Regional rail
Regional rail or commuter rail usually provide a
rail service between a
central business district and
suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. The
trains providing such services may be termed commuter trains. The development of commuter rail services has become popular today, with the increased public awareness of congestion, dependence on fossil fuels, and other environmental issues, as well as the rising costs of owning and operating automobiles.
Encyclopedia
Regional rail or
commuter rail usually provide a
rail service between a
central business district and
suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. The
trains providing such services may be termed
commuter trains. The development of commuter rail services has become popular today, with the increased public awareness of congestion, dependence on fossil fuels, and other environmental issues, as well as the rising costs of owning and operating automobiles.
Characteristics
Commuter trains are usually optimized for maximum passenger volume, in most cases without sacrificing too much comfort and
luggage space, though they seldom have all the amenities of long-distance trains. The general range of commuter trains varies between 15 and 180 km , with operating speeds from 55 to 175 km/h . Passenger coaches are either single- or
double-level, with a capacity of 80 - 110 passengers for single-level cars and 145 - 170 for double-level cars.
Defining aspects
In general, commuter trains are built to
heavy rail standards, differing from
light rail or
rapid transit systems by:
- being larger;
- having a lower frequency of service;
- having scheduled services ;
- serving lower-density areas, typically by connecting suburbs to the city centre;
- sharing track or right-of-way with intercity or freight trains
Their ability to coexist with freight or intercity services in the same right-of-way can drastically reduce system construction costs. However, frequently they are built with dedicated tracks within that right-of-way to prevent delays.
Generally such trains run on the local standard gauge track. Some broader gauges include 1520/1524 mm , 1600 mm , 1668 mm , 1676 mm . Light rail systems may run on a narrower gauge.
Narrow gauge trains generally run on either 1067 mm track or on metre gauge . Examples of narrow-gauge systems are found in
Japan,
Switzerland and
India, and in the
Brisbane and
Perth systems in
Australia. Ireland uses standard gauge as a "narrow gauge" for its
Luas tram system.
Sweden has also a narrow gauge railroad called
Roslagsbanan. It uses 891mm gauge, which is an old
Swedish standard. The world's largest commuter railway, the
Indian Railways, uses
narrow gauge track for all commuter trains.
In some cases, hybrids between a train and a metro have been created. They run underground in the dense city centres and on ordinary outdoor tracks in lower-density areas. Examples include the
Madrid Cercanías network, in
Dublin the
Dublin Area Rapid Transit, the
Paris RER, lines 6-8 of the
Barcelona Metro, the
S-Bahn systems of
Berlin,
Hamburg,
Frankfurt,
Munich,
Stuttgart, and
Zürich, the suburban railway in
Budapest, MetroValparaíso in
Valparaíso and the rail systems of
Sydney and
Melbourne. In
Hong Kong,
East Rail provides a metro-like service in terms of capacity of its cars , more standees and few seats, and high frequencies, except sharing some of its track with inter-city service.
In some European countries the distinction between commuter trains and long-distance / intercity trains is very hard to make, because of the relatively short distances involved. For example, so called "intercity" trains in
Belgium and
the Netherlands carry many commuters and their equipment, range and speeds are similar to those of commuter trains in some larger countries.
In the United States and Canada, regional passenger rail service is performed by
commuter railroads, which are usually governmental or quasi-governmental agencies.
Train types
Commuter rail trains are usually composed of
multiple units, which are self-propelled, bidirectional, articulated passenger rail cars with driving motors on each
bogie. Depending on local circumstances and tradition they may be powered either by
diesel engines located below the passenger compartment or by electricity picked up from
third rails or
overhead lines ). Multiple units are almost invariably equipped with control cabs at both ends, which is why such units are so frequently used to provide commuter services, due to the associated short turn-around time.
Locomotive hauled services are used in some countries or locations. This is often a case of asset sweating, by using a single large combined fleet for intercity and regional services. Loco hauled services are usually run in
push-pull formation, that is, the train can run with the locomotive at the "front" or "rear" of the train . Trains are often equipped with a "driving van trailer" , a control cab at the other end of the train from the locomotive, allowing the train driver to operate the train from either end. The motive power for locomotive-hauled commuter trains may be either electric or
diesel-electric, although some countries, such as Germany and some of the former Soviet-bloc countries, also use diesel-hydraulic locomotives.
Seat plans
Since regional rail rides are usually within one or two hours, their designers may use every conceivable methods to cram as many passengers as possible. One frequently used seat plan is two rows of facing benches on the right and left sides of the train. This arrangement is uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous. However, it leaves much room for people who stand in the center.
In the U.S. and other countries, a three-and-two seat plan is also used. However, most passengers prefer not to use the middle seat if all other seats are taken. Therefore, people may stand in the passageway rather than taking the middle seat. It is said one industrial designer for
New York City's commuter rail,
Metro-North, told people: "I designed the aisle seat with a half-back and no upholstery, so it will be very uncomfortable to sit there. They'll move in and take the center seat!"
See also
External links
- Current news concerning commuter rail development and issues
- Open-source train schedule/timetable for PDA and handheld devices
