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List of United States light rail systems by ridership

Overview

The following is a list of all 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...

systems in the United States, ranked by ridership. Also included are those urban streetcar (tram)

Tram

A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolleycar, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a conventional train, designed for the transport of passengers within, close to, or between villages, towns and/or cities, on tracks running primarily on streets...

systems that are providing regular public transit service (operating year-round and at least five days/week), except for Portland Streetcar

Portland Streetcar

The Portland Streetcar is a streetcar system in Portland, Oregon that opened in 2001 and serves areas surrounding downtown. It is currently a single line that is almost long and has about 12,000 boardings per day, but construction of a second line is underway. The Portland Streetcar is the first...

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Tram

systems that are providing regular public transit service (operating year-round and at least five days/week), except for Portland Streetcar

Portland Streetcar

, whose ridership numbers are not given by this article's primary data source. All figures are average weekday unlinked (i.e. line transfers register as separate trips) passenger trips and come from the American Public Transit Association's Ridership Reports Statistics, unless otherwise noted. Dates are given for all figures; the most recent available are used. Those systems marked with an asterisk (*) are integrated with a heavy rail rapid transit

Rapid transit

A rapid transit, metro, subway, underground, or elevated railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with high capacity and frequency, and which is grade separated from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically either in underground tunnels or elevated above street level...

system; the numbers given here represent ridership on light rail lines only.

Rank	System	Largest city served	Daily boardings	Route miles	Daily boardings per mile	As of	Opened
1	MBTA Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is "a body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts... Green Line Green Line (MBTA) The Green Line is a light rail/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... Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line*	Boston Boston Boston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England"...	229,800	25.4 2.6	8,207	Q2 2009	1897
2	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... * and F/Market Line F Market The F Market & Wharves line is one of several light rail lines in San Francisco, California. Unlike the other lines, the F line is operated as a heritage streetcar service, using exclusively historical equipment both from San Francisco's retired fleet as well as from cities around the world... * Muni Cable Cars San Francisco cable car system \|}The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last permanently operational manually-operated cable car system, and is an icon of San Francisco, California. The cable car system forms part of the intermodal urban transport network operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, or Muni as it...	San Francisco	163,700	71.5 8.8	2,039	Q2 2009	1912 1878
3	Los Angeles County Metro Rail Los Angeles County Metro Rail The Los Angeles County Metro Rail is the mass transit rail system of Los Angeles County. It is run by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and is the indirect descendant of the Pacific Electric Red Car system and Los Angeles Railway "Yellow Car" lines, which operated in... Blue LACMTA Blue Line The Metro Blue Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a light rail line connecting Downtown Los Angeles at the 7th St/Metro Center station and Downtown Long Beach... , Green LACMTA Green Line The Metro Green Line is a fully grade-separated light rail line in Los Angeles County that connects the cities of Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lynwood, South Gate, Los Angeles and Norwalk. It operates mostly in the median of the Century Freeway... , and Gold lines LACMTA Gold Line The Metro Gold Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a light rail line in Los Angeles County. It is the newest rail addition to the Metro system. It operates between Downtown Los Angeles and eastern Pasadena. The Southwest Museum, Chinatown, and the shops of Old Town Pasadena are some of the... *	Los Angeles Los Angeles, California Los Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...	144,000	55.7	2,585	Q2 2009	1990
4	MAX Light Rail (not including Portland Streetcar Portland Streetcar The Portland Streetcar is a streetcar system in Portland, Oregon that opened in 2001 and serves areas surrounding downtown. It is currently a single line that is almost long and has about 12,000 boardings per day, but construction of a second line is underway. The Portland Streetcar is the first... )	Portland Portland, Oregon Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the state of Oregon. As of July 2008, it has an estimated population of 575,930, making it the 29th most populous in the United States. It has been referred to as the most...	108,700	44	2,470	Q2 2009	1986
5	San Diego Trolley San Diego Trolley The San Diego Trolley is a trolley-style light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego, California. The operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. , is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System ...	San Diego San Diego, California San Diego , named after Saint Didacus , is the second-largest city in California and the ninth largest city in the United States, located along the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of the United States. The US Census Bureau estimates the city's population at 1,279,329 as of 2008...	93,300	53.5	1,744	Q2 2009	1981
6	SEPTA Subway-Surface Lines SEPTA Subway-Surface Trolley Lines The Subway–Surface Trolley 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.... , Suburban Trolley Lines SEPTA Suburban Trolley Lines SEPTA Routes 101 and 102 also known as the Media–Sharon Hill Line, are light rail lines operated by the Suburban Transit Division of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority... , and Girard Avenue Trolley Route 15 (SEPTA) Route 15 is a heritage streetcar line, operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority , along Girard Avenue through North and West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. , it is the only surface trolley line in the City Transit Division that is not part of the Subway–Surface... *	Philadelphia	80,600	60	1,343	Q2 2009	1906 1859
7	DART Dallas Area Rapid Transit The Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority is a transit agency based in Dallas, Texas , that operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and HOV lanes in Dallas and 12 of its suburbs... : Red Red Line (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) The Red Line is a light rail line in the system of mass transit in Dallas, Texas operated by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system. Along with the , it was one of the original rail lines in Dallas.... , Green Green Line (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) The Green Line is a light rail line in Dallas, USA, operated by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority . The US$1.7 billion project is scheduled to open in phases, starting in 2009... , and Blue Blue Line (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) The Blue Line is a light rail line in the system of mass transit in Dallas, Texas , operated by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system. Along with the , it was one of the original rail lines in Dallas.... lines MATA streetcar McKinney Avenue Transit Authority \|}The McKinney Avenue Transit Authority , a non-profit organization, operates the M-line Streetcar line in Dallas, Texas . The offices and car barn are located at 3153 Oak Grove, Dallas, TX 75204. It is an example of a heritage streetcar running historic cars...	Dallas Dallas, Texas Dallas , with a population of 1,279,910, is the third-largest city in Texas and the 8th-largest in the United States. The city is the main economic center of the 12-county Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area that according to the March 2009 U.S. Census Bureau release, had a population of...	63,600	45 3.6	1,309	Q2 2009	1996
8	Denver RTD Regional Transportation District The Regional Transportation District, or RTD, was organized in 1969 and is the regional authority operating public transit services in eight of the twelve counties in the Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area in Colorado. RTD is governed by a 15-member, publicly elected Board of... , The Ride Light Rail TheRide RTD is a transit system in the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area. It is operated by the Regional Transportation District . It currently operates 101 local, 13 limited, 24 express, 16 regional, and 6 skyRide bus routes. It also includes 6 light rail lines with 36 stations and of track. -...	Denver	62,700	35	1,791	Q2 2009	1994
9	Sacramento Regional Transit District Sacramento Regional Transit District The Sacramento Regional Transit District, commonly referred to as the RT, is the agency responsible for public transportation in the Sacramento, California area... Light Rail	Sacramento Sacramento, California Sacramento is the capital of the U.S. state of California, and the county seat of Sacramento County. Located along the Sacramento River and just south of the American River's confluence in California's expansive Central Valley. With a 2007 estimated population of 460,242, it is the seventh-largest...	58,200	36.9	1,577	Q2 2009	1987
10	St. Louis MetroLink St. Louis Metrolink MetroLink is the light rail transit system in the Greater St. Louis area of Missouri and Illinois. The entire system currently consists of two lines connecting Lambert-St. Louis International Airport and Shrewsbury, MO with Scott Air Force Base near Shiloh, Illinois through downtown St. Louis...	St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. With an estimated population of 354,361 in 2008, it is the principal municipality of Greater St. Louis, population 2,866,517, the largest urban area in Missouri and sixteenth largest in the United States...	52,900	46	1,150	Q2 2009	1993
11	UTA TRAX UTA TRAX TRAX is a two-line light rail system in Utah's Salt Lake Valley, serving Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake, Murray, Midvale and Sandy. The system is operated by the Utah Transit Authority ....	Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. Salt Lake City has a population of 181,698 as of July 1, 2008, making it the 125th largest city in the United States...	41,300	19	2,174	Q2 2009	1999
12	METRORail METRORail METRORail is the light rail line located in Houston, Texas. It is the second major light rail service in Texas following the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system...	Houston	38,800	7.5	5,173	Q2 2009	2004
13	Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Hudson-Bergen Light Rail The Hudson–Bergen Light Rail is a light rail system in the United States, owned by New Jersey Transit and operated by the 21st Century Rail Corporation, that connects the communities of Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, Union City and North Bergen in New Jersey.The eventual length of the... *	Jersey City Hudson County, New Jersey Hudson County is in New Jersey, United States. Its county seat is Jersey City.-Geography and topography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 62 square miles , of which, 47 square miles is land and 16 square miles is water...		Q1 2008	2000
14	Baltimore Light Rail Baltimore Light Rail The Maryland Transit Administration Light Rail is a light rail system serving Baltimore, Maryland, United States, and the surrounding suburbs.In downtown Baltimore it uses city streets... *	Baltimore Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City in order to distinguish it from surrounding...	34,600	30	1,153	Q2 2009	1992
15	METRO Light Rail (Phoenix) METRO Light Rail (Phoenix) METRO Light Rail is a light rail line operating in the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa, Arizona and is part of the Valley Metro public transit system. Construction began in March 2005; operation started December 27, 2008.-Overview:...	Phoenix Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the fifth most populous city in the United States...	33,500	20	1,675	Q2 2009	2008
16	Santa Clara VTA Light Rail Santa Clara VTA Light-rail The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority operates a light rail system consisting of of track on two main lines and a spur line. There are currently 62 light rail stations in operation on the three lines. The light rail system was opened in 1987 and has gradually expanded since then...	San Jose San Jose, California San Jose or San José is the third-largest city in California and the tenth-largest in the United States. The county seat of Santa Clara County, it is located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region commonly referred to as Silicon Valley...	32,500	42.2	770	Q2 2009	1987
17	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, connecting to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America, among other destinations.Hiawatha is operated by Metro...	Minneapolis Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Hennepin County. The city lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Saint Paul, the state's capital. Known as the Twin Cities,...	31,100	12	2,592	Q2 2009	2004
18	The T Pittsburgh Light Rail The Pittsburgh Light Rail is a light rail system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; 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...	Pittsburgh	26,700	25	1,068	Q2 2009	1897
19	Buffalo Metro Rail Buffalo Metro Rail Buffalo Metro Rail is the public transit rail system in Buffalo, New York, USA; it is operated by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, or NFTA...	Buffalo Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, second only to New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the seat of Erie...	21,600	6.4	3,375	Q2 2009	1984
20	LYNX Rapid Transit Services 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. It commenced service on November 24, 2007, and runs through Uptown and South End, before paralleling South Boulevard to its southern terminus just...	Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte is the largest city in the state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. Charlotte's population was estimated to be 687,456 in 2008, making it the 18th largest city in the United States. Residents of Charlotte are referred to as "Charlotteans"...	20,200	9.6	2,104	Q2 2009	2007
21	Newark City Subway and Newark Light Rail Newark Light Rail The Newark Light Rail is a light rail system under New Jersey Transit Bus Operations serving Newark, New Jersey. The service consists of two segments, the original Newark City Subway, and the Broad Street Line... *	Newark Newark, New Jersey Brick City redirects here. For the township in Ocean County, see Brick Township, New Jersey.Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, and the county seat of Essex County. Newark has a population of 281,402, making it the largest municipality in New Jersey and the 65th largest city in the U.S...	19,050	9.9	1,924	Q1 2008	1935
22	RTA Streetcars Streetcars in New Orleans Streetcars in New Orleans have been an integral part of the city's public transportation network since the first half of the 19th century. The longest of New Orleans' streetcar lines, the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar, is the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world,...	New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans is a major U.S. port and the largest city in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, the largest metro area in the state....	13,700	21.5	636	Q2 2009	1835
23	The Rapid RTA Rapid Transit RTA Rapid Transit is a rapid transit and light rail system in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County owned by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority... Blue and Green Lines Blue and Green Lines (Cleveland) The Blue Line, Green Line, and Waterfront Line are the interurban/light rail component of the RTA Rapid Transit, a rapid transit rail system in greater Cleveland and Shaker Heights, Cuyahoga County, Ohio... *	Cleveland	8,900	15	593	Q1 2008	1913
24	River Line*	Trenton Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated that the City of Trenton had a population of 82,804.... /Camden Camden, New Jersey The City of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...	7,900	34	232	Q1 2008	2004
25	Sprinter	Oceanside Oceanside, California Oceanside is the third-largest city in San Diego County, California, United States. The city has a population of about 179,681. Together with Vista and Carlsbad, it forms a tri-city area. The city is located just south of Camp Pendleton, the busiest military base in the United States. Oceanside has...	6,600	22	300	Q2 2009	2008
26	Memphis RTA Memphis Area Transit Authority The Memphis Area Transit Authority is the largest transit agency in Tennessee. MATA operates 39 bus routes, paratransit service for persons with disabilities , trolley service on three routes, and special event shuttles for Memphis Grizzlies basketball games and University of Memphis Tigers... Trolley MATA Trolley The MATA Trolley is a heritage streetcar system operating in Memphis in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It has operated since April 29, 1993....	Memphis Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4^th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River....	3,700	6.7	552	Q2 2009	1993
27	Tacoma Link Sound Transit Tacoma Link {\| Tacoma Link is a light rail line located in Tacoma, Washington. The line was completed in 2003 and serves the downtown area, and primarily functions to transport commuters between a combined parking garage/transit hub and the downtown core...	Tacoma Tacoma, Washington Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city in and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park...	3,200	1.6	2,000	Q2 2009	2003
28	South Lake Union Streetcar South Lake Union Streetcar The South Lake Union Streetcar is a streetcar line connecting the South Lake Union neighborhood to Downtown Seattle, United States...	Seattle Seattle, Washington Seattle is located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Situated in the western part of Washington State on an isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, about south of the Canada – United States border, it is named after Chief Sealth, of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes...	1,400	1.3	1077	Q2 2009	2007
29	TECO Line Streetcar System TECO Line Streetcar System The TECO Line Streetcar System is a streetcar line in Tampa, Florida, run by the Hillsborough Area Regional Transportation Authority and managed by Tampa Historic Streetcar, Inc.. It connects Downtown and Channelside to the historic Ybor City district. There is also an "In-Town" trolley system that...	Tampa Tampa, Florida Tampa is a Gulf Coast city in Hillsborough County, on the west coast of the state of Florida in the United States. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. The population of Tampa in 2000 was 303,447...	800	2.3	348	Q2 2009	2002
30	River Rail Streetcar River Rail Streetcar The River Rail Streetcar is a heritage streetcar system operating in Little Rock and North Little Rock in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It has operated since November 1, 2004. As of February 17, 2007, the system is long after its first extension was put into service...	Little Rock Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Pulaski County. The Metropolitan Statistical Area, had a population of 675,069 people, according to 2008 census estimates...	340	2.5	136	2005	2004
31	Kenosha Transit Streetcars in Kenosha, Wisconsin Streetcars have been running in Kenosha, Wisconsin for more than 100 years through a variety of companies and routes.-Kenosha Electric Railway:...	Kenosha Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha is a city in and the county seat of Kenosha County, United States. The city motto is "Great Town - Great People - Great Lake". With an estimated 2006 population of 96,240, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. The city lies on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, south of...	200	2	100	Q2 2009	2000
32	Galveston Island Trolley Galveston Island Trolley The Galveston Island Trolley is a heritage streetcar in Galveston, Texas, United States. As of late 2006, the total network length was 6.8 miles . There are 22 stations. The Galveston Island Trolley is operated by Island Transit. Operation has been suspended since September 2008, due to heavy...	Galveston Galveston, Texas Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, the city had a total population of 57,466 within an area of...	0†	5.2	0†	Q2 2009	1988

(*) Systems marked with an asterisk are integrated with a heavy rail rapid transit

Rapid transit

system; the above numbers represent ridership on light rail lines only.

(†) Galveston's system is currently shut down due to damage from Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike was the third most destructive hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States. It was the ninth named storm, fifth hurricane and third major hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season....

List of United States light rail systems by ridership

See also