Commuter rail

For a treatment specific to North America, see Commuter rail in North America.

A Connex commuter train stands at a platform in Melbourne, Australia.

Commuter rail usually provides rail service between central business districts and commuter towns 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, operating and parking 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 (9 and 111 miles), with operating speeds from 55 to 175 km/h (35 to 110 mph). 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

Elektrichka departing from a station platform in Russia

A double-decker Cityrail train at Sydney Central

A KTM Komuter electric multiple unit at a station in suburban Malaysia.

Most commuter trains are built to heavy rail standards, differing from light rail or rapid transit systems by:

• being larger;
• having (in most cases) a lower frequency of service;
• having scheduled services (i.e. trains run at specific times rather than at specific intervals);
• 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.

Most such trains run on the local standard gauge track. Light rail systems may run on a narrower gauge. Examples of narrow gauge systems are found in Japan, Switzerland and India, and in the Brisbane (Citytrain) and Perth (Transperth) systems in Australia.

In some cases, hybrids between a train and a metro have been created. They run underground in the dense city centres and on surface or elevated tracks in lower-density areas. Examples include the Madrid Cercanías network, the Dublin Area Rapid Transit, the Paris RER, lines 6-8 of the Barcelona Metro, the S-Bahn systems of Berlin, Munich, Vienna and Zürich, the Naples narrow gauge Circumvesuviana, the suburban railway (HÉV) in Budapest, the San Francisco Bay Area BART, Valparaíso Metro and the rail systems of Sydney (CityRail) and Melbourne.

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.

Russian commuter trains, on the other hand, frequently cover areas larger than Belgium itself, although these are still short distances by Russian standards. They have a different ticketing system from long-distance trains, and in cities they often operate from a separate station building.

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 (or every other) bogie. Depending on local circumstances and tradition they may be powered either by diesel engines located below the passenger compartment (diesel multiple units) or by electricity picked up from third rails or overhead lines (electric multiple units). 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.

A Metra push-pull locomotive commuter train approaches a platform in Chicagoland.

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 (pushing or pulling). Trains are often equipped with a "driving van trailer" (DVT), 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

In the U.S. and some other countries, a three-and-two seat plan is used. However, few people sit in the middle seat on these trains because they feel crowded and uncomfortable. [1] It is said one industrial designer for one of New York City's commuter railroads, 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!" [2]

See also

• Cercanías
• Commuter rail in North America
• Commuting
• List of suburban and commuter rail systems
• Noise mitigation
• Rail terminology
• Passenger rail Terminology
• Public transport
• List of rail accidents
• S-Bahn

External links

• Commuter Rail & Transit News Current news concerning commuter rail development and issues
• TimeTable Mobile Open-source train schedule/timetable for PDA and handheld devices