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. "Daily boardings per mile" figures have been rounded to the nearest 5 or 10.
The question of which systems would qualify 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.
System | Country | City/Area served |
Annual ridership (2023)[1][2] |
Avg. daily weekday boardings (Q4 2023)[1][2] |
System length |
Avg. daily boardings per mile (Q4 2019) |
Year opened |
Stations | Lines | Year last expanded |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Guadalajara light rail (Tren ligero de Guadalajara) | MEX | Guadalajara | 157,704,000 | 47.0 km (29.2 mi)[3][4] | 19,800 | 1989[3] | 48[4] | 3[4] | 2020[5] | |
CTrain | CAN | Calgary | 85,320,400 | 264,200 | 59.9 km (37.2 mi)[6] | 8,395 | 1981[7] | 45[6] | 2[citation needed] | 2014[citation needed] |
Toronto streetcar system | CAN | Toronto | 69,106,000 | 221,700 | 82 km (51 mi)[8] | 3,915 | 1861[9] | 708 streetcar stops[8] | 11[8] | 2016[citation needed] |
San Diego Trolley (incl. Silver Line[10][note 1]) |
USA | San Diego | 38,438,000 | 130,500 | 105 km (65 mi)[11] | 2,155 | 1981[11] | 62[11] | 4[10][11] | 2021[12][11] |
Metro Rail light rail:[note 2] A, C, E, & K lines |
USA | Los Angeles | 36,082,100 | 120,100 | 141.8 km (88.1 mi)[13] | 2,390 | 1990[13] | 72[13] | 5[13] | 2022[13] |
MBTA light rail:[note 2] Green Line & Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line[note 1] |
USA | Boston | 34,581,000 | 80,300 | 42 km (26 mi)[14] | 6,265 | 1897;[15] 1929[citation needed] |
74[14] | 2[14] | 2022[16] |
Link light rail: 1 Line and T Line |
USA | Seattle and Tacoma | 27,338,200 | 78,600 | 42 km (26 mi)[17] | 3,820 | 2003[18] | 25[17] | 2[19] | 2021[20] |
Xochimilco Light Rail[note 2] | MEX | Mexico City | 23,741,000 | 65,043[note 3] | 12.9 km (8.0 mi)[citation needed] | 11,010 | 1986[citation needed] | 18[21] | 1[21] | 2008[citation needed] |
MAX Light Rail | USA | Portland, Oregon |
23,446,700 | 74,800 | 97 km (60 mi)[citation needed] | 1,995 | 1986[citation needed] | 97[citation needed] | 5[citation needed] | 2015[citation needed] |
Edmonton Light Rail Transit | CAN | Edmonton | 24,143,200 | 85,100 | 28.2 km (17.5 mi)[22] | 7,335 | 1978[22] | 29[22] | 3[22] | 2023[22] |
DART Light Rail | USA | Dallas | 21,380,900 | 71,700 | 150 km (93 mi)[23] | 1,030 | 1996[24] | 64[23] | 4[25] | 2016[24] |
Muni Metro[note 2] (incl. F Market[26][27][note 1]) |
USA | San Francisco | 24,324,600 | 75,500 | 57.5 km (35.7 mi)[28] | 4,480 | 1980[28] | 152[27][28] | 8[26][28] | 2023[29] |
NJ Transit Light Rail | USA | Newark, New Jersey, as well as Hudson, Mercer, Burlington, and Camden Counties. |
20,827,300 | 174.0 km (108.1 mi)[30] | 2,985 | 1935[31] | 86[30] | 3[30] | 2011[32] | |
O-Train | CAN | Ottawa | 19,451,800 | 74,700 | 12.5 km
(7.8 mi) [33] |
n/a | 2019 | 13[33] | 1[33] | n/a |
RTD Light Rail | USA | Denver | 12,740,600 | 94.1 km (58.5 mi)[34] | 1,740 | 1994[35] | 46[34] | 6[34] | 2017[35] | |
METRO Light Rail | USA | Minneapolis | 14,755,900 | 46,500 | 35.1 km (21.8 mi)[36][37] | 3,515 | 2004[36] | 37[36][37] | 2[36][37] | 2014[37] |
METRORail | USA | Houston | 13,883,700 | 42,900 | 36.9 km (22.9 mi)[38] | 2,651 | 2004[38] | 37[39] | 3[38] | 2015[38] |
SEPTA Metro light rail:[40][note 2] Subway–Surface Lines, Suburban Trolley Lines, & Girard Ave Trolley[note 1] |
USA | Philadelphia | 13,248,600 | 110.1 km (68.4 mi)[41][42] | 1,330 | 1858[43] | >100[41] | 8[41][42] | 2005[citation needed] | |
TRAX (light rail) | USA | Salt Lake City | 11,043,800 | 37,700 | 72.1 km (44.8 mi)[44] | 1,288 | 1999[45] | 50[46] | 3[46] | 2013[citation needed] |
Valley Metro Rail | USA | Phoenix | 10,797,600 | 33,000 | 42 km (26 mi)[47] | 1,800 | 2008[48] | 35[47] | 1[citation needed] | 2016[49] |
St. Louis MetroLink | USA | St. Louis | 6,717,900 | 19,400 | 74.0 km (46.0 mi)[50] | 857 | 1993[51] | 37[50] | 2[52] | 2006[53] |
Lynx Rapid Transit Services | USA | Charlotte, North Carolina |
6,118,300 | 18,200 | 30.4 km (18.9 mi)[54] | 1,228 | 2007[55] | 15[56] | 1[56] | 2018[citation needed] |
Sacramento RT Light Rail | USA | Sacramento, California |
6,580,000 | 22,200 | 69.0 km (42.9 mi)[57] | 858 | 1987[57] | 53[57] | 3[57] | 2015[57] |
Streetcars in New Orleans[note 1] |
USA | New Orleans | 3,884,800 | 9,700 | 35.9 km (22.3 mi)[58][59] | 843 | 1835[citation needed] | streetcar-like surface stops[citation needed] | 4[58] | 2013[58] |
VTA light rail | USA | San Jose, California |
4,464,500 | 13,800 | 67.9 km (42.2 mi)[60] | 1,121 | 1987[60] | 62[60] | 3[60] | 2005[60] |
Baltimore Light RailLink[note 2] | USA | Baltimore | 3,546,300 | 12,500 | 53.1 km (33.0 mi)[61] | 558 | 1992[citation needed] | 33[61] | 3[61] | 1997[citation needed] |
Ion rapid transit | CAN | Kitchener and Waterloo | 5,654,810[62] | 19.3 km (12.0 mi)[63] | n/a | 2019 | 19[63] | 1[63] | n/a | |
The T: Pittsburgh Light Rail |
USA | Pittsburgh | 3,417,100 |
42.2 km (26.2 mi)[64] |
1,057 | 1984[citation needed] | 53[64] | 3[64] | 2012[64] | |
San Francisco cable car system[note 4][note 1] |
USA | San Francisco | 5,719,900 | 14,900 | 8.4 km (5.2 mi)[citation needed] | 3,021 | 1878[65] | streetcar-like surface stops[citation needed] | 3[27][66] | 1952[citation needed] |
Portland Streetcar[note 5] | USA | Portland | 2,373,341[67] | 8,339 | 11.83 km (7.35 mi)[68] | 2,723 | 2001[68] | 76[68] | 2[68] | 2012[68] |
Buffalo Metro Rail | USA | Buffalo, New York |
2,433,300 | 6,600 | 10.3 km (6.4 mi)[citation needed] | 2,500 | 1985[citation needed] | 14[69] | 1[69] | n/a |
SPRINTER | USA | Oceanside, California |
1,362,600 | 5,600 | 35 km (22 mi)[70] | 341 | 2008[70] | 15[70] | 1[70] | n/a |
Seattle Streetcar | USA | Seattle | 1,326,500 | 4,200 | 6.1 km (3.8 mi)[citation needed] | 1,447 | 2007[71] | 17[72] | 2[72] | 2016[73] |
RTA Rapid Transit:[note 2] Blue, Green, and Waterfront Lines |
USA | Cleveland | 661,500 | 2,500 | 24.6 km (15.3 mi)[74] | 327 | 1913[75] | 34[74] | 2[74] | 1996[75] |
Tide Light Rail | USA | Norfolk, Virginia |
771,500 | 2,500 | 11.9 km (7.4 mi)[76] | 622 | 2011[77] | 11[76] | 1[76] | n/a |
DC Streetcar | USA | Washington, D.C. | 721,700 | 2,200 | 3.9 km (2.4 mi)[78] | 2016[79] | 8 | 1 | 2016 | |
TECO Line Streetcars[note 1] | USA | Tampa, Florida |
1,428,700 | 4.3 km (2.7 mi)[80] | 630 | 2002[citation needed] | 11[81] | 1[81] | 2010[citation needed] | |
Sun Link | USA | Tucson, Arizona |
1,724,900 | 5,800 | 6.3 km (3.9 mi)[82] | 1,026 | 2014[citation needed] | 22[82] | 1[82] | n/a |
The Hop | USA | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
760,321 | – | 3.4 km (2.1 mi)[83] | 2018[83] | 18 | 1 | 2018 | |
El Paso Streetcar | USA | El Paso, Texas |
130,600 | 600 | 7.7 km (4.8 mi)[84] | 2018[85] | 27 | 2 | 2018 | |
Atlanta Streetcar | USA | Atlanta, Georgia |
184,500 | 600 | 4.3 km (2.7 mi)[citation needed] | 111 | 2014[citation needed] | 12[citation needed] | 1[citation needed] | n/a |
MATA Trolleys[note 1] | USA | Memphis, Tennessee |
365,400 | 800 | 10.1 km (6.3 mi)[citation needed] | 0[note 6] | 1993[86] | 25[87] | 3[87] | 2004[86] |
The following systems have been excluded from the ridership table above (generally because the system's ridership statistics are not tracked by APTA):