Commuter rail

Commuter rail, also called suburban rail, is a train service that helps people travel in a big city area. It links the city center to towns and suburbs farther away. These trains may use a special engine or run on electricity or diesel fuel.

Commuter rail systems differ from subways or city trains because they often travel longer distances between the city and areas outside. Some systems, like the S-Bahn in Germany or the RER in Paris, have features of both commuter rail and city trains. Many of these trains share tracks with other trains, including those that carry goods.

In places like North America, commuter rail often runs mostly during busy times when many people are going to or from work, while other systems might run all day. These trains make it easier for people to live outside the city but still travel to work or other places inside the city.

Characteristics

Most commuter or suburban trains are built for main railway lines. They are different from light rail or metro systems because they are larger and have more seats for sitting. They run less often and follow a schedule with specific departure times.

Mumbai Suburban Railway carries more than 7.24 million commuters daily

Commuter trains often connect suburbs to city centers, sharing tracks with long-distance or freight trains. They may skip some stops to help people get to places faster. These trains usually cover distances between 15 and 200 kilometers, with stations farther apart than in city centers. Some systems use special tracks just for suburban trains in busy areas.

Commuter rail services are different from metro systems, which cover smaller areas close to city centers with very frequent stops. Regional rail connects towns and cities outside major areas, stopping at many stations. In some places, high-speed trains are also used by daily commuters traveling long distances.

Train types

Commuter or suburban trains are made to carry lots of people. They don’t have as many comfortable features as trains that go long distances. They usually have seats for everyone, but not much space for bags.

An electric multiple unit at Treviglio, on Milan suburban line S5

Commuter trains can be made of special cars that can move on their own, called multiple units. These cars have motors and can be powered by electricity from wires above or below the tracks, or by diesel engines. Because these cars can drive from either end, they are great for quick trips back and forth.

Some places use trains pulled or pushed by a single big engine. These trains can run with the engine at the front or the back, and they also have a control area at the other end so the driver can steer from either place. The engine can be electric or diesel-powered.

An Altamont Corridor Express train operating along the San Francisco Bay; a MPI F40PH-2C locomotive hauls a consist of Bombardier BiLevel Coaches.

In some countries like the US, seats are arranged in rows of three and two, but the middle seats are not very popular because people feel squished.

In places like Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia, seats are lined up along the sides of the train to fit more people during busy times. Some of these trains have benches that can be folded up to make more space for standing passengers, especially on long trips.

Commuter rail systems around the world

Africa

Asia

East Asia

In Japan, commuter rail systems have extensive networks and frequent service. Japanese commuter rail often works like a metro system, with frequent trains and short station spacings. Many systems connect with city-center subway lines. Japanese commuter rail commonly uses different stopping patterns to reduce travel time. Larger systems are owned and operated by private railway companies.

East Japan Railway Company operates a large suburban train network in Tokyo with lines connecting suburban areas to the city center. Services like the Yamanote Line, Keihin Tohoku Line, and Chūō–Sōbu Line serve inner suburbs, while others like the Chūō Rapid Line, Sōbu Rapid Line/Yokosuka Line, and Ueno–Tokyo Line connect outer suburbs through central Tokyo.

Other commuter rail routes in Japan include:

Hanshin Namba Line and Kintetsu Namba Line connect trains from Hanshin Electric Railway and Kintetsu Railway to Namba, a major commercial center in Osaka.
Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line allows Hankyu services from the Senri Line, Kyoto Main Line and Arashiyama Line to enter Osaka city center.
JR West Tozai Line allows trains from the Kobe Line, Takarazuka Line and Gakkentoshi Line to access Umeda in central Osaka.
JR West Osaka Loop Line is a loop line that allows services from the Yamatoji Line, Hanwa Line, and Sakurajima Line to loop around central Osaka.
JR West Kobe Line/Kyoto Line is a corridor allowing services from Biwako Line, Kosei Line, Takarazuka Line, San'yō Main Line and Akō Line to serve Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe.
A special private railway Kōbe Rapid Transit Railway owns corridors that allow Sanyo Electric Railway, Hankyu railway, Hanshin Electric Railway, and Kobe Electric Railway services to enter and cross Kobe city center.
Most trains on the Meitetsu network operate on a high-frequency trunk line on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line, branching out to other lines on the other side of Nagoya.

Commuter rail systems operate in cities in China such as Beijing, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Changsha and the Pearl River Delta. The level of service varies, but more developed lines like the Guangshen Railway offer frequent service.

The MTR lines owned by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (East Rail line and Tuen Ma line), and MTR's own Tung Chung line connect new towns in New Territories with the city centre Kowloon. They use trains with higher speeds and longer stop spacing, and run frequently.

In Taiwan, the Western line in the Taipei-Taoyuan Metropolitan Area, Taichung Metropolitan Area and Tainan-Kaohsiung Metropolitan Area, as well as the Neiwan-Liujia line in the Hsinchu Area, are considered commuter rail.

In South Korea, the Seoul Metropolitan Subway has lines that serve suburban areas, especially those operated by Korail like the Gyeongui-Jungang Line, Gyeongchun Line, Suin-Bundang Line, and Gyeonggang Line. Other lines like the AREX Line, Seohae Line, and Shinbundang Line also function as commuter rail. Some "numbered lines" of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway extend outside the city.

In Busan, the Donghae Line, part of the Busan Metro system, mostly functions as a commuter rail line.

Southeast Asia

In Indonesia, the KRL Commuterline is the largest commuter rail system, serving the Greater Jakarta. It connects Jakarta with surrounding cities and suburbs. Other systems include the Metro Surabaya Commuter Line, Commuter Line Baraya, Yogyakarta–Solo Line, Kedung Sepur, and the Sri Lelawangsa.

In the Philippines, the Philippine National Railways operates commuter rail systems in the Greater Manila Area and the Bicol Region. A new line in Metro Manila is under construction.

In Malaysia, Keretapi Tanah Melayu operates commuter services in Kuala Lumpur and the George Town Conurbation, Perak, Kedah and Perlis.

A Metrorail train pulling out to Fish Hoek station in Cape Town

In Thailand, the Greater Bangkok Commuter rail and the Airport Rail Link serve the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. The SRT Red Lines in Bangkok started construction in 2009 and opened in 2021.

Another commuter rail system in Southeast Asia is the Yangon Circular Railway in Myanmar.

South Asia

In India, commuter rail systems are important in major cities. Mumbai Suburban Railway is the oldest, while Kolkata Suburban Railway and Chennai Suburban Railway also serve many people. Other systems include Hyderabad MMTS, Delhi Suburban Railway, Pune Suburban Railway, and Lucknow-Kanpur Suburban Railway.

In Bangladesh, there is the Chittagong Circular Railway. Another, the Dhaka Circular Railway, is proposed.

Karachi in Pakistan has a circular railway since 1969.

West Asia

In Israel, Israel Railways is the largest commuter rail system, serving many areas.

Tehran Metro operates a commuter line between Tehran and Karaj.^{[citation needed]}

Turkey has commuter rail in Ankara, Izmir, Istanbul and Gaziantep.^{[citation needed]}

Europe

Major metropolitan areas in most European countries have extensive commuter rail systems. Examples include BG Voz in Belgrade, S-Bahn in Germany and Austria, Proastiakos in Greece, RER in France and Belgium, and CP Urban Services in Portugal.

Western Europe

London has multiple commuter rail routes:

The Elizabeth line runs on a tunnel under central London.
Thameslink brings together branches from northern and southern suburbs into a central tunnel.
The London Overground serves inner suburbs with independent lines. The Watford DC line uses a third rail but parallels a main line with overhead wires. The East London line and North London line run at metro-like frequencies.
The Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground, links the City of London to towns outside Greater London like Rickmansworth, Amersham and Chesham. It is the only London Underground line with a public timetable.

The Merseyrail network in Liverpool has two routes. The Northern line continues to a mainline rail interchange, while the Wirral line has a city-centre loop.

Birmingham has suburban routes from Birmingham New Street & Birmingham Moor Street stations.

The Tyneside Electrics system in Newcastle upon Tyne operated until 1967. The remaining lines were re-electrified and now form the Tyne & Wear Metro Yellow Line.

Many rail services around Glasgow are branded as Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.

The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive operates services feeding into Leeds.

MetroWest is a proposed network in Bristol.

The Réseau express régional d'Île-de-France (RER) is a commuter rail network in Paris.

Commuter rail systems in German-speaking regions are called S-Bahn. Some use separate lines, while others use existing regional tracks.

Randstadspoor is a network of Sprinter train services in and around Utrecht. Separate tracks allow frequent service. Similar systems are planned for The Hague and Rotterdam.

Northern Europe

In Sweden, electrified commuter rail systems known as Pendeltåg are present in Stockholm and Gothenburg. The Stockholm commuter rail system shares tracks with intercity and freight trains. The Gothenburg commuter rail system shares tracks with long-distance trains.

In Norway, the Oslo commuter rail system has been limited since 2022. Bergen, Stavanger, and Trondheim have commuter rail systems.

In Finland, the Helsinki commuter rail network runs on dedicated tracks. The Ring Rail Line serves Helsinki Airport and northern suburbs of Vantaa. The Tampere region got its own commuter rail service in 2019.

Southern Europe

In Spain, Cercanías networks exist in many cities. All include underground sections in city centers.

Cercanías Madrid is one of the most important, with over 900,000 passengers daily. It has underground stations in Madrid and the metropolitan area.

In Catalonia, the Government of Catalonia manages commuter services. Two companies operate:

Rodalies de Catalunya operates lines R1, R2, R2 Nord, R2 Sud, R3, R4, R7 and R8.
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) operates lines on the Vallès, Llobregat-Anoia and Lleida-La Pobla de Segur lines.

Since 2024, the Government of Catalonia controls the R12 regional line, replacing it with new commuter lines RL3 and RL4.

In Italy, fifteen cities have commuter rail systems, including Bari, Bologna, Cagliari, Catanzaro, Genoa, Messina, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Perugia, Potenza, Reggio Calabria, Rome, Salerno, Turin, and Treni Regionali Ticino Lombardia connecting Canton Ticino, Switzerland, and Italy.

Eastern Europe

In Poland, commuter rail systems exist in Tricity, Warsaw, Kraków and Katowice. Terms used include "Szybka Kolej Miejska" and "kolej aglomeracyjna".

The Proastiakos is Greece's suburban railway, servicing Athens, Thessaloniki, and Patras.

In Romania, commuter trains operate between Bucharest and Funduea or Buftea.

BG Voz serves Belgrade. Another system, Beovoz, was abandoned.

In Russia, Ukraine, and some former Soviet Union countries, electric multiple-unit suburban trains called Elektrichka are common. The first was the Oranienbaum Electric Line in Saint Petersburg. In Moscow, there are the Moscow Central Circle and the Moscow Central Diameters.

In Turkey, Marmaray line stations are on the European side.

Americas

North America

In the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Mexico, regional passenger rail services are provided by government or quasi-governmental agencies. Most North American commuter railways utilize diesel locomotive propulsion, except in cities like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, and Mexico City.

United States

Main article: List of United States commuter rail systems

Eight commuter rail systems in the United States carried over ten million trips each in 2018:

Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Long Island Rail Road, serving New York City and Long Island
NJ Transit Rail Operations, serving New York City, New Jersey and Philadelphia
Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Metro-North Railroad, serving New York and Southwest Connecticut
Metra, serving northeast Illinois and Kenosha, Wisconsin
SEPTA Regional Rail, serving southeast Pennsylvania, Wilmington, Delaware, and Trenton, New Jersey
MBTA Commuter Rail, serving Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island
Caltrain, serving Bay Area California
Metrolink, serving Southern California

Other commuter rail systems in the United States include:

CTRail, serving Connecticut
Utah Transit Authority FrontRunner, serving Utah
North County Transit District Coaster, serving Southern California
Maryland Area Regional Commuter, serving Maryland, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia
Virginia Railway Express, serving Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Sounder commuter rail, serving Washington
Tri-Rail, serving southeastern Florida
Trinity Railway Express, serving Texas
Westside Express Service, serving northwestern Oregon
Altamont Corridor Express, serving northern California
SunRail, serving central Florida
New Mexico Rail Runner Express, serving New Mexico
CapMetro Rail, serving Texas
A-train, serving Texas
SMART, serving northern California
WeGo Star, serving Nashville and Lebanon, Tennessee
Denver's RTD electrified commuter rail lines run on segregated tracks.

Canada

Another example is Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM) in Greater São Paulo, with 94 stations across 7 lines. Rio de Janeiro SuperVia provides electrified commuter rail services.

Oceania

Hybrid systems

Hybrid urban-suburban rail systems mix features of rapid transit and commuter rail. They help large cities and are common in German-speaking countries, called S-Bahn. Other examples are the RER in France, the Elizabeth line and London Underground in the UK, and systems in Australia like Sydney Trains and Metro Trains Melbourne. In Japan, many lines run often like metro services.

In Asia, making faster urban-suburban rail links is popular. India has the Delhi RRTS, China has the Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region intercity railway, and South Korea has the Great Train eXpress. These systems often run on special tracks above ground or underground and share features with Higher-speed rail.