649.2 per square mile...

to downtown Minneapolis.

The Northstar Line, a commuter rail route connecting downtown Minneapolis to the far northwestern suburbs, connects with the Hiawatha line at Target Field

Target Field

Target Field is a baseball park located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the home ballpark of the Minnesota Twins, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It is the franchise's sixth ballpark and third in Minnesota. The Twins moved to Target Field for the 2010 Major League Baseball...

New Jersey

In New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...

provides light rail service along three lines in different parts of the state.

Jersey City

In Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...

, the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) services the eastern and southern parts of the city and other areas of the Gold Coast to North Bergen, New Jersey

North Bergen, New Jersey

North Bergen is a township in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 60,773. Originally founded in 1843, the town was much diminished in territory by a series of secessions. Situated on the Hudson Palisades, it is one...

, extending south to Bayonne on one branch.

Newark

Like San Francisco, Newark never fully abandoned its old streetcar system, due to the fact that part of it had a dedicated, underground right-of-way in an old canal bed. Beginning in the 1940s, a system that once extended far into Newark's suburbs was pared down to just the underground route, "Streetcar #7" which was rebilled the Newark City Subway. After decades of cutbacks, the line was finally expanded northward to Belleville

Belleville, New Jersey

Belleville is a Township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 35,926.-History:...

in the early 2000s. A second branch running through downtown to Newark-Broad St. station

Broad Street Station (Newark)

Newark Broad Street is a New Jersey Transit commuter rail station at 25 University Avenue in Newark, New Jersey. Built in 1901-03 on the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad main line from Hoboken to Denville, Scranton and Buffalo, the station's historic architecture includes an elegant clock...

was opened in the mid 2000's, and the system was rebranded again as Newark Light Rail.

Trenton to Camden via Burlington City

The River Line is a diesel

Diesel locomotive

A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...

light rail

Light rail

Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...

line in southern New Jersey, running along, except at its ends, what was previously the Bordentown Secondary, from Trenton

Trenton Rail Station (New Jersey)

Trenton Transit Center, formerly known as Trenton Rail Station, is the main passenger train station in Trenton, New Jersey. It is the southernmost stop in New Jersey on the Northeast Corridor...

to Camden

Camden, New Jersey

The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...

, serving communities along the Delaware River

Delaware River

The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...

between thee cities. This line is one of only two diesel light rail lines in North America, and the only one in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Norfolk

Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

began light rail service on August 19, 2011. The system is called The Tide

Tide Light Rail

The Tide is a light rail line in Norfolk, Virginia, connecting Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk State University, and Newtown Road. Service began on August 19, 2011....

. A proposal to extend the line into Virginia Beach is under consideration.

Philadelphia

Philadelphia has a light rail system operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is a metropolitan transportation authority that operates various forms of public transit—bus, subway and elevated rail, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolley bus—that serve 3.9 million people in and around Philadelphia,...

(SEPTA), which also operates other transit modes. The Norristown High-Speed Line (NHSL) is officially considered light rail, and serves 69th Street Terminal

69th Street Terminal

69th Street Transportation Center is a SEPTA terminal in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It is also the southwestern terminus of Philadelphia's EL, the Market-Frankford Line ....

in Upper Darby just outside of Philadelphia to the Norristown Transportation Center

Norristown Transportation Center

Norristown Transportation Center is a two-level multimodal public transportation regional hub located in Norristown, Pennsylvania and operated by SEPTA...

, located in Norristown

Norristown, Pennsylvania

Norristown is a municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, northwest of the city limits of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River. The population was 34,324 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County...

, a far-off suburb of Philadelphia. Other systems consist of the Media-Sharon Hill Lines (MSH), which also begins at 69th Street Terminal, and the SEPTA Subway-Surface Trolley Lines

SEPTA Subway-Surface Trolley Lines

The Subway–Surface Trolley Lines or Green Lines are five SEPTA trolley lines that operate on street-level tracks in West Philadelphia and Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and in a shared subway with rapid transit trains in Philadelphia's Center City....

which run between Philadelphia Center City

Center City, Philadelphia

Center City, or Downtown Philadelphia includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2005, its population of over 88,000 made it the third most populous downtown in the United States, after New York City's and Chicago's...

and the nearby western suburbs. The NHSL, and MSH lines were once owned by the Philadelphia and Western Railroad

Philadelphia and Western Railroad

The Philadelphia and Western Railroad was a high-speed, third rail-operated, commuter-hauling interurban electric railroad operating in the western suburbs of the U.S. city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of its lines is now SEPTA's R100 Norristown High Speed Line; the other has been abandoned...

and Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company. The Subway-Surface Trolley Lines share stations with SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line

Market-Frankford Line

The Market–Frankford Line is a rapid transit line in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority .-Route:The Market–Frankford Line begins at 69th Street Transportation Center, in Upper Darby...

between 30th Street

30th Street (SEPTA station)

30th Street is a rapid transit and trolley station on SEPTA's Market–Frankford and Subway–Surface lines in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is located on Market Street between 30th and 31st Streets in the University City neighborhood near Drexel University, and is the first station located...

and 13th Street

13th Street (SEPTA station)

13th Street is a SEPTA Market-Frankford Line and Subway-Surface Lines station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under Market Street between 13th and Juniper Streets in Center City. The station serves the Market–Frankford Line and as the terminus for all five routes of the Subway–Surface Trolley Lines...

Phoenix

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

is served by the METRO Light Rail system with a 20-mile starter segment connecting Phoenix with the cities of Tempe

Tempe, Arizona

Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...

, and Mesa

Mesa, Arizona

According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...

. A part of the Valley Metro

Valley Metro (Phoenix)

Valley Metro is the unified public brand of the regional transit system in and around the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area, responsible for public transit.-About Valley Metro:...

public transit system, the initial segment of the system was completed in December 2008, after construction began in March 2005.

Commuter rail service had been absent in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area

Phoenix Metropolitan Area

The Phoenix metropolitan area, often referred to as The Valley of the Sun, is a metropolitan area, centered on the city of Phoenix, that includes much of the central part of the US state of Arizona...

since the decommissioning of the Phoenix Street Railway in 1948. In 1989, the ValTrans elevated rail proposal , was turned down by voters in a referendum due to cost and feasibility concerns. Other subsequent initiatives during the 1990s failed over similar reasons.

METRO was created by the Transit 2000 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), which involved a 0.4 per cent sales tax and was approved by voters in Phoenix in 2000. Transit 2000 aimed at improving the local bus service and the formation of bus rapid transit and light rail, among other things, which was seen as a more affordable approach. It used the route placing and color designations from the 1989 plan.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh's light rail network, commonly known as The T, is a 25 miles (40 km) light rail system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

; it functions as a subway in downtown Pittsburgh and largely as an at-grade light rail service in the suburbs. The system is owned and operated by the Port Authority of Allegheny County

Port Authority of Allegheny County

Port Authority of Allegheny County is the second-largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania and the 11th-largest in the United States. When considering that its service area is the 20th largest in the U.S...

(PAT). It is the successor system to the far more extensive streetcar network formerly operated by Pittsburgh Railways

Pittsburgh Railways

Pittsburgh Railways was one of the predecessors of the Port Authority of Allegheny County. It had 666 PCC cars, the third largest fleet in North America. It had 68 street car routes, of which only three are used by the Port Authority as light rail routes...

.

The current lines, which run south from the downtown into the South Hills area, were formerly operated by PCC streetcar

PCC streetcar

The PCC streetcar design was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful in its native country, and after World War II was licensed for use elsewhere in the world...

s. Beginning in the 1980s PAT reconstructed the lines along the existing right-of-way and ordered new trams

Siemens SD-400

The Siemens SD-400 LRV is an electric light rail vehicle locomotive built by Siemens-Duewag AG. It is powered by four individual Siemens DC-IBGT electric motors with each one developing and creating a combined total power output of . Electric current is received via an overhead catenary wire...

from Siemens. PCCs continued to operate in tandem with the new light rail vehicles until 1999 when the last five were retired from service. PAT also constructed a new subway line in the downtown, ending decades of street-running in the Golden Triangle. Current expansion plans include an extension from the downtown subway under the Allegheny River

Allegheny River

The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

to connect with PNC Park

PNC Park

PNC Park is a baseball park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It opened during the 2001 Major League Baseball season, after the controlled implosion of the Pirates' previous home, Three Rivers Stadium...

and Heinz Field

Heinz Field

Heinz Field is a stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Panthers American football teams, members of the National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association respectively...

; the North Shore Connector is slated to open by 2011.

Portland, Oregon

The Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) system serves the Portland metropolitan area

Portland metropolitan area

The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , also known as the Portland metropolitan area or Greater Portland, is an urban area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered around the city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S...

. It has 52.4 miles (84.3 km) between four lines—the Blue

MAX Blue Line

The MAX Blue Line is a 33 mile light rail line in the MAX Light Rail system in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. Operated by TriMet, the line runs between Hillsboro and Gresham, via downtown Portland...

, Red

MAX Red Line

The MAX Red Line is a route in the Metropolitan Area Express light rail system in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. It is 25.5 miles long...

, Yellow

MAX Yellow Line

The MAX Yellow Line is a 5.8-mile route in the Metropolitan Area Express light rail system in Portland, Oregon. The route, which opened May 1, 2004, runs between Portland State University , in downtown Portland, and the Portland Expo Center...

and Green

MAX Green Line

The MAX Green Line is a light rail route in the MAX Light Rail system in Portland, Oregon, United States, extending to Clackamas, Oregon. Construction began in early 2007, and the line opened on September 12, 2009. The average daily ridership in June 2010 was 19,500 increasing to 23,200 by April...

—and serves about 107,000 daily, counting the free boarding "Free Rail Zone". Like most modern light rail systems MAX runs in reserved lanes along city streets on some sections, but has a completely separate right-of-way on other sections. Currently, there is no mixed-traffic operation anywhere on the MAX system, but this will change when the Yellow Line moves to the Portland Transit Mall

Portland Transit Mall

The Portland Transit Mall is a set of public transit corridors through the center of downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. More specifically, it is a pair of one-way streets—one for northbound traffic, the other for southbound—along which two of the three lanes are restricted to...

in downtown on August 30, 2009, from its current routing in downtown, after which trains will share some lanes with bus

Transit bus

A transit bus , also known as a commuter bus, city bus, or public bus, is a bus used for short-distance public transport purposes...

es, but not with private traffic. The length of trains is limited to two cars by the relatively small (200 ft) blocks in downtown Portland.

The MAX system was born out of funds left over from the canceled Mount Hood Freeway, with the opening east side line to Gresham

Gresham, Oregon

- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 90,205 people, 33,327 households, and 22,695 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,071.6 people per square mile . There were 35,309 housing units at an average density of 1,593.8 per square mile...

(now considered part of the Blue Line) in 1986. A second line opened in 1998, running west to Beaverton and Hillsboro; this was operated from the beginning as a through-route with the Gresham line. Route colors were introduced in 2001, with the opening of the Red Line to Portland International Airport

Portland International Airport

Portland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah...

, while the latest line to be opened was the Yellow Line in 2004, which connects downtown to the Portland Expo Center

Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center

The Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center, usually referred to as the Expo Center, is a convention center located in the Kenton neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Opened in the early 1920s as a livestock exhibition and auction facility, the Expo Center now hosts over 100 events a year, including...

via Interstate Avenue. The Green Line

MAX Green Line

is a 6.5 miles (10.5 km) extension under construction between Gateway Transit Center and the Clackamas Town Center

Clackamas Town Center

Clackamas Town Center is a shopping mall in Clackamas, Oregon . It opened in 1981. It is managed and co-owned by General Growth Properties and is currently anchored by J.C. Penney, Macy's , Nordstrom, and Sears...

mall, which will run through to downtown Portland

Downtown Portland

Downtown Portland, the city center of Portland, Oregon, United States, is located on the west bank of the Willamette River. It is in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and is where most of the city's high-rise buildings are found....

along already-existing tracks (used by the Blue and Red lines) when it opens on September 12, 2009. A a planned Orange Line

MAX Orange Line

The MAX Orange Line is a planned light rail line for the Metropolitan Area Express light rail system in Portland, Oregon, USA. It is currently under construction. The line is the second part of a two-phase transportation plan known as the South Corridor Project, bringing light rail service to...

would be built from the Green Line's southern terminus in downtown, at Portland State University

Portland State University

Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...

Sacramento

RT operates a 37.42 miles (60.2 km) light rail system, with two lines the Blue

Blue Line (Sacramento RT)

The Blue Line is a light rail transit line in the Sacramento Regional Transit District light rail system. It runs primarily north-south in Sacramento between the Watt/I-80 and Meadowview stations. Portions of the Blue Line run along the original initial alignment between Watt/I-80 and 16th...

and Gold

Gold Line (Sacramento RT)

The Gold Line is a light rail transit line in the Sacramento Regional Transit District light rail system. It runs primarily east-west in Sacramento, portions of unincorporated Sacramento County, Rancho Cordova and Folsom...

, 45 stations, and 76 vehicles (Siemens AG

Siemens AG

Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....

Duewag U2A vehicles and more modern CAF

Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles

Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes light rail vehicles, rapid transit trains, railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any...

Light Rail Vehicles (LRV)). There are 76 vehicles in the entire fleet. Lines on the system operate from 4:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. daily, with service every 15 minutes in the day and every 30 minutes at night. The light rail system, with 49,800 daily riders, is the tenth busiest in the United States.

Salt Lake City

The Utah Transit Authority

Utah Transit Authority

The Utah Transit Authority operates a public transportation system throughout the Wasatch Front of Utah, United States. It operates fixed route buses, express buses, ski buses, three light rail lines , and a commuter rail line from Salt Lake City to Pleasant View, north of Ogden. UTA is based in...

(UTA) runs the 35.5 miles (57.1 km) light rail system known as TRAX

UTA TRAX

TRAX is a three-line light rail system in Utah's Salt Lake Valley, serving Salt Lake City and several of its suburbs throughout Salt Lake County. The system is operated by the Utah Transit Authority ....

in the Salt Lake Valley

Salt Lake Valley

Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably West Valley City, Murray, Sandy, and West Jordan; its total population is 1,029,655 as of 2010...

. The system, which opened in 1999, serves approximately 58,300 people every day and contains 69 vehicles. The system has 3 lines, coded by the colors red, green, blue. The red line begins at the Daybreak Community

Daybreak Community

Daybreak is a master-planned community over 4,000 acres in size being built by land development company Kennecott Land in South Jordan, Utah. Home construction began in 2004 and the community is expected to continue building for the next 18 to 20 years...

in South Jordan, Utah

South Jordan, Utah

South Jordan is a city in the U.S. state of Utah. The city lies in the Salt Lake Valley between the peaks of the Oquirrh Mountains and the peaks of the Wasatch Mountains and is part of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area...

and ends at the University of Utah

University of Utah

The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...

. The blue line begins in Sandy

Sandy, Utah

Sandy is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is a suburb of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,461 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth-largest city in Utah....

and ends in Downtown

Downtown Salt Lake City

Downtown is the oldest district in Salt Lake City. The grid from which the entire city is laid out originates at Temple Square, the location of the Salt Lake Temple.-Location:...

at the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub

Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub

Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub is a multi-modal transportation hub located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Amtrak, the national regional rail system, provides one train daily in each direction on the California Zephyr: west to Emeryville, California and east to Chicago, Illinois...

. The green line extends from the blue line in South Salt Lake, Utah

South Salt Lake, Utah

South Salt Lake is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 23,617 at the 2010 census.-History:...

and ends in West Valley City, Utah

West Valley City, Utah

West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and a suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 129,480 at the 2010 census,...

at the Maverik Center. UTA is currently extending the blue line from Sandy to Draper, Utah

Draper, Utah

Draper is a city in Salt Lake and Utah Counties in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Between 1990 and 2000 Draper was Utah's fastest-growing city over 5,000 people . Its population in 1990 was 7,143 and had grown to 25,220 by the 2000 census...

as well as a new line that takes passengers from Salt Lake City International Airport

Salt Lake City International Airport

Salt Lake City International Airport is a major public airport in Utah. A joint civil-military facility, it is located in western Salt Lake City, approximately four miles from the central business district...

into downtown. Those lines are expected to be completed by late 2012.

San Diego

The San Diego Trolley currently comprises three lines, the Blue, Orange and Green, collectively running on 51.1 miles (82.2 km) of track and achieving a ridership of 107,000. During the time that the Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) was drawing up options for a transit system, Hurricane Kathleen

Hurricane Kathleen (1976)

Hurricane Kathleen was a hurricane of the 1976 Pacific hurricane season that caused destructive impacts in California. Kathleen caused widespread flooding and damage in northern Mexico and parts of the southwestern United States. It also took an unusual path. On September 7, a tropical depression...

made landfall, damaging many of the tracks operated by the freight carrier, San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway

San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway

The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway is a short-line American railroad originally founded in 1906 as the San Diego and Arizona Railway by sugar heir, developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels...

, and cutting them off from the greater Southern Pacific Railroad

Southern Pacific Railroad

The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....

, and South Pacific petitioned for abandonment. The auspicious timing of the incident led the MTDB to buy and repair the tracks, opening a 13.5 miles (21.7 km) light rail segment on 1981, while also reestablishing freight service on the same line (the Blue Line runs on shared-use track). The system has been expanded incrementally ever since. There are currently plans for an 11 miles (17.7 km) extension to the University City community, connecting the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) campus and University Towne Centre shopping center to the rest of the system.

San Francisco

The San Francisco Municipal Railway

San Francisco Municipal Railway

The San Francisco Municipal Railway is the public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco, California. In 2006, it served with an operating budget of about $700 million...

(MUNI) light rail lines are vestigial from its streetcar days, and it is one of few American cities to continuously operate light rail from the streetcar era. As a result, the present-day system has above ground portions running in mixed traffic, stopping at traffic lights as streetcars, while buried sections have their own right-of-way like a subway

Rapid transit

A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

. Though in other United States cities in 1950s, the trend was to replace streetcars with bus service, five heavily used lines traveled through tunnels or otherwise had private right-of-ways, making bus replacement not viable. About this time, plans for a subway, the Muni Metro

Muni Metro

Muni Metro is a light rail system serving San Francisco, California, operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway , a division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency...

, were drawn up, opening in 1980. Similar to Boston's Green Line

Green Line (MBTA)

, five separate lines above ground converge to one subway route, though in the former, the underground line was constructed first and surface routes later.

In response to the dot com boom

Dot-com bubble

The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...

, the system became strained and Muni ordered newer, larger vehicles, which turned out to have their own noise and braking problems. In 1998, a four station extension of the trunk line was built, and in 2007 light rail service began on a new line going south from downtown, achieving limited success. Plans are underway for a three station underground light rail line, expected to serve 78,000 daily riders by 2030. Due to underground routing, the cost for the 1.7 miles (2.7 km) line is estimated at $1.5 billion.

San Jose

San Jose's light rail network, owned and maintained by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is a special-purpose district responsible for public transit services, congestion management, specific highway improvement projects, and countywide transportation planning for Santa Clara County, California, United States...

, consists of 42.2 miles (67.9 km) of track across three different lines.

The Alum Rock - Santa Teresa

Alum Rock - Santa Teresa (VTA)

Alum Rock–Santa Teresa is a light rail route operated by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority . The Alum Rock–Santa Teresa route is one of three existing VTA light rail routes. The other two light rail routes are the Mountain View–Winchester line and the Ohlone/Chynoweth–Almaden line...

line serves the eastern, northern, downtown, and southern areas of San Jose. The Mountain View - Winchester

Mountain View - Winchester (VTA)

Mountain View–Winchester is a light rail route operated by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority . The Mountain View–Winchester route is one of three existing VTA light rail routes. The other two light rail routes are the Alum Rock–Santa Teresa line and Ohlone/Chynoweth–Almaden line...

line operates between Mountain View

Mountain View, California

-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...

and the Winchester

Winchester (San Jose)

The Winchester area of San Jose, California gains its name from early resident Sarah Lockwood Winchester, a Connecticut native and heiress to fifty percent ownership of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, who built the famous Winchester Mystery House...

neighborhood of San Jose. Both of these lines share the same tracks and stations on First Street between Tasman Drive

Tasman (VTA)

Tasman is a light rail station operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. It is located in San Jose, California at First Street and Tasman Drive...

in northern San Jose and the San Jose Convention Center

Convention Center (VTA)

Convention Center is a light rail station operated by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. The station is located located in San Jose, California in the median of West San Carlos Street between Market Street and Almaden Boulevard. It is directly in front of the San Jose Convention Center...

in downtown. A third line, the Ohlone-Chynoweth - Almaden line, is a three-stop spur that connects the Almaden Valley

Almaden Valley, San Jose, California

Almaden Valley is an upper-class neighborhood of about 37,000 in the southwestern portion of San Jose, California, USA, roughly equivalent to the 95120 ZIP Code. The neighborhood is south east of the town of Los Gatos, west of the Santa Teresa neighborhood of San Jose and south of Coleman Ave...

area to the Alum Rock - Santa Teresa Line.

St. Louis

St. Louis light rail consists of two lines (red and blue) running through the city center with 73.3 kilometres (45.5 mi) of track. There are terminals across the Mississippi River in Southern Illinois (Metro East), at Lambert St. Louis International Airport, and in the southwestern part of the metro area. The first part of the system opened in 1993. The second line of the system, the "I-44/Shrewsbury" Line entered service in 2006. All track is in independent right of way at grade, elevated or in subway tunnels. In the downtown area, the system uses abandoned railway tunnels built in the 19th century, which have an ancient appearance with rough-hewn rock walls. Since it opened expansion has continued, if slowly. Ridership, at more than 16 million yearly, has always exceeded expectations. There are two current lines in the system called the Red Line

Red Line (St. Louis MetroLink)

The Red Line of the St. Louis MetroLink is a light rail service operating between 28 stations in Greater St. Louis. It is the oldest and longest line in the system.-Route description:...

and Blue Line

Blue Line (St. Louis MetroLink)

The Blue Line of the St. Louis MetroLink is a light rail service operating between 24 stations in Greater St. Louis. It is the newest line in the system.-Route description:The Blue Line branch starts in Shrewsbury just west of River des Peres...

Seattle - Tacoma

The Seattle - Tacoma Metropolitan area Sound Transit

Sound Transit

Sound Transit has been the popular name of Washington state's Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority since September 19, 1999. It was formed in 1996 by the Snohomish, King, and Pierce County Councils...

light rail system consists of two lines. The first is Tacoma Link and the second is Central Link and covers approximately 16 miles from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

The Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac , is an American airport located in SeaTac, Washington, at the intersections of State Routes 99 and 509 and 518, about west of Interstate 5...

to downtown Seattle. New lines to the north, south, and east were approved by voters in November 2008.

External links

A movie of Armour's electric trolley, circa 1897 from Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
Table of Light Rail Transit Agencies in the United States
Commuter Rail, Light Rail & Rail Transit News
Light Rail Central photos & news
American Public Transit Association
Federal Transit Administration (U.S.)
Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the U.S. National Research Council

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Baltimore

Boston

Buffalo

Charlotte

Cleveland

Dallas

Honolulu

Houston

Los Angeles

Minneapolis

New Jersey

Jersey City

Newark

Trenton to Camden via Burlington City

Norfolk

Philadelphia

Phoenix

Pittsburgh

Portland, Oregon

Sacramento

Salt Lake City

San Diego

San Francisco

San Jose

St. Louis

Seattle - Tacoma

See also

External links