This is a list of North American rapid transit systems by ridership. These heavy rail or rapid transit systems are also known as metro or subway systems. This list of systems in North America does not include light rail, even when they are integrated with heavy rail. Daily and annual ridership figures are based on "average weekday unlinked passenger trips" (where transfers between lines are counted as two separate passenger "boardings" or "trips"), unless otherwise indicated (e.g., Mexico City and Monterrey, whose figures are the average for all days, not just weekdays). For metro systems in the United States (including Puerto Rico) and Canada, the annual ridership figures for 2019 and average weekday ridership figures for the Fourth Quarter (Q4) of 2019 come from the American Public Transportation Association's (APTA) ridership reports statistics,[1] unless otherwise noted. Ridership figures for Mexico come from Banco de Información Económica's INEGI reports for the year 2014.[2] Ridership figures for the Dominican Republic come from the Directorate of Operations Santo Domingo Metro report for the year 2013.[3]

System Country City/area
served
Annual
ridership
(2019)[1][2]
Avg. daily
weekday
boardings
(Q4 2019)[1][2]
System
length
Avg. daily
boardings
per mile
(Q4 2019)
Year
opened
Stations Lines
1 New York City Subway  USA New York City 2,723,960,100 9,117,400 248 miles (399 km)[4] 36,764 1904[note 1] 472[5] 24[5]
2 Mexico City Metro  Mexico Mexico City 1,591,984,000[note 2][needs update] 4,361,600[note 3][needs update] 140.75 miles (226.5 km)[6] 30,984 1969 195[7] 12[7]
3 São Paulo Metropolitan Trains Company  BRA São Paulo 867,700,000[8] 2,900,000[8] 273 km (169.6 mi)[8] 10,622 1992[8] 94[8] 7[8] 2019
4 Caracas Metro  VEN Caracas 484,600,000[9] 3,300,000 52.4 km (32.6 mi) 25,337 1983 48 4 2019
5 Santiago Metro  CHI Santiago 670,100,000[10] 2,200,000[11] 140 km (87.0 mi) 17,255 1975 136 7 2019
6 Toronto subway[note 4]  Canada Toronto 474,483,300 1,602,300 47.8 miles (76.9 km)[12] 33,520 1954[12] 75[12] 4[12]
7 MetrôRio  BRA Rio de Janeiro 401,500,000[13] 1,100,000 58 km (36.0 mi) 26,830 1979 35 2 2012
8 Subte  ARG Buenos Aires 365,000,000[14] 1,000,000[15] 54.9 km (34.1 mi) 18,214 1913 87 6 2019
9 Medellín Metro  COL Medellín 206,101,000[16] 530,000[17] 31.3 km (19.4 mi) 16,933 1995 27 2 2018
4 Montreal Metro  Canada Montreal 400,280,900 1,421,200 43 miles (69 km)[18] 33,051 1966 68 4
5 Washington Metro  USA Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area 237,701,100 816,700 129 miles (208 km)[19] 6,532 1976[19] 97[19] 6
6 Chicago 'L'  USA Chicago 218,467,000 695,300 102.8 miles (165.4 km)[20] 7,001 1892[20] 145[20] 8[20]
7 Metrorrey  Mexico Monterrey 180,818,000[note 2][needs update] 512,100[note 3][needs update] 25 miles (40 km)[21] 25,605 1991[22] 40[21] 3[21]
10 Lima Metro  PER Lima 124,134,820 [23] 554,000 [24] 34.6 km (21.5 mi) 10,250 1990/2011 26 1 12/2014
11 Sistema de Tren Eléctrico Urbano  MEX Guadalajara 103,649,000[25] 283,970[25] 47 km (29.2 mi)[26] 10,000 1989 48 3 2018
12 Recife Metro  BRA Recife 79,600,000[27] 285,000 44.2 km (27.5 mi) 6,448 1985 30 4 2012
8 SkyTrain  Canada Vancouver 165,104,000[28] 495,800[citation needed] 49.4 miles (79.5 km)[29] 10,036 1985 53[29] 3[29]
9 MBTA subway[note 5]
(Blue, Orange, and Red Lines)
 USA Boston 152,339,700 475,300 38 miles (61 km)[30] 13,408 1901 53[30] 4[30]
10 BART  USA San Francisco
Bay Area
123,510,100 421,100 131.4 miles (211.5 km)[31] 4,006 1972[31] 48[31] 6[32]
11 SEPTA[33][34][note 5]
(Broad Street (Orange),
Market–Frankford (Blue), and Norristown High Speed Lines)
 USA Philadelphia 90,240,800 329,200 36.7 miles (59.1 km)[33][35] 8,929 1907 75[34] 3[34]
12 PATH  USA Jersey City, Newark, NJ 90,276,600 306,700 13.8 miles (22.2 km)[36] 22,464 1908 13[37] 5[37]
13 MARTA  USA Atlanta 63,998,500 48 miles (77 km)[38] 4,288 1979 38[38] 4
14 Panama Metro  Panama Panama City n/a 180,000[39][needs update] 22.9 miles (36.9 km)[40] 21,176 2014 12[41] 1[41]
15 Santo Domingo Metro  Dominican Republic Santo Domingo 61,270,054[3][needs update] 177,844[3]
[note 3][needs update]
17.0 miles (27.4 km)[42][43] 10,461 2009 30[42][43] 2[42][43]
15 Trensurb  BRA Porto Alegre 62,000,000[44] 170,000 39 km (24.2 mi) 4,359 1985 19 1 2011
16 Belo Horizonte Metro  BRA Belo Horizonte 57,419,280[45] 157,300 28.1 km (17.5 mi) 5,598 1986 19 1 2012
17 Federal District Metro  BRA Brasília 54,750,000[46] 150,000 42.4 km (26.3 mi) 3,538 2001 24 2 2009
18 Xochimilco Light Rail  MEX Mexico City 21,000,000[47] 57,534 12.8 km (8.0 mi) 4,495 1986 18 1 2007
19 Valparaíso Metro  CHI Valparaíso 20,120,000[48] 55,123 43 km (26.7 mi)[48] 1,096 2005 20 1 2013
20 Valencia Metro  VEN Valencia 17,200,000[49] 62,000 6.2 km (3.9 mi) 10,000 2006 7 1 2012
21 Los Teques Metro[note 6]  VEN Los Teques/Caracas 13,000,000[50] 35,616 10.2 km (6.3 mi) 3,490 2006 3 1 08/2013
16 Metro Rail[note 5]
(B and D Lines)
 USA Los Angeles 41,775,100 130,900 17.4 miles (28.0 km)[51] 7,994 1993[51] 16[51] 2[51]
17 Miami Metrorail  USA Miami 18,073,100 62,600 24.9 miles (40.1 km)[52] 2,723 1984 23[52] 2
18 PATCO Speedline  USA Philadelphia 11,107,500 38,400 14.2 miles (22.9 km)[53] 2,732 1936[53] 13[53] 1[53]
19 Staten Island Railway  USA New York City 7,741,000 18,500 14.0 miles (22.5 km)[4] 2,100 1860 22[4] 1[4]
20 Baltimore Metro Subway[note 5]  USA Baltimore 7,325,500 36,600 15.5 miles (24.9 km)[54] 884 1983 14[54] 1[54]
21 RTA Rapid Transit[note 5]
(Red Line)
 USA Cleveland 5,958,000 15,900 19 miles (31 km)[55] 1,000 1955 18[55] 1[55]
22 Tren Urbano  Puerto Rico (USA) San Juan 5,233,900 20,300 10.7 miles (17.2 km) 1,963 2004 16 1 23 Maracaibo Metro  VEN Maracaibo 9,000,000[56] 42,000 6.5 km (4.0 mi) 3,490 2006 6 1 2011
24 Teresina Metro[note 7]  BRA Teresina 4,300,000[57] 12,000 14.5 km (9.0 mi) 828 1989 9 1 2009
25 Fortaleza Metro  BRA Fortaleza n/a n/a 43 km (26.7 mi) n/a 2012 28 2 n/a
26 Metrotranvía Mendoza  ARG Mendoza n/a n/a 12.5 km (7.8 mi) n/a 2012 26 1 n/a
27 Salvador Metro  BRA Salvador n/a 300,000 (Projected) 30 km (18.6 mi) n/a 2014 19 2 n/a
28 Maceió Metro  BRA Maceió n/a 40,000 (Projected) 32 km (19.9 mi) n/a 1997 n/a 1 n/a
29 Cariri Metro[note 7]  BRA CratoJuazeiro n/a 5,000 13.9 km (8.6 mi) 360 2009 9 1 n/a
30 Quito Metro  ECU Quito n/a n/a 22 km (13.7 mi) n/a 2023 15 1 2022
For a given population size, Mexican and Canadian cities tend to have higher public transit usage.
Note: This data goes beyond rapid transit and encompasses all public transport, including modes such as buses.
  1. ^ a b c "American Public Transportation Association Q4 2019 Ridership Report" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 20, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Banco de Información Económica – Instituto Nactional De Estadística Y Geografía – Comunicaciones y transportes". Instituto Nactional De Estadística Y Geografía (INEGI). March 2015. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  3. ^ a b c "Informe de Evolución de la Demanda Diciembre 2014" [Report on Changes in Demand December 2014] (PDF) (in Spanish). Dirección de Operaciones Metro de Santo Domingo [Directorate of Operations Santo Domingo Metro]. January 7, 2015. p. 7. Archived from the original (pdf) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-01 – via http://opret.gob.do/Transparencia/Estadisticas.aspx. {{cite web}}: External link in |via= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d "Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2018" (pdf). Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). June 26, 2019. p. 156. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  5. ^ a b "The MTA Network – New York City Transit at a Glance". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
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  7. ^ a b "Datos de operacion" [Operational data] (in Spanish). Metro de la Ciudad de Mexico. Archived from the original on 2013-10-14. Retrieved 2013-10-12.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Número de passageiros transportados pela CPTM cresce menos em 2019" (in Portuguese). 7 April 2020.
  9. ^ ".:Sistema Metro - Histórico Pasajeros Transportados". Archived from the original on 2013-07-30. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  10. ^ https://www.metrosantiago.cl/files/documentos/memoria2016/memoria-anual-2016.pdf [bare URL PDF]
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  13. ^ "Página não encontrada" (PDF).
  14. ^ José Luis Brea (11 April 2014). "La Ciudad contrató al subte de París para mejorar el servicio". La Nación.
  15. ^ Aumentó un 12% la cantidad de usuarios que usan el subte a diario - La Nacion, 7 May 2015.
  16. ^ "Boletín Técnico Encuesta de Transporte Urbano de Pasajeros (ETUP) Cuarto trimestre de 2018" (PDF). National Administrative Department of Statistics. 2019-03-01. p. 14. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  17. ^ "¿Hasta cuándo aguantará la capacidad del metro de Medellín?". El Colombiano (in Spanish). 2015-09-01.
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  21. ^ a b c "Inauguran Lína 3 del Metro en Monterrey; durí ocho años su conclusión". Hoy Tamaulipas (in Spanish). 28 February 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  22. ^ "Sistema de Transporte Colectivo – Metrorrey – Historia" [System of Collective Transport – Metrorrey – History] (in Spanish). Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metrorrey. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  23. ^ [1] Informe Anual de la concesion pg13
  24. ^ Video of the ATU new daily ridership YouTube.com.
  25. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference BIE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  27. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2013-11-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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  31. ^ a b c "BART – System Facts". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  32. ^ "BART – Schedules By Line". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-31.
  33. ^ a b "SEPTA – Media Guide" (pdf). Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. 2013. Retrieved 2017-05-19.
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  38. ^ a b "System Updates". Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). August 5, 2011. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
  39. ^ "Metro cambia patrones de consumo en Panamá" [Metro changing consumption patterns in Panama]. Capital Financiero (in Spanish). March 23, 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  40. ^ "Conoce la Línea 1 del Metro de Panamá" [Meet Line 1 of the Panama Metro] (in Spanish). Metro de Panamá. 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-05-03. Retrieved 2014-08-31.
  41. ^ a b "Línea 1 Conoce los accesos a sus estaciones" [Line 1 Explore access to stations] (PDF) (in Spanish). Metro de Panamá. Archived from the original (pdf) on 2015-02-13. Retrieved 2014-08-31.
  42. ^ a b c "Línea 1" [Line 1] (in Spanish). Oficina para el Reordenamiento de Transporte (OPRET). Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  43. ^ a b c "Línea 2 – 1ra Etapa" [Line 2 – 1st Stage] (in Spanish). Oficina para el Reordenamiento de Transporte (OPRET). Archived from the original on 2013-09-30. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  44. ^ "A Linha Férrea".
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  48. ^ a b "XIX Memoria Anual 2013" [2013 Annual Report] (PDF) (in Spanish). Metro Valparaíso S.A. pp. 16, 22. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
  49. ^ Administrator. "Historia". Archived from the original on 2010-07-27. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  50. ^ "C.A. Metro Los Teques".
  51. ^ a b c d "Facts at a Glance". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA). August 12, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  52. ^ a b "Miami-Dade Transit – Metrorail". Miami-Dade County. March 28, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  53. ^ a b c d "PATCO – A History of Commitment". PATCO. 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  54. ^ a b c "Visitors Ride Guide" (pdf). Maryland Transit Administration. Retrieved 2013-07-14 – via http://mta.maryland.gov/content/visitors. {{cite web}}: External link in |via= (help)
  55. ^ a b c "2013 Annual Report – RTA Facts". Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. October 31, 2013. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  56. ^ "Metro de Maracaibo estima movilizar 42 mil usuarios diarios estas navidades". Archived from the original on 2013-06-17. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
  57. ^ "Metrô de Teresina é o que transporta menos usuários | Clica Piauí". Archived from the original on 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2013-11-06.


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