Commuter rail

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Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns.[1][2][3] Commuter rail systems are considered heavy rail, using electric or diesel trains.[2] Distance charges or zone pricing may be used.

The term can refer to systems with a wide variety of different features and service frequencies, but is often used in contrast to rapid transit or light rail.

Some services share similarities with both commuter rail and high-frequency rapid transit; examples being the German S-Bahn in some cities, the Réseau Express Régional (RER) in Paris, the S Lines in Milan, many Japanese commuter systems, the East Rail line in Hong Kong and some Australasian suburban networks, such as Sydney Trains. Some services, like British commuter rail, share tracks with other passenger services and freight.

In North America, commuter rail sometimes refers only to systems that primarily operate during peak periods and offer little to no service for the rest of the day, with regional rail being used to refer to systems that offer all-day service.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ Transportation Research Board (1989). "Urban Public Transportation Glossary" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-10-12.
  2. ^ a b American Public Transit Association (1994). "Glossary of Transit Terminology" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-10-12.
  3. ^ "National Transit Database Glossary". 2013-11-13. Archived from the original on 2013-11-13. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  4. ^ "What American Commuter Rail Can Learn From Paris". Streetsblog USA. 2017-02-13. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  5. ^ Blumgart, Jake (23 April 2021). "Taking the 'Commuter' Out of America's Rail Systems". Governing. e.Republic LLC. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  6. ^ Spieler, Christof (24 Aug 2021). Trains, Buses, People, Second Edition: An Opinionated Atlas of US and Canadian Transit. Island Press. p. 54. ISBN 9781642832136.