7 Most Popular US Light Rails (PHOTOS)

A light rail is an urban mode of public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and speed then heavy rail and metro systems. Light rails most often feature electric rail cars that operate separate from street traffic, but are occasionally integrated on the roadways.

With a growing need for better and more efficient public transportation to help reduce our carbon impact, light rails are increasing in popularity across America. As people look for alternatives to cut down on oil consumption in response to the gulf oil spill, HuffPost Green wants to celebrate some great light rail systems we've already got in here in the US. Here are the 7 most heavily used light rails in the country, according to the American Public Transportation Association's Public Transit Ridership Report from the fourth quarter of 2009.

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Boston

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Boston's MBTA Green Line light rail is the oldest and busiest in the country. At the end of 2009, an average of 235,000 people were commuting on the system's 25.4 miles of track every weekday. The initial system opened in 1897, and though the cars are now all on tracks, they still use many traditional trolley practices, like clanging their bells, interacting with street traffic, and onboard fare collection.

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Boston's MBTA Green Line light rail is the oldest and busiest in the country. At the end of 2009, an average of 235,000 people were commuting on the system's 25.4 miles of track every weekday. The initial system opened in 1897, and though the cars are now all on tracks, they still use many traditional trolley practices, like clanging their bells, interacting with street traffic, and onboard fare collection.

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Comments

[SimonOh]

01:48 PM on 07/27/2010

I love our L.A.'s Metro Rail system. It's still undergoing expansion but I absolutely love it!

[DudeFromDallas]

11:40 AM on 07/21/2010

In regards to Philadelphia, the good people at SEPTA should really consider moving beyond those little trolley cars. With weekday ridership totals hovering around 103,000 on a 60 mile network, it is time to consider a full embrace of modern, heavy capacity light rail. The demand obviously calls for trains the size of the cars in San Diego, Portland, Los Angeles and here in Dallas. They can recycle those trolley cars and perhaps use them for a streetcar circuit. I don't know, just a thought.

[chirstopherstanwood]

11:50 AM on 07/21/2010

DudeFromDallas,

Not sure if you have ever been to Philly, but from your comments you appear to not know that trolleys are not the only form of public transportation in the city. In fact, there are two seperate subway lines operating within the city, as well as bus routes and the "regional rail" that goes far out into the suburbs. Last, there is the light rail PATCO that goes into the city from Southern New Jersey.

In fact, Philly has a plethora of public transportation in addition to its wonderful light rail (trolley) system.

[DudeFromDallas]

01:41 PM on 07/21/2010

Oh no,no,no. I know that Philly has the subway lines. I was strictly speaking of their light rail system. Please, I hope you didn't take that as a disparaging comment in regards to Philly's transportation infrastructure. I was just thinking that the people riding the light rail in Philly could use more room instead of being crammed in the small trolley cars.

[GO-BAMA]

08:55 AM on 07/21/2010

I lived in Boston for years. Just the sight of the green line still makes me cringe.

[NineOneFour]

08:29 AM on 07/21/2010

How about popular light rails in Europe? They put us to shame.

[Erik H]

11:31 PM on 07/21/2010

I was hard pressed to find a "light rail" system in Europe; but I rode a lot of commuter trains, elevateds and subways.

[BushBites]

07:48 AM on 07/21/2010

Chicago is so backwards.

[drmlgcc]

08:41 AM on 07/21/2010

what do you mean?

[cplKlyde]

06:05 AM on 07/21/2010

The thing in the Philly pic looks like a bus.

[Paul Kimo McGregor]

01:15 PM on 07/26/2010

It's a PCC car that has been completely refurbished to "modern" standards and amenities and yes, that includes air conditioning. That is what runs on the top of the car and why it look like a modern day bus.

[hellboundtrain]

05:33 AM on 07/21/2010

We should compare to pictures of our systems to those in Europe and then China.

[CitizenA1]

05:24 AM on 07/21/2010

Eh, metra gets me where I wanna be. With the BARGAIN price of 4 dollars there and back with no option for a 2way ticket. Gotta love it.

[whyus]

04:12 AM on 07/21/2010

I'm proud of Portland's MAX and light rail system.

[Erik H]

11:32 PM on 07/21/2010

Meanwhile, Portland is cutting its bus system to the bone - leaving many people with no access to the MAX stops with long waits, no weekend/late night service, and an unreliable bus fleet.

The majority of Westside MAX riders (per TriMet surveys) DRIVE a single-occupant vehicle to a MAX station. The majority of bus riders WALK to a stop.

[1849]

04:01 AM on 07/21/2010

The Best Idea Ever. San Francisco re-purposed PCC and Peter Witt Cars from around the world. We have cars from Melbourne, Boston, Blackpool, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Chicago,D.C., Milan, Cleveland, Boston, Dallas, St. Paul. Baltimore, El Paso and Zurich to name a few. I think the streetcars are just as popular as the Cable Cars that almost climb to the stars.

Please check out the Market Street Railway: http://www.streetcar.org/streetcars/fleet.html
Check out the Mark

[HeatherRamone]

01:42 PM on 07/27/2010

Faved. I love our public transportation systems. Between BART, Muni, Cable Cars and buses, does it get any better? My Transbay bus picks me up and drops me off at my apartment building, takes 18 minutes and costs $130/month. The view as I commute across the upper level of the Bay Bridge is of the Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Angel Island and the sunrise shining on San Francisco.

[MAX1]

02:42 AM on 07/21/2010

Seattle is still struggling to remove its axle from up its caboose regarding mass transit.

[Mildmannered]

12:17 AM on 07/21/2010

Phoenix?

[Paul Kimo McGregor]

01:17 PM on 07/26/2010

The ranking is based on ridership. Phoenix has a small system and hence small ridership compated to these seven.

[rjmtx]

11:41 PM on 07/20/2010

...And the least popular? Austin, TX. Austin's rail is a complete joke and waste of tax money. It's not just that nobody rides it, it's that it is made so inconvenient in space and time that nobody can.

[ammonman]

01:57 AM on 07/21/2010

It's so sad, too, because Austin should be the transportation leader in Texas. We're supposed to be progressive and green down here! It makes me so sad...

However, as a cyclist, I can say that the culture and infrastructure here are awesome.

[siafu]

11:38 AM on 07/21/2010

I guess you've never been to Detroit and ridden the "People Mover".

[rjmtx]

01:52 PM on 07/21/2010

There are still people in Detroit?

[dcdesignr]

11:18 PM on 07/20/2010

I have to chime in with the many posters commenting on no mention of the Hudson-Bergen system (HBLR) run by NJ Transit. I live right by one of the stops and right it often.

[Paul Kimo McGregor]

01:30 PM on 07/26/2010

Again, it's based on ridership. Apparently neither the HBLR or Riverline reach the top 7.

[ThomGillespie]

10:40 PM on 07/20/2010

Why is Fly-over America devoid of decent ground transportation?

[Y3rMawm]

12:32 AM on 07/21/2010

urban sprawl.

[rottnkid]

12:48 AM on 07/21/2010

yep

[WestCoastftw]

12:48 AM on 07/21/2010

"Urban Sprawl" So this will not be found in Los Angeles, San Deigo, Seattle, Bay Area, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Washington DC, or any city in Florida?

[siafu]

11:39 AM on 07/21/2010

It's not. Light rail is a very limited category that excludes things like subways and elevated trains (as in Chicago and St. Louis).

[Paul Kimo McGregor]

01:32 PM on 07/26/2010

Light rail can operate in subways and on elevated structures. Just look at Dallas.