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Regional rail

Regional rail or commuter rail usually provide a rail service Rail transport

Rail transport is the transport [i] of passenger [i]s and goods [i] along railways or ... 

 between a central business district Central business district

A Central business district or downtown [i] is a commercial heart of a city. ... 

 and suburbs Suburb

Suburbs are inhabited districts located either inside a town or city [i]'s outer rim or just outside its ... 

 or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. The train Train

In rail transport [i], a train consists of rail vehicles that move along guides to transport freight or ... 

s 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.

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Encyclopedia


Regional rail or commuter rail usually provide a rail service Rail transport

Rail transport is the transport [i] of passenger [i]s and goods [i] along railways or ... 

 between a central business district Central business district

A Central business district or downtown [i] is a commercial heart of a city.... 

 and suburbs Suburb

Suburbs are inhabited districts located either inside a town or city [i]'s outer rim or just outside its ... 

 or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. The train Train

In rail transport [i], a train consists of rail vehicles that move along guides to transport freight or ... 

s 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 Luggage

Baggage can be synonymous with "luggage", or can refer to the train of people and goods, both military a... 

 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 Double decker

A double-decker is a bus [i], aeroplane [i], train [i], tram [i], ferry [i] or any p ... 

, 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 Light rail

Light rail or light rapid transit is a form of urban rail transit [i] that typically uses less ma ... 

 or rapid transit Rapid transit

A rapid transit, underground, subway, tube, elevated, or metro(politan) sy... 

 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 Narrow gauge

Narrow-gauge railways are railways or railroads [i] where the distance between the two pa ... 

 trains generally run on either 1067 mm track or on metre gauge . Examples of narrow-gauge systems are found in Japan Japan

is an island country [i] in East Asia [i]. ... 

, Switzerland Switzerland

Switzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked [i] Alpine country [i] in Central Europe [i] ... 

 and India India

India , officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia [i]. ... 

, and in the Brisbane Brisbane

[i] and most populous city of the [[Australia]... 

  and Perth Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital [i] of the Australian [i] state [i] ... 

 systems in Australia Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere [i] c ... 

. Ireland uses standard gauge as a "narrow gauge" for its Luas Luas

Luas, also promoted in the development stage as the Dublin Light Rail System, currently encompasse... 

 tram system. Sweden Sweden

The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country [i] in Scandinavia [i]. ... 

 has also a narrow gauge railroad called Roslagsbanan Roslagsbanan

Roslagsbanan is an 891 mm narrow-gauge [i] suburban railway [i] system in Stockholm County [i], Sweden [i] ... 

. It uses 891mm gauge, which is an old Swedish Sweden

The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country [i] in Scandinavia [i]. ... 

 standard. The world's largest commuter railway, the Indian Railways Indian Railways

Indian Railways is the state-owned [i] railway [i] company of India [i].... 

, uses narrow gauge Narrow gauge

Narrow-gauge railways are railways or railroads [i] where the distance between the two pa ... 

 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 Madrid

Madrid is the capital [i] of Spain. ... 

 Cercanías Cercanías

... 

 network, in Dublin Dublin

Dublin is the capital [i] and the largest city of the Republic of Ireland [i] , located near the midpoi... 

 the Dublin Area Rapid Transit Dublin Area Rapid Transit

The Dublin Area Rapid Transit is part of the suburban railway network [i] in Dublin [i] ... 

, the Paris Paris

native_name = Ville de Paris
|common_name = Paris
... 

 RER RER

The RER is an urban rail [i] network in Paris [i] and its agglomeration.
... 

, lines 6-8 of the Barcelona Metro Barcelona Metro

The Barcelona Metro, part of the mass transit [i] public transport [i] system of Barcelona [i], Catalonia [i] ... 

, the S-Bahn S-Bahn

The S-Bahn is a suburban metro [i] railway [i] network in Germany [i], Austria [i] and Switzerland [i]. ... 

 systems of Berlin Berlin

Berlin is the capital [i] city and a state [i] of Germany [i]. ... 

, Hamburg Hamburg

Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany [i] and with Hamburg Harbour [i], its principal port, Ham ... 

, Frankfurt Frankfurt

For the capital of the U.S.... 

, Munich Munich

colspan="2" bgcolor="BBDDFF" | Munich
... 

, Stuttgart Stuttgart

Stuttgart [], a city [i] located in southern Germany [i], is the capital of the state of Baden-Wrttemberg [i] ... 

, and Zürich Zürich

Zrich is the largest city in Switzerland [i] and capital [i] of the canton of Zrich [i]. ... 

, the suburban railway in Budapest Budapest

Budapest is the capital [i] city of Hungary [i] and the country's principal political [i]... 

, MetroValparaíso in Valparaíso Valparaíso

Valparaso is arguably the most important Chilean seaport and cultural center.... 

  and the rail systems of Sydney Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia [i] with a metropolitan area [i] population of over 4.2 m ... 

  and Melbourne Melbourne

Melbourne is the state capital [i] and largest city in the Australian ... 

. In Hong Kong Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is one of the two special administrative regions [i] ... 

, East Rail KCR East Rail

The East Rail is one of three lines of the KCR [i] network in Hong Kong [i]. ... 

 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 Belgium

The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe [i] bordered by the Netherlands [i] ... 

 and the Netherlands Netherlands

The Netherlands is the Europe [i]an part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands [i] , which is formed ... 

 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 Commuter rail in North America

Commuter rail [i] services in the United States [i], Canada [i], and soon Mexico [i] provide common carrier [i] ... 

, which are usually governmental or quasi-governmental agencies.

Train types

Commuter rail trains are usually composed of multiple unit Multiple unit

A multiple unit is a passenger train [i] whose carriages [i] have their own motor [i] ... 

s, which are self-propelled, bidirectional, articulated passenger rail cars with driving motors on each bogie Bogie

A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley.... 

. Depending on local circumstances and tradition they may be powered either by diesel engines Diesel engine

The diesel engine is a type of internal combustion engine [i]; more specifically, it is a compression ... 

 located below the passenger compartment or by electricity picked up from third rail Third rail

A third rail is a method of providing electricity [i] to power a railway [i], typically a ... 

s or overhead lines Overhead lines

Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy [i] to tram [i]s, trolleybus [i] ... 

 ). 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 Push-pull train

Push-pull is a mode of operation for locomotive [i]-hauled train [i]s. ... 

 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 Diesel

Diesel or diesel fuel is a specific fractional distillate [i] of fuel oil [i] ... 

-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 Transportation in New York City

The transportation system of New York City [i] is one of the most complex of any city in the United States [i] ... 

 commuter rail, Metro-North Metro-North Railroad

The Metro-North Railroad is a suburban [i] commuter railroad [i] service between New York City [i] ... 

, 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

  • Cercanías Cercanías

    ... 

  • Commuter rail in North America Commuter rail in North America

    Commuter rail [i] services in the United States [i], Canada [i], and soon Mexico [i] provide common carrier [i] ... 

  • List of suburban and commuter rail systems
  • Noise mitigation Noise mitigation

    Noise mitigation is a set of strategies to reduce unwanted environmental sound.... 

  • Rail terminology Rail terminology

    Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology [i]. ... 

  • Passenger rail Terminology
  • Public transport Public transport

    Public transport, public transportation, public transit or mass transit comprises all ... 

  • Terrorist attacks on railway systems
    • Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway

      The Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, usually referred to in the Japan [i]ese media as the ???????? ... 

       March 11
    • 1995 Islamist terror bombings in France July August and October
    • March 11, 2004 Madrid attacks
    • 7 July 2005 London bombings

External links

  • Current news concerning commuter rail development and issues
  • Open-source train schedule/timetable for PDA and handheld devices