Editing Commuter rail (section)

==Characteristics==
{{Train topics}}
[[File:Mumbai Train.JPG|thumb|[[Mumbai Suburban Railway]] carries more than 7.24 million commuters on a daily basis]]
[[File:Brno, Královo Pole, železniční stanice, vůz 80-30 002 (01).jpg|thumb|Very short commuter train in [[Push–pull train|push mode.]]]]
[[File:GO Transit Bombardier Bilevel CEM 322.JPG|thumb|[[GO Transit]] serves the Greater [[Golden Horseshoe]] region surrounding Toronto. Its train services are transitioning from a peak direction commuter railway to a [[GO Transit Regional Express Rail|Regional Express Network]].]]

Most commuter (or suburban) trains are built to main line rail standards,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Commuter Rail {{!}}|url=http://www.railsystem.net/commuter-rail/|access-date=2020-06-06|language=en-US}}</ref> differing from [[light rail]] or [[rapid transit]] (metro rail) systems by:
*being larger
*providing more seating and less standing room, owing to the longer distances involved
*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 suburban areas, typically connecting [[suburb]]s to the city center
*sharing track or [[Right-of-way (railroad)|right-of-way]] with intercity and/or [[freight]] trains
*not fully grade separated (containing at-grade crossings with crossing gates)
*being able to skip certain stations as an express service due to normally being driver controlled

===Train schedule===
Compared to [[rapid transit]] (or metro rail), commuter/suburban rail often has lower [[headway|frequency]], following a schedule rather than fixed intervals, and fewer stations spaced further apart. They primarily serve lower density suburban areas (non inner-city), generally only having one or two stops in a city's central business district, and often share [[right-of-way (railroad)|right-of-way]] with intercity or [[freight]] trains. <ref name="2022 NTD Glossary">{{cite web |title=National Transit Database (NTD) Glossary |url=https://www.transit.dot.gov/ntd/national-transit-database-ntd-glossary#C |website=Federal Transit Administration |access-date=12 August 2022}}</ref> Some services operate only during peak hours and others use fewer departures during off peak hours and weekends. Average speeds are high, often 50&nbsp;km/h (30&nbsp;mph) or higher. These higher speeds better serve the longer distances involved. Some services include express services which skip some stations in order to run faster and separate longer distance riders from short-distance ones. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.caltrain.com/?active_tab=route_explorer_tab | title=Caltrain &#124; Caltrain }}</ref>

The general range of commuter trains' travel distance varies between 15 and 200&nbsp;km (10 and 125 miles), but longer distances can be covered when the trains run between two or several cities (e.g. S-Bahn in the [[Ruhr]] area of Germany). Distances between stations may vary, but are usually much longer than those of urban rail systems. In city centres the train either has a terminal station or passes through the city centre with notably fewer station stops than those of urban rail systems. Toilets are often available on-board trains and in stations.

===Track===
Their ability to coexist with freight or intercity services in the same [[Right-of-way (railroad)|right-of-way]] can drastically reduce system construction costs. However, they are frequently built with dedicated tracks within that right-of-way to prevent delays, especially where service densities have converged in the inner parts of the network.

Most such trains run on the [[List of track gauges|local standard gauge]] track. Some systems may run on a narrower or broader gauge. Examples of [[Narrow-gauge railway|narrow-gauge]] systems are found in Japan, [[KAI Commuter|Indonesia]], [[KTM Komuter|Malaysia]], [[Greater Bangkok commuter rail|Thailand]], Taiwan, Switzerland, in the [[Brisbane]] ([[Queensland Rail]]'s [[Queensland Rail City network|City network]]) and [[Perth]] ([[Transperth]]) systems in Australia, in some systems in Sweden, and on the [[:it:Ferrovia Genova-Casella|Genoa-Casella line]] in Italy. Some countries and regions, including [[Helsinki commuter rail|Finland]], India, Pakistan, [[Elektrichka|Russia]], Brazil and Sri Lanka, as well as [[San Francisco]] ([[Bay Area Rapid Transit|BART]]) in the US and [[Metro Trains Melbourne|Melbourne]] and [[Adelaide Metro|Adelaide]] in Australia, use [[broad gauge]] track.

===Distinction between other modes of rail===
====Metro====
Metro rail and [[rapid transit]] usually cover smaller inner-urban areas within {{convert|12|to|20|km|abbr=on|0}} of city centers, with shorter stop spacing, use rolling stocks with larger standing spaces, lower top speed and higher acceleration, designed for short-distance travel. They also run more frequently, to a headway rather than a published timetable and use dedicated tracks (underground or elevated), whereas commuter rail often shares tracks, technology and the legal framework within mainline railway systems, and uses rolling stocks with more seating and higher speed for comfort on longer city-suburban journeys. 

However, the classification as a metro or rapid rail can be difficult as both may typically cover a metropolitan area exclusively, run on separate tracks in the centre, and often feature purpose-built rolling stock. The fact that the terminology is not standardised across countries (even across English-speaking countries) further complicates matters. This distinction is most easily made when there are two (or more) systems such as New York's [[New York City Subway|subway]] and the [[Long Island Rail Road|LIRR]] and [[Metro-North Railroad]], Paris' [[Paris Métro|Métro]] and [[Réseau Express Régional|RER]] along with [[Transilien]], Washington D.C.'s [[Washington Metro|Metro]] along with its [[MARC Train|MARC]] and [[Virginia Railway Express|VRE]], London's tube lines of the [[London Underground|Underground]] and the [[London Overground|Overground]], [[Elizabeth line]], [[Thameslink]] along with other commuter rail [[Transport in London#Heavy rail|operators]], Madrid's [[Madrid Metro|Metro]] and [[Cercanías Madrid|Cercanías]], Barcelona's [[Barcelona Metro|Metro]] and [[Rodalies de Catalunya|Rodalies]], and Tokyo's [[Tokyo subway|subway]] and the [[East Japan Railway Company#Greater Tokyo Area|JR lines]] along with various privately owned and operated commuter rail systems.

====Regional rail====
[[Regional rail]] usually provides [[rail transport|rail services]] between towns and cities, rather than purely linking major population hubs in the way [[inter-city rail]] does. Regional rail operates outside major cities. Unlike Inter-city, it stops at most or all stations between cities. It provides a service between smaller communities along the line that are often byproducts of [[Ribbon development|ribbon developments]], and also connects with long-distance services at interchange stations located at junctions, terminals, or larger towns along the line. Alternative names are "local train" or "stopping train". Examples include the former [[British Rail|BR]]'s [[Regional Railways]], France's [[Transport express régional|TER]] (''Transport express régional''),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Transport Express Régional (TER) – SNCF {{!}} train types {{!}} railcc|url=https://rail.cc/train-type/ter-sncf/37|access-date=2021-04-27|website=rail.cc}}</ref> Germany's [[Regionalexpress]] and [[Regionalbahn]], and South Korea's [[Tonggeun]] and [[Mugunghwa-ho]] services.<ref>{{Cite web|title=KORAIL|url=http://info.korail.com/mbs/english/subview.jsp?id=english_050304000000|access-date=2021-04-27|website=info.korail.com}}</ref>

====Inter-city rail====
{{see also|Inter-city rail}}
[[File:B set departing Panania 20180919 01 (Nimed).jpg|thumb|A [[Sydney Trains B set]] with an upper and lower deck]]
In some European countries, the distinction between commuter trains and long-distance/intercity trains is subtle, due to the relatively short distances involved. For example, so-called "[[Inter-city rail|intercity]]" trains in Belgium and the Netherlands carry many commuters, while their equipment, range, and speeds are similar to those of commuter trains in some larger countries. 

The United Kingdom has a privatised rail system, with different routes and services covered by different private operators. The distinction between commuter and intercity rail is not as clear as it was before privatisation (when InterCity existed as a brand of its own), but usually it is still possible to tell them apart. Some operators, for example [[Thameslink]], focus solely on commuter services. Others, such as [[Avanti West Coast]] and [[London North Eastern Railway|LNER]], run solely intercity services. Others still, such as [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|GWR]] and [[East Midlands Railway|EMR]], run a mixture of commuter, regional and intercity services. Some of these operators use different branding for different types of service (for example EMR brands its trains as either "InterCity", "Connect" for London commuter services, and "Regional") but even for those operators that do not, the type of train, amenities offered, and stopping pattern, usually tell the services apart.

[[Elektrichka|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 major cities they often operate from a separate section of the train station.

Some consider "inter-city" service to be that which operates as an express service between two main city stations, bypassing intermediate stations. However, this term is used in Australia (Sydney for example) to describe the regional trains operating beyond the boundaries of the suburban services, even though some of these "inter-city" services stop all stations similar to German regional services. In this regard, the German service delineations and naming conventions are clearer and better used for academic purposes.

====High-speed rail====
[[File:Shinkansen E4 series entering Omiya.jpg|thumb|right|A Tokyo-bound [[E4 Series Shinkansen]] train. As of October 2021, these have since been retired.]]
Sometimes [[high-speed rail]] can serve daily use of commuters. The Japanese [[Shinkansen]] high speed rail system is heavily used by commuters in the [[Greater Tokyo Area]], who commute between {{convert|100|and|200|km|abbr=on|0}} by [[Shinkansen]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-high-speed-rail-development-worldwide|title=Fact Sheet: High Speed Rail Development Worldwide {{!}} White Papers {{!}} EESI|website=www.eesi.org|access-date=2019-12-04}}</ref> To meet the demand of commuters, [[Japan Railways Group|JR]] sells commuter discount passes. Before 2021, they operated 16-car [[bilevel car|bilevel]] [[E4 Series Shinkansen]] trains at rush hour, providing a capacity of 1,600 seats.<ref>{{Cite web|title=JR East to Retire the Last Double-Decker Shinkansen Train – Japan Station|url=https://www.japanstation.com/jr-east-to-retire-the-last-double-decker-shinkansen-train/|access-date=2021-08-11|website=www.japanstation.com|date=18 July 2021 }}</ref> Several lines in [[high-speed rail in China|China]], such as the [[Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway]] and the [[Shanghai–Nanjing High-Speed Railway]], serve a similar role with many more under construction or planned.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/1806116099/|title=Metro closes the gap with areas across the border – SHINE|website=SHINE|language=en|access-date=2018-06-23}}</ref>

In [[high-speed rail in South Korea|South Korea]], some sections of the high-speed rail network are also heavily used by commuters, such as the section between [[Gwangmyeong Station]] and [[Seoul Station]] on the [[KTX]] network ([[Gyeongbu High-speed railway|Gyeongbu HSR Line]]), or the section between [[Dongtan Station]] and [[Suseo station]] on the [[Super Rapid Train|SRT]] Line. 

The high-speed services linking [[Zurich]], [[Bern]] and [[Basel]] in [[high-speed rail in Switzerland|Switzerland]] ({{convert|200|km/h|abbr=on}}) have brought the Central Business Districts (CBDs) of these three cities within 1 hour of each other. This has resulted in unexpectedly high demand for new commuter trips between the three cities and a corresponding increase in suburban rail passengers accessing the high-speed services at the main city-centre stations ({{lang|de|Hauptbahnhof}}). The [[Regional-Express]] commuter service between [[Munich]] and [[Nuremberg]] in Germany runs at {{convert|200|km/h|abbr=on}} on the {{convert|300|km/h|abbr=on|0}} [[Nuremberg–Ingolstadt high-speed railway]].

The regional trains [[Stockholm]]–[[Uppsala]], Stockholm–[[Västerås]], Stockholm–[[Eskilstuna]] and [[Gothenburg]]–[[Trollhättan]] in [[high-speed rail in Sweden|Sweden]] reach {{convert|200|km/h|abbr=on}} and have many daily commuters.

In [[Great Britain]], the [[HS1]] domestic services between London and Ashford runs at a top speed of 225 km/h, and in peak hours the trains can be full with commuters standing. 

The [[Athens Suburban Railway]] in Greece consists of five lines, 4 of which are electrified. The [[Kiato railway station|Kiato]]–[[Piraeus]] line and the [[Aigio railway station|Aigio]]–[[Athens Airport Station|Airport]] lines reach speeds of up to {{convert|180|km/h|abbr=on|0}}. The [[Athens]]–[[Chalcis]] line is also expected to attain speeds of up to {{convert|200|km/h|abbr=on|0}} upon upgrading of the SKA–Oinoi railway sector. These lines also have many daily commuters, with the number expected to rise even higher upon full completion of the [[Acharnes Railway Center]].

[[Eskişehir]]-[[Ankara]] and [[Konya]]-[[Ankara]] high speed train routes serve as high speed commuter trains in [[high-speed rail in Turkey|Turkey]].