This interactive guide presents data from the Wikipedia article on United States rapid transit systems. Read the full source article here. (opens in new tab)

Urban Arteries

An analytical overview of the United States' heavy rail rapid transit networks, detailing their scale, reach, and operational significance.

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Introduction to U.S. Rapid Transit

National Network Overview

The United States boasts a complex and vital network of heavy rail rapid transit systems, forming the backbone of urban mobility in major metropolitan areas. These systems are crucial for connecting communities, facilitating economic activity, and reducing traffic congestion.

Data Foundation

This analysis is based on data compiled by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), providing insights into annual and daily ridership, system length, and operational metrics. It focuses exclusively on heavy rail systems, distinguishing them from light rail and bus services.

Understanding the Metrics

It is important to note that "ridership" figures represent the total number of unlinked passenger trips. This means transfers between lines within the same system are counted as separate trips, offering a measure of system usage rather than unique passenger counts.

Major Rapid Transit Systems

System Data Table

The following table provides a comprehensive overview of the largest heavy rail rapid transit systems across the United States, ranked by annual ridership. Data reflects recent reporting periods, offering a snapshot of system scale and performance.

Rank System Agency Area Served Annual Ridership
(2024)		 Avg. Weekday Ridership
(Q2 2025)		 System Length
(km)		 Avg. Boardings per Mile
(Q2 2025)		 Opened Stations Lines
1 New York City Subway NYCTA New York City 2,040,132,000 7,434,700 399 29,979 1904 472 26
2 Washington Metro WMATA Washington, DC metropolitan area 166,654,000 668,000 208 5,178 1976 98 6
3 Chicago "L" CTA Chicago 127,463,400 422,200 165.4 4,107 1892 146 8
4 MBTA subway ("the T")
(Blue, Orange, Red lines)		 MBTA Boston 84,251,600 304,900 61 8,024 1901 53 3
5 PATH PANYNJ Manhattan, Hudson County, Newark 62,489,400 221,900 22.2 16,080 1908 13 4
6 SEPTA Metro
(L, B, and M lines)		 SEPTA Philadelphia 59,009,800 219,000 59.1 5,967 1907 75 3
7 Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) BART San Francisco Bay Area 49,075,000 174,100 211.5 1,462 1972 50 7
8 MARTA rail MARTA Atlanta 29,416,400 96,100 76.6 2,019 1979 38 4
9 Metro Rail
(B and D lines)		 LACMTA Los Angeles 22,471,200 62,000 28.0 3,563 1993 16 2
10 Metrorail Miami-Dade Transit Miami 14,911,300 53,200 39.3 2,180 1984 23 2
11 PATCO Speedline PATCO Philadelphia, Camden County 5,640,600 19,400 22.9 1,366 1936 14 1
12 Baltimore Metro SubwayLink MTA Baltimore 5,487,000 15,000 24.9 970 1983 14 1
13 Staten Island Railway SIRTOA Staten Island 4,743,000 19,300 23 1,379 1860 21 1
14 Tren Urbano ATI San Juan, Puerto Rico 4,438,400 14,400 17.2 1,346 2004 16 1
15 RTA Rapid Transit
(Red Line)		 GCRTA Cleveland 3,151,500 8,900 31 468 1955 18 1
16 Skyline Honolulu DTS Honolulu 614,800 3,700 17.4 343 2023 9 1

Key Performance Indicators

Annual Ridership Leaders

The New York City Subway stands unparalleled in annual ridership, serving over 2 billion passenger trips. This highlights its critical role in the region's transportation infrastructure.

  • 1. New York City Subway: 2,040,132,000
  • 2. Washington Metro: 166,654,000
  • 3. Chicago "L": 127,463,400
  • 4. MBTA subway: 84,251,600
  • 5. PATH: 62,489,400

System Length and Density

New York City's subway system also leads in length, spanning approximately 399 km. However, systems like PATH and Chicago's "L" demonstrate high average boardings per mile, indicating significant passenger density on their networks.

Longest Systems (approx. km):

  • New York City Subway: 399 km
  • Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART): 211.5 km
  • Washington Metro: 208 km

Highest Avg. Boardings per Mile (Q2 2025):

  • New York City Subway: 29,979
  • PATH: 16,080
  • Chicago "L": 4,107

Historical Context

The origins of rapid transit in the U.S. trace back to the 19th century, with Chicago's "L" opening in 1892 and New York City's subway in 1904. More recent expansions, like Honolulu's Skyline in 2023, show the continued evolution of urban rail infrastructure.

Earliest Systems:

  • Staten Island Railway: 1860
  • Chicago "L": 1892
  • New York City Subway: 1904

Most Recent Systems:

  • Skyline (Honolulu): 2023
  • Tren Urbano (San Juan): 2004
  • Metro Rail (Los Angeles): 1993

Important Notes

Data Specificity

The provided data pertains exclusively to heavy rail rapid transit systems. Light rail, commuter rail, and bus services are excluded from these statistics, as detailed in the source article.

System Overlap Clarifications

Certain entries include notes clarifying scope. For instance, the MBTA subway data excludes light rail lines, and BART's figures do not encompass its Airport Connector or eBART lines. These distinctions are crucial for accurate interpretation.

Ridership Definition

Annual and weekday ridership figures represent unlinked passenger trips. This metric counts each boarding as a separate trip, providing a measure of overall system usage rather than unique passenger counts.

References

Source Data

The information presented herein is derived from the Wikipedia article "List of United States rapid transit systems." Specific citations and data points are managed programmatically.

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References

References

  1.  Agency is a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
  2.  System also includes light rail lines. Ridership data for such lines is not included in statistics given.
  3.  Figures only include BART's five rapid transit lines, and not the system's AGT line to Oakland Airport nor the eBART line.
A full list of references for this article are available at the List of United States rapid transit systems Wikipedia page

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Disclaimer

Important Notice

This page was generated by an Artificial Intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The content is based on a snapshot of publicly available data from Wikipedia and may not be entirely accurate, complete, or up-to-date.

This is not professional transportation planning advice. The data presented, particularly ridership and operational statistics, is subject to change and may reflect specific reporting periods. For the most current and official information, consult the respective transit agencies and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

The creators of this page are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any actions taken based on the information provided herein.