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Light rail in the United States

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Overview of light rail in the United States
The San Diego Trolley, the most heavily used light rail system in the United States.

Light rail is a mode of rail-based transport, usually urban in nature.

Light-rail systems are typically designed to carry fewer passengers than heavy-rail systems like commuter rail or rapid transit (subway). They can operate in mixed traffic (street running) or on routes that are not entirely grade-separated.

They typically take one of four forms: "first-generation" legacy systems, "second-generation" modern light-rail systems, streetcars, and hybrid rail systems (light rail with some commuter-rail features). All use similar technologies, and some systems blur the lines between the different forms.

The United States has 27 light-rail systems, as counted by the Light Rail Transit Association, not including streetcar systems. Six of them (Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), San Diego, and San Francisco) achieve more than 30 million unlinked passenger transits per year. The next-most are in Germany, 10; and Japan, nine.

History

New Orleans streetcars, early 1900s

From the mid-19th century onwards, horse-drawn trams (or horsecars) were used in cities around the world. The St. Charles Avenue Line of New Orleans' streetcar system is the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world, beginning operation as a horse-drawn system in 1835.

In the late 1880s, electrically powered street railways became technically feasible with the invention of a trolley pole system of collecting current. American inventor Frank J. Sprague installed the first successful electrified trolley system in Richmond, Virginia, in 1888. Before the invention of the internal combustion engine and the advent of motor-buses, they were the only practical means of public transport around cities.

The streetcar systems constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries typically ran single-car setups. Some rail lines experimented with multiple-unit configurations, joining streetcars to make short trains, but this did not become common until later. When lines were built over longer distances (typically with a single track) before good roads were common, they were generally called interurban streetcars or radial railways in North America.

Historically, the rail gauge has had considerable variations, with a variety of gauges common in many early systems (e.g. the broad Pennsylvania trolley gauge, etc. used by New Orleans' streetcars and by the light rail systems in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh). However, most modern second-generation light rail systems now operate on standard gauge rail.

After World War II, six major cities in the United States (Boston, Newark, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco) continued to operate large first-generation streetcar systems, although most of them were later converted to modern light rail standards. Toronto in Canada marks the other city in North America with a continuing first-generation streetcar system. Additionally, a seventh American city, Cleveland, maintained an interurban system (e.g. the Blue and Green Lines) equivalent to what is now "light rail", that opened before World War I, and which is still in operation to this day.

When several of these cities upgraded to new technology (e.g. San Francisco, Newark, and Pittsburgh), they called it "light rail" to differentiate it from their existing streetcar systems since some continued to operate portions of both the old and new systems.

In the United States, most of the original first-generation streetcar systems were decommissioned from the 1950s onward through approximately 1970 as the usage of the automobile increased through government policy.

Although a few traditional streetcar or trolley systems still exist to this day the term "light rail" has come to mean a different type of rail system. Modern light rail technology has primarily German origins, since an attempt by Boeing Vertol to introduce a new American light rail vehicle was a technical failure. After World War II, the Germans retained their streetcar (Straßenbahn) networks and evolved them into model light rail systems (Stadtbahn).

The renaissance of light rail in the United States began in 1981, when the first truly second-generation light rail system was inaugurated in the United States, the San Diego Trolley in California, which adopted use of the German Siemens-Duewag U2 light rail vehicle. (This was just three years after the first North American second-generation light rail system opened in the Canadian city of Edmonton, Alberta in 1978, and which used the same German Siemens-Duewag U2 vehicles as San Diego). Other North American cities, particularly on the West Coast, began planning their own light rail systems in the 1980s.

As of March 2020, there are a total of 53 operational light rail-type lines and systems (noting that some cities, such as Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle, have more than one light rail system) that offer regular year-round transit service in the United States: 26 modern light rail systems, 14 modern streetcar systems, and 13 heritage streetcar systems (including the San Francisco cable car system).

"First-generation" legacy systems

First-generation systems are typically vestigial elements of sprawling streetcar systems decommissioned between the 1950s and about 1970. These elements were generally preserved because of their high ridership and some exclusive right of way. Many have been at least partly upgraded to more closely resemble the more modern second-generation light rail systems.

Location System Year originally opened System length Lines Current type Description
Boston MBTA Green Line 1897 26.7 mi (43.0 km) 4 Light rail While changes were made to the original 1897 Tremont Street subway in 1962 and 2004, and to some of the line routes over the years, and the Green Line's streetcar A branch was closed in 1969, both systems have run intact with mostly uninterrupted service since their opening dates.
Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line 1929 2.5 mi (4.0 km) 1
Cleveland Green Line / Blue Line 1913 15.3 mi (24.6 km) 2 Light rail Aside from line and station renovations in the early 1980s, and the Waterfront extension in 1996, these lines have operated essentially uninterrupted as light rail (interurbans) from their opening.
Newark Newark Light Rail 1935 6.2 mi (10.0 km) 2 Light rail Outside of a switch to modern vehicles in 2001 and extensions in 2002 and 2006, this line still operates essentially unchanged since the 1930s.
New Orleans New Orleans Streetcars 1835 22.3 mi (35.9 km) 4 Heritage streetcar The St. Charles Avenue Line is the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world, beginning operation as a horse-drawn system in 1835; the line was electrified in 1893. Three additional lines built to more modern standards have been added since 1988.
Philadelphia SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 1906 19.8 mi (31.9 km) 5 Light rail / Streetcar The subway–surface trolley lines began operation as a mixed subway/streetcar system in 1906, and have continued operation essentially unchanged since that time.
Media–Sharon Hill Line 1906 11.9 mi (19.2 km) 2 Light rail / Streetcar SEPTA Routes 101 & 102 (the Media-Sharon Lines) began operation as rail lines in mostly exclusive rights-of-way (light rail) in 1906, and have also operated mostly unchanged since then.
SEPTA Route 15 1859 8.4 mi (13.5 km) 1 Heritage streetcar SEPTA Route 15 (the Girard Avenue Line) started as a horse car line, electrified in 1895. It was replaced with buses in 1992, but service on the line with heritage streetcars resumed in 2005.
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Light Rail 1903 26.2 mi (42.2 km) 2 Light rail Began as a streetcar network, but was partially converted to light rail. By the 1970s, most routes were converted to bus, and the remaining streetcar lines (all of which still used the 1904 Mt. Washington Transit Tunnel) were converted to light rail. This included the construction of a new 1.1 miles (1.8 km) downtown tunnel. The converted system partially opened for service in 1984.
San Francisco Cable cars 1878 5.2 mi (8.4 km) 3 Heritage cable car World's last manually operated cable car system. Of the 23 lines established between 1873 and 1890, only three remain. While the cable cars are used to a certain extent by commuters, the vast majority of their seven million annual passengers are tourists.
Muni Metro 1912 35.7 mi (57.5 km) 7 Light rail / Streetcar Began as a streetcar network, but was partially converted to light rail. While most of San Francisco's original streetcar lines had been converted to buses, five lines with dedicated rights-of-way could not be converted. The streetcars were partially converted to light rail in 1980, sending the lines into the Market Street subway. The lines still operate as streetcars on surface streets. The T Third Street and S Shuttle lines added later are true light rail.
E Embarcadero / F Market & Wharves 1982 7.7 mi (12.4 km) 2 Heritage streetcar Established in 1982 during a closure of the cable car system for refurbishment, to provide an alternative tourist attraction. Streetcars operated on the Market Street tracks recently abandoned by the streetcar lines that became the Muni Metro. Service proved popular and was retained and expanded.

"Second-generation" modern systems

Inspired by the German Stadtbahn (English: city rail) systems, the second generation of modern light rail systems generally have large multi-car trains that travel larger distances, make fewer stops, and run at least partly on exclusive rights-of-way. The first was the San Diego Trolley, which opened in 1981.

City/Area served State System Year opened System length Stations Lines Year last expanded Ref.
Baltimore Maryland Baltimore Light Rail 1992 33 mi (53 km) 33 3 2006
Buffalo New York Buffalo Metro Rail 1984 6.4 mi (10.3 km) 14 1 1986
Charlotte North Carolina LYNX Blue Line 2007 19.3 mi (31.1 km) 26 1 2018
Dallas Texas Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) 1996 93 mi (150 km) 64 4 2016
Denver Colorado RTD Light Rail 1994 60.1 mi (96.7 km) 57 6 2019
Houston Texas METRORail 2004 22.7 mi (36.5 km) 39 3 2017
Jersey City New Jersey Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (NJ Transit) 2000 17 mi (27 km) 24 3 2011
Los Angeles California Metro Rail A, C, E, & K lines 1990 94.4 mi (151.9 km) 87 4 2024
Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minnesota Metro: Blue & Green lines 2004 21.8 mi (35.1 km) 37 2 2014
Norfolk Virginia The Tide 2011 7.4 mi (11.9 km) 11 1 —
Phoenix Arizona Valley Metro Rail 2008 29.8 mi (48.0 km) 41 1 2024
Portland Oregon MAX Light Rail 1986 60 mi (97 km) 97 5 2015
Sacramento California SacRT light rail 1987 42.9 mi (69.0 km) 53 3 2015
St. Louis Missouri and Illinois MetroLink 1993 46 mi (74 km) 37 2 2006
Salt Lake City Utah TRAX 1999 44.8 mi (72.1 km) 51 3 2013
San Diego California San Diego Trolley 1981 65 mi (105 km) 62 4 2021
San Jose California VTA light rail 1987 42.2 mi (67.9 km) 62 3 2005
Seattle Washington Link light rail 2009 31.25 mi (50.29 km) 27 2 2024
Tacoma Washington T Line (Link light rail) 2003 4.0 mi (6.4 km) 12 1 2023

Streetcar systems

Modern streetcar systems generally have smaller single-car trains that travel on short routes with frequent stops in lanes that are shared with automobile traffic (street running). The first was the Portland Streetcar, which opened in 2001. Some are heritage streetcar lines, which run vintage or historic-replica vehicles.

City/Area served State System Year opened System length Stops Lines Year last expanded System type Ref.
Atlanta Georgia Atlanta Streetcar 2014 2.7 mi (4.3 km) 12 1 — Modern
Charlotte North Carolina CityLYNX Gold Line 2015 4 mi (6.4 km) 17 1 2021 Modern
Cincinnati Ohio Connector 2016 3.6 mi (5.8 km) 18 1 — Modern
Dallas Texas Dallas Streetcar 2015 2.45 mi (3.94 km) 6 1 2016 Modern
McKinney Avenue Transit Authority 1989 4.6 mi (7.4 km) 40 1 2015 Heritage
Detroit Michigan QLine 2017 3.3 mi (5.3 km) 20 1 — Modern
El Paso Texas El Paso Streetcar 2018 4.8 mi (8 km) 27 1 — Heritage
Kansas City Missouri KC Streetcar 2016 2 mi (3.2 km) 16 1 — Modern
Kenosha Wisconsin Kenosha Streetcar 2000 2 mi (3.2 km) 17 1 — Heritage
Little Rock Arkansas Metro Streetcar 2004 3.4 mi (5.5 km) 15 1 2007 Heritage
Memphis Tennessee MATA Trolley 1993 6.3 mi (10.1 km) 25 3 2021 Heritage
Milwaukee Wisconsin The Hop 2018 2.5 mi (4 km) 21 2 2023 Modern
Oklahoma City Oklahoma Oklahoma City Streetcar 2018 4.6 mi (7.4 km) 22 2 — Modern
Portland Oregon Portland Streetcar 2001 7.35 mi (11.83 km) 76 2 2015 Modern
St. Louis Missouri Loop Trolley 2018 2.2 mi (3.5 km) 10 1 — Heritage
Salt Lake City Utah S Line 2013 2 mi (3.2 km) 7 1 — Modern
Seattle Washington Seattle Streetcar 2007 3.8 mi (6.1 km) 17 2 2016 Modern
Tampa Florida TECO Line Streetcar 2002 2.7 mi (4.3 km) 11 1 2010 Heritage
Tempe Arizona Tempe Streetcar 2022 3 mi (4.8 km) 14 1 — Modern
Tucson Arizona Sun Link 2014 3.9 mi (6.3 km) 22 1 — Modern
Washington, D.C. District of Columbia DC Streetcar 2016 2.4 mi (3.9 km) 8 1 — Modern

"Hybrid rail" systems

Hybrid rail systems, routes operating on the national rail network which do not operate with commuter rail characteristics, were introduced in 2004 with New Jersey's River Line. Hybrid rail systems operate vehicles which do not meet Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) guidelines, usually (but not always) small multiple unit railcars like a light rail system, but like commuter rail, they are typically powered by diesel engines over tracks which may be shared with freight trains (which typically only operate overnight, when passenger service has stopped). Unlike most commuter rail systems which only operate during the weekday peak travel periods, hybrid rail systems operate all-day, every day, but typically at longer headways than light rail.

City/Area served State System Year opened System length Stations Lines Year last expanded Ref.
Austin Texas CapMetro Rail 2010 32 mi (51 km) 10 1 2024
Contra Costa County California eBART 2018 10.1 mi (16.3 km) 3 1 —
Camden–Trenton New Jersey River Line 2004 34 mi (55 km) 20 1 —
Denton County Texas A-train 2011 21 mi (34 km) 6 1 —
Fort Worth Texas TEXRail 2019 27.2 mi (43.8 km) 9 1 —
North San Diego County California Sprinter 2008 22 mi (35 km) 15 1 —

Systems under construction

The following table lists entirely new light rail, streetcar, or hybrid rail systems under construction. Systems that are in the planning stages but not yet under construction (e.g. Glassboro–Camden Line, Interborough Express, and the Austin CapMetro Rail Project Connect system), are not listed; expansions of existing systems are also not listed here.

City/Area served State System/Line Planned opening System length System type Ref.
Orange County California OC Streetcar 2025 4.1 mi (7 km) Streetcar
Dallas Texas Silver Line 2025–2026 26 mi (42 km) Hybrid rail
Omaha Nebraska Omaha Streetcar 2026–2027 3.0 mi (4.8 km) Streetcar
Montgomery and Prince George's Counties Maryland Purple Line 2027 16.2 mi (26.1 km) Light rail

See also

Notes

  1. ^ This system also has a heavy rail rapid transit/metro portion (see List of metro systems), and connections to a commuter rail system; the figures and statistics presented here represent the light rail portion of the system only.
  2. This system also has a heavy rail rapid transit/metro portion (see List of metro systems); the figures and statistics presented here represent the light rail portion of the system only.

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External links

Currently operating light rail and streetcar systems in the United States
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Louisiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
Italics denote non-transit streetcar lines, operating only on limited dates and usually not year-round, for tourism or educational purposes.

Other transit in the United States:

Light rail in North America
Sovereign states
Dependencies and
other territories
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