From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Light rail in the United States

none

The United States has 27 light rail systems, as counted by the Light Rail Transit Association, not including streetcar systems. Seven of them (Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle) achieve more than 30 million unlinked passenger transits per year.

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.

History

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.

, 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 remaining lines of sprawling streetcar systems decommissioned between the 1950s and about 1970. These lines 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	Operator	System	url=http://www.publictransit.us/ptlibrary/NorthAmericaRailTransitOpenings/Railopenings_ZAppend_2010.htm	last=Demery	first=Leroy W. Jr.	title=U.S. Urban Rail Transit Lines Opened From 1980: Appendix	website=publictransit.us
Boston	MBTA	Green Line	1857	26.7 mi	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.
Mattapan Line	1929	2.5 mi	1
Cleveland	GCRTA	Blue Line	1920	15.3 mi	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.
Green Line	1913
Newark	NJ Transit	Newark Light Rail	1862	6.2 mi	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	NORTA	New Orleans Streetcars	1835	22.3 mi	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	T	1859	19.8 mi	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.
D	1906	11.9 mi	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.
G	1859	8.4 mi	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	PRT	Pittsburgh Light Rail	1859	26.2 mi	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 mi downtown tunnel. The converted system partially opened for service in 1984.
San Francisco	Muni	Cable cars	1878	5.2 mi	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	1860	35.7 mi	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.
F Market & Wharves	1982	6 mi	1	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	33	3	2006	title=Visitors Ride Guide	url=https://mta.maryland.gov/sites/default/files/Visitors_Ride_Guide.pdf	access-date=July 14, 2013	website=mta.maryland.gov	publisher=Maryland Transit Administration}}
Buffalo	New York	Buffalo Metro Rail	1984	6.4 mi	14	1	1986
Charlotte	North Carolina	LYNX Blue Line	2007	19.3 mi	26	1	2018	title=LYNX Home	url=http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats/lynx/Pages/default.aspx	access-date=August 7, 2013	publisher=Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS)}}
Dallas	Texas	DART rail Red, Blue, Green, and Orange linesThis system also includes a hybrid rail line and connections to commuter rail, hybrid rail, and streetcar systems; the figures and statistics presented here represent the light rail portion of the system only.	1996	93 mi	66	4	2025	year=2013	title=DART.org – DART History	url=http://www.dart.org/about/history.asp	access-date=July 23, 2013	publisher=Dallas Area Rapid Transit	archive-date=May 5, 2021	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505071050/https://www.dart.org/about/history.asp	url-status=dead}}
Denver	Colorado	RTD Light Rail	1994	60.1 mi	57	6	2019
Houston	Texas	METRORail	2004	22.7 mi	39	3	2017	title=METRO About Us	url=http://www.ridemetro.org/AboutUs/	url-status=dead	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624080152/http://www.ridemetro.org/AboutUs/	archive-date=June 24, 2013	access-date=July 23, 2013	publisher=Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston, Texas}}
Jersey City	New Jersey	Hudson–Bergen Light Rail (NJ Transit)	2000	17 mi	24	3	2011	date=March 2015	title=NJ Transit Facts At a Glance Fiscal Year 2014	url=http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/FactsAtaGlance.pdf	access-date=April 2, 2015	publisher=NJ Transit	archive-date=September 6, 2015	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906064945/http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/FactsAtaGlance.pdf	url-status=dead}}
Los Angeles	California	Metro Rail A, C, E, & K linesThis system also includes rapid transit lines (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.	1990	94.4 mi	88	4	2025	date=November 18, 2016	title=Metro – Facts at a Glance	url=http://www.metro.net/news/facts-glance/	access-date=May 19, 2017	publisher=Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)}}
Minneapolis–Saint Paul	Minnesota	Metro: Blue & Green lines	2004	21.8 mi	37	2	2014	year=2013	title=METRO Blue Line – Facts About Trains and Construction	url=http://www.metrotransit.org/facts-about-trains-and-construction.aspx	url-status=dead	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214014738/http://www.metrotransit.org/facts-about-trains-and-construction.aspx	archive-date=February 14, 2014	access-date=June 15, 2014	publisher=Metro Transit}}
Norfolk	Virginia	The Tide	2011	7.4 mi	11	1	—	title=Light Rail Service to Begin August 19, 2011	url=http://www.gohrt.com/light-rail-service-to-begin-august-19-2011/	url-status=dead	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102224455/http://www.gohrt.com/light-rail-service-to-begin-august-19-2011/	archive-date=January 2, 2014	access-date=August 10, 2013	publisher=Hampton Roads Transit}}
Phoenix	Arizona	Valley Metro Rail	2008	38.5 mi	50	2	2025
Portland	Oregon	MAX Light Rail	1986	60 mi	97	5	2015	date=September 12, 2015	title=Gov. Brown, U.S. Reps. join hundreds for Inaugural Ride as part of MAX Orange Line Grand Opening	work=TriMet News	url=http://news.trimet.org/2015/09/gov-brown-u-s-reps-join-hundreds-for-inaugural-ride-as-part-of-max-orange-line-grand-opening/	access-date=September 16, 2015}}
Sacramento	California	SacRT light rail	1987	42.9 mi	53	3	2015	date=May 2016	title=Sacramento Regional Transit District: Fact Sheet	url=http://www.sacrt.com/documents/RT%20Fact%20Sheets/RT%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf	access-date=June 22, 2016	publisher=Sacramento Regional Transit District	archive-date=September 24, 2015	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924093407/http://www.sacrt.com/documents/RT%20Fact%20Sheets/RT%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf	url-status=dead}}
St. Louis	Missouri and Illinois	MetroLink	1993	46 mi	37	2	2006	year=2010	title=History – The 1990s – MetroLink	url=http://www.metrostlouis.org/About/History/The1990s.aspx	url-status=dead	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823111730/http://metrostlouis.org/About/History/The1990s.aspx	archive-date=August 23, 2013	access-date=August 11, 2013	publisher=Bi-State Development Agency (Metro)}}
Salt Lake City	Utah	TRAX	1999	44.8 mi	51	3	2013	title=Front Lines 2015 Map	url=http://www.rideuta.com/uploads/FrontLines2015Map.pdf	url-status=dead	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131125161159/http://www.rideuta.com/uploads/FrontLines2015Map.pdf	archive-date=November 25, 2013	access-date=July 2, 2013	publisher=Utah Transit Authority}}
San Diego	California	San Diego Trolley	1981	65 mi	62	4	2021
San Jose	California	VTA light rail	1987	42.2 mi	62	3	2005	date=November 14, 2012	title=VTA Facts: Light Rail System Overview	url=http://www.vta.org/news/factsheets/bus_lightrail_trolly_information/lightrail_overview.pdf	url-status=dead	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820152521/http://vta.org/news/factsheets/bus_lightrail_trolly_information/lightrail_overview.pdf	archive-date=August 20, 2013	access-date=June 30, 2013	publisher=Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)}}
Seattle	Washington	Link light rail	2009	54.85 mi	27	2	2025	title=1 Line – Northgate – Angle Lake	url=https://www.soundtransit.org/ride-with-us/routes-schedules/1-line?direction=0&at=1633158000000&view=table&route_tab=schedule&stops_0=1_990006%2C1_99913&stops_1=1_99914%2C1_990005	access-date=October 2, 2021	publisher=SoundTransit}}

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 StreetcarThis 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.	2014	2.7 mi	12	1	—	Modern	title=A Better Way to Get Around	url=http://streetcar.atlantaga.gov/about/	url-status=dead	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029090711/http://streetcar.atlantaga.gov/about/	archive-date=October 29, 2014	access-date=December 30, 2014	publisher=Atlanta Streetcar}}
Charlotte	North Carolina	CityLYNX Gold Line	2015	4 mi	17	1	2021	Modern	last1=Bruno	first1=Joe	title=Beleaguered Charlotte streetcar project now projected to open by August	url=https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/charlottes-150-million-streetcar-project-delayed-again/THHYH6EU2ZF5JPN2SOTHU3BJXI/	access-date=May 4, 2021	agency=WSOC-TV	date=April 30, 2021}}
Cincinnati	Ohio	Connector	2016	3.6 mi	18	1	—	Modern	last=Coolidge	first=Sharon	date=September 9, 2016	title=It's a go: Streetcar finally opens	work=The Cincinnati Enquirer	url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2016/09/09/updates-streetcar-opening-day/90116412/	access-date=September 10, 2016}}
Dallas	Texas	Dallas Streetcar	2015	2.45 mi	6	1	2016	Modern
M-Line Trolley	1989	4.6 mi	40	1	2015	Heritage	last=Appleton	first=Roy	date=April 14, 2015	title=Downtown-Oak Cliff streetcar debuts with speeches, curious riders	page=1B	newspaper=The Dallas Morning News	url=http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/best-southwest/headlines/20150413-downtown-oak-cliff-streetcar-debuts-with-speeches-curious-riders.ece	access-date=April 15, 2015	archive-date=August 19, 2016	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819230647/http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/best-southwest/headlines/20150413-downtown-oak-cliff-streetcar-debuts-with-speeches-curious-riders.ece	url-status=dead}}
Detroit	Michigan	QLine	2017	3.3 mi	20	1	—	Modern	title=About M-1 Rail	work=M-1 Rail	url=http://m-1rail.com/about-m-1-rail/	access-date=August 3, 2014}}
El Paso	Texas	El Paso Streetcar	2018	4.8 mi	27	1	—	Heritage
Kansas City	Missouri	KC Streetcar	2016	5.7 mi	18	1	2025	Modern	title=Kansas City is on the MOVE with the KC Streetcar	url=https://kcstreetcar.org/about-streetcar/	access-date=May 7, 2016	website=KCStreetcar.org	publisher=KC Downtown Streetcar}}
Kenosha	Wisconsin	Kenosha Streetcar	2000	2 mi	17	1	—	Heritage
Little Rock	Arkansas	Metro Streetcar	2004	3.4 mi	15	1	2007	Heritage	title=River Rail – Central Arkansas Transit Authority	url=http://www.cat.org/river-rail	url-status=dead	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902085256/http://www.cat.org/river-rail	archive-date=September 2, 2013	access-date=August 18, 2013	publisher=Central Arkansas Transit Authority (CATA)}}
Memphis	Tennessee	MATA Trolley	1993	6.3 mi	25	3	2021	Heritage	year=2013	title=MATA – Memphis Area Transit Authority – Trolley History	url=http://www.matatransit.com/trolleys/trolley-history/	access-date=August 18, 2013	publisher=Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA)	archive-date=June 25, 2018	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625185738/http://www.matatransit.com/trolleys/trolley-history	url-status=dead}}
Milwaukee	Wisconsin	The Hop	2018	2.5 mi	21	2	2023	Modern
Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	Oklahoma City Streetcar	2018	4.6 mi	22	2	—	Modern
Portland	Oregon	Portland Streetcar	2001	7.35 mi	76	2	2015	Modern	year=2012	title=Streetcar History \| Portland Streetcar	url=http://www.portlandstreetcar.org/node/33	url-status=dead	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203013400/http://www.portlandstreetcar.org/node/33	archive-date=December 3, 2013	access-date=June 30, 2013	publisher=Portland Streetcar, Inc.}}
St. Louis	Missouri	Loop Trolley	2018	2.2 mi	10	1	—	Heritage
Salt Lake City	Utah	S Line	2013	2 mi	7	1	—	Modern
Seattle	Washington	Seattle Streetcar	2007	3.8 mi	17	2	2016	Modern	title=South Lake Union Streetcar	url=http://www.seattlestreetcar.org/slu.htm	access-date=February 27, 2016	publisher=Seattle Streetcar}}
Tampa	Florida	TECO Line Streetcar	2002	2.7 mi	11	1	2010	Heritage	year=2012	title=TECO Line Streetcar System – Streetcar System	url=http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/about/history/index.htm	url-status=dead	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906181829/http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/about/history/index.htm	archive-date=September 6, 2015	access-date=July 2, 2013	publisher=TECOline Streetcar System}}
Tempe	Arizona	Valley Metro Streetcar	2022	3 mi	14	1	—	Modern
Tucson	Arizona	Sun Link	2014	3.9 mi	22	1	—	Modern	title=Why do we need a streetcar? – The streetcar route	url=http://www.sunlinkstreetcar.com/index.php?pg=24	access-date=July 26, 2014	publisher=Sun Link Tucson Streetcar	archive-date=September 7, 2015	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907052000/http://www.sunlinkstreetcar.com/index.php?pg=24	url-status=dead}}
Washington, D.C.	District of Columbia	DC Streetcar	2016	2.4 mi	8	1	—	Modern	last=Laris	first=Michael	date=February 27, 2016	title=D.C. streetcar makes its first voyages on H Street. 'Is it really happening?'	newspaper=Washington Post	url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/dc-streetcar-makes-its-first-voyages-on-h-street-is-it-really-happening/2016/02/27/bd0c3234-dd5b-11e5-891a-4ed04f4213e8_story.html	access-date=February 27, 2016}}

"{{visible anchor|Hybrid rail}}" systems

Main article: Hybrid rail

Hybrid rail systems, first introduced to the United States in 2004 with New Jersey's River Line, use passenger trains that operate on the national rail network with vehicles that do not meet Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Tier I crashworthiness standards. These services typically employ lightweight diesel multiple unit (DMUs) and run on tracks that may also carry freight, with freight train operations usually scheduled outside passenger hours. Unlike conventional commuter rail, hybrid rail provides all-day, seven-day-a-week service, though generally at longer headways than urban light rail.

City / area served	State	System	Year opened	System length	Stations
Camden–Trenton	New Jersey	River Line	2004	34.0 mi	21
Escondido–Oceanside	California	Sprinter	2008	22.0 mi	15
Austin	Texas	CapMetro Rail	2010	32.0 mi	9
Denton–Carrollton	Texas	A-train	2011	21.0 mi	5
Eastern Contra Costa County	California	eBART	2018	10.0 mi	2
Fort Worth–DFW Airport	Texas	TEXRail	2019	27.0 mi	9
Redlands–San Bernardino	California	Arrow	2022	9.0 mi	5
Tarrant, Dallas, and Collin counties	Texas	Silver Line	2025	26 mi	10

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
Orange County	California	OC Streetcar	2026	4.1 mi	Streetcar
Omaha	Nebraska	Omaha Streetcar	2027	3.0 mi	Streetcar
Montgomery and Prince George's counties	Maryland	Purple Line	2027	16.2 mi	Light rail

Notes

References

(April 12, 2019). "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2018". [[American Public Transportation Association]] (APTA).
"About the RTA". New Orleans Regional Transit Authority.
Taplin, Michael. (1998). "The History of Tramways and Evolution of Light Rail". Light Rail Transit Association.
Bottoms, Glen. (2000). "Continuing Developments in Light Rail Transit in Western Europe". Light Rail Transit Association.
Gough, William. (April 14, 1983). "West turning to commuter rail lines". [[The Seattle Times]].
Johnson, Matt. (January 12, 2015). "See America's light rail and streetcars at the same scale".
"This Is Light Rail Transit". Transportation Research Board.
Demery, Leroy W. Jr.. (October 25, 2010). "U.S. Urban Rail Transit Lines Opened From 1980: Appendix".
"About Us". Orange City Township, NJ.
"Erie Railroad Orange Branch - Chronology".
Walker, Jarrett. (March 26, 2010). "Streetcars vs Light Rail ... Is There a Difference?".
Malouff, Dan. (January 31, 2019). "Is that a streetcar or light rail? Here's how to tell the difference.".
"Visitors Ride Guide". [[Maryland Transit Administration]].
(July 2, 2013). "Metro Rail 7 Day Timetable". NTFA-Metro.
"LYNX Home". Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS).
"LYNX Blue Line Extension Service Update". City of Charlotte Government.
(2013). "DART.org – DART History". Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
(February 8, 2016). "Facts about Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)". Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
(October 24, 2016). "Students, workers try new commutes as DART takes rail line to UNT Dallas". The Dallas Morning News.
(January 2013). "RTD – Facts & Figures – Central Corridor Light Rail Line". Regional Transportation District.
"Facts and Figures". Regional Transportation District.
Rubino, Joe. (May 15, 2019). "RTD's newest line in southeast Denver metro will power development for years to come". The Denver Post.
"METRO About Us". Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston, Texas.
(2012). "FY2012 Business Plan & Budget". Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston, Texas.
(December 22, 2013). "METRORail Rider Guide". Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston, Texas.
Rivas, Elissa. (January 11, 2017). "METRORail Green Line opens Wednesday morning".
(March 2015). "NJ Transit Facts At a Glance Fiscal Year 2014". NJ Transit.
(March 2013). "Hudson-Bergen – Light Rail". NJ Transit.
(November 18, 2016). "Metro – Facts at a Glance". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).
(2013). "METRO Blue Line – Facts About Trains and Construction". Metro Transit.
(2014). "Metro Green Line Fact Sheet". Metropolitan Council.
"Light Rail Service to Begin August 19, 2011". Hampton Roads Transit.
(2013). "The Tide – Hampton Roads Transit". Hampton Roads Transit.
"Rail System Fact Sheet". Valley Metro.
(September 12, 2015). "Gov. Brown, U.S. Reps. join hundreds for Inaugural Ride as part of MAX Orange Line Grand Opening". TriMet News.
(2015). "MAX Light Rail". TriMet.
(May 2016). "Sacramento Regional Transit District: Fact Sheet". Sacramento Regional Transit District.
(2010). "History – The 1990s – MetroLink". Bi-State Development Agency (Metro).
(2010). "Procurement Information". Bi-State Development Agency (Metro).
"Front Lines 2015 Map". Utah Transit Authority.
(April 2013). "TRAX and FrontRunner Map". Utah Transit Authority.
(November 25, 2021). "About MTS {{!}} San Diego Metropolitan". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System.
(November 14, 2012). "VTA Facts: Light Rail System Overview". Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA).
(2013). "Light Rail Service – Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority". Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA).
"1 Line – Northgate – Angle Lake". SoundTransit.
"South Bellevue - Redmond Technology". Sound Transit.
"A Better Way to Get Around". Atlanta Streetcar.
(April 30, 2021). "Beleaguered Charlotte streetcar project now projected to open by August".
"CityLYNX Gold Line". Charlotte Area Transit System.
Coolidge, Sharon. (September 9, 2016). "It's a go: Streetcar finally opens". [[The Cincinnati Enquirer]].
(2016). "Design & Route". City of [[Cincinnati]].
Appleton, Roy. (April 14, 2015). "Downtown-Oak Cliff streetcar debuts with speeches, curious riders". [[The Dallas Morning News]].
(2016). "Dallas Streetcar". [[Dallas Area Rapid Transit]].
(August 29, 2016). "Expanded Bishop Arts District Streetcar Service Begins". [[KTVT]].
"About M-1 Rail". M-1 Rail.
(October 6, 2016). "El Paso streetcar project on schedule, on budget". KTSM.
"Kansas City is on the MOVE with the KC Streetcar". KC Downtown Streetcar.
Horsley, Lynn. (May 6, 2016). "After years of planning, setbacks, hard work, KC celebrates streetcar grand opening". [[The Kansas City Star]].
Higgins, Chris. (24 October 2025). "KC Streetcar Main Street extension officially opens. 'A monumental milestone'".
"River Rail – Central Arkansas Transit Authority". [[Central Arkansas Transit Authority]] (CATA).
(2013). "River Rail System Map". [[Central Arkansas Transit Authority]] (CATA).
(2013). "MATA – Memphis Area Transit Authority – Trolley History". [[Memphis Area Transit Authority]] (MATA).
(2013). "MATA – Memphis Area Transit Authority – Trolley Map". [[Memphis Area Transit Authority]] (MATA).
(February 24, 2021). "South Main shop owners ready for new trolley station to open this weekend".
"Oklahoma City Streetcar – EMBARK".
(2012). "Streetcar History | Portland Streetcar". Portland Streetcar, Inc..
Vincent, John M.. (September 8, 2015). "Routes, fares change with expanded streetcar service". Portland Tribune.
"STL Loop Trolley".
"South Lake Union Streetcar". Seattle Streetcar.
"First Hill StreetCar Construction – Frequently Asked Questions". Seattle Streetcar.
"Streetcar Routes". Seattle Streetcar.
Lindblom, Mike. (January 22, 2016). "Seattle's First Hill Streetcar to open Saturday with free rides". The Seattle Times.
(2012). "TECO Line Streetcar System – Streetcar System". TECOline Streetcar System.
(February 2013). "Downtown Network Map". Hillsborough Area Transit Authority (HART).
(May 2022). "Streetcar is now open in Tempe". [[Valley Metro]].
"Why do we need a streetcar? – The streetcar route". Sun Link Tucson Streetcar.
Laris, Michael. (February 27, 2016). "D.C. streetcar makes its first voyages on H Street. 'Is it really happening?'". [[Washington Post]].
(2016). "DC Streetcar – H/Benning". [[District Department of Transportation]] (DDOT).
"National Transit Database (NTD) Glossary | FTA". Federal Transit Administration.
(October 2011). "Technical Criteria and Procedures for Evaluating the Crashworthiness and Occupant Protection Performance of Alternatively Designed Passenger Rail Equipment for Use in Tier I Service".
(2011). "SPRINTER Light Rail Project Beforeand-After Study (2011)".
(2023). "Service Standards and Guidelines".
"A-train {{!}} DCTA".
"East Contra Costa BART Extension FAQ {{!}} Bay Area Rapid Transit".
(July 2019). "Trinity Metro Fact Sheet".
"Arrow {{!}} San Bernardino Redlands Train {{!}} Metrolink".
"Silver Line Regional Rail Project".
"APTA Streetcar and Heritage Trolley Site – Future Systems". [[American Public Transportation Association]] (APTA).
(July 7, 2021). "After decades of fighting and freeways, Orange County is finally getting a streetcar".
(March 10, 2021). "Some Republicans in Congress oppose federal money for OC Streetcar".
(June 30, 2021). "OCTA celebrates 30 years keeping Orange County moving".
Robinson, Alicia. (January 5, 2021). "Busy year ahead in Orange County transportation construction". Orange County Register.
Shaver, Katherine. (January 26, 2022). "Md. board approves $3.4 billion contract to complete Purple Line". The Washington Post.
Metcalf, Andrew. (August 28, 2017). "Officials Break Ground on Long-Awaited Purple Line Project; Construction Immediately Starts". Bethesda Magazine.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

light-rail-in-the-united-states

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Light rail in the United States — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report