Atlanta’s 2.8-mile Plane Train quietly moves more people each day than most American transit systems, and might be the most efficient rail line in the Western Hemisphere.

Now for the most impressive part: the Plane Train operates 20 hours a day, 365 days a year, and moves around 250,000 passengers daily. For comparison, MARTA, Atlanta’s entire rapid rail network (which connects directly to the airport), moves about 90,000 riders per day.

Here’s the kicker: 46 U.S. states have fewer total daily rail riders than this 2.8-mile airport train in suburban Atlanta.

To be clear, Texas, the second-largest state in the country, has fewer people riding rail each day than this short, underground people mover.

Not quite regular public transit, but interesting nonetheless.

Archive link (note that this didn’t capture some elements, like the table listing the busiest transit systems in the US): https://web.archive.org/web/20251111002217/https://thetransitguy.substack.com/p/the-busiest-rail-line-youve-never