If you’ve ever been to the Atlanta airport, then you’re probably a fan of the Atlanta Plane Train. ATL’s iconic plane train is a lifesaver when you’re trying to make it to your gate on time, but what you might not know is that it’s also one of the busiest transit systems in the country! Keep scrolling for all the details.
Wait… what? The plane train is one of the busiest transit systems in the U.S.?
Actually, yeah. According to a new ranking by The Transit Guy, the ATL Plane Train ranks at #11, and that includes all the public transit systems in the country. Here’s how the transit systems rank:
- MTA NYCT (the subway!)
- LA Metro
- CTA
- WMATA
- MBTA
- New Jersey Transit
- SEPTA
- San Francisco Muni
- MTA Bus Company
- Disney World
- Atlanta’s Plane Train
- Miami-Dade Transit
- King County Metro
- MTA LIRR
- San Diego MTS
How many people does the Atlanta Plane Train carry every day?
Operating 20 hours a day, 365 days a year, the Atlanta Plane Train carries around 250,000 passengers each day. That’s just a couple thousand fewer than the entirety of Disney’s transit system.
The Transit Guy explains the ATL Plane Train:
Atlanta’s autonomous people mover system stretches 2.8 miles, serving eight stations with a single track in each direction, looping tightly at both ends… The line operates with 11 four-car sets of the Innovia APM 100, an automated people mover first developed by Westinghouse, later by Bombardier, and now produced by Alstom. These trains are a global standard: you’ll find them in Houston, Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle, Sacramento, and Tampa.
Does the plane train carry more people than MARTA?
It might sound shocking, but yes. The ATL Plane Train carries more people than MARTA, Atlanta’s city-wide transit system. (Which also carries passengers directly into the ATL Airport!)
So when you ride the Plane Train in Hartsfield-Jackson, you’re riding one of the busiest public transit systems in the country… probably without even knowing it!