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Old Posted Jan 29, 2012, 6:07 PM
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"Commuter rail" vs "regional rail" - how often do your city's trains come?

Some commuter rail lines around North America run frequent (hourly or better) and reliable service, all day long, 7 days a week. On the other hand, some commuter rail lines merely send a couple of trains in to downtown in the morning, and then a couple out to the suburbs in the evening, and don't provide much (if any) other service.

While these can both be useful, the former is a lot more useful than the latter, and it's not really valid to say a city with 2 commuter-only lines has as much service as a city with 2 all-day lines. So I'd like to know which commuter rail lines around the continent function in which manner.

This is what I'd like to do: List each commuter rail system in the US and Canada, and then describe whether it is an all-day-and-weekends service, or one that focuses only on commuters. Obviously they won't all be perfectly black and white; there may be some hybrids that are sort in-between, and some systems with multiple lines that each have different characteristics. Just do you best to try and fit hybrids into one category or the other. For the systems that are mixed, I'd like to list each line and describe the characteristics of each one.

Basically, I'd like to fill out the chart that I'm going to copy in the next post down.

To be clear, I am NOT talking about light rail, streetcars, subway, or anything that you might call "Metro rail" (unless you live in Austin). I am talking about trains that look like this or this.
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  #2  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2012, 6:07 PM
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So basically, the point of this thread is to fill out this table, which I *think* includes all the operating commuter rail systems in the US and Canada. I'll also accept additions for systems under construction (but not merely proposed).

I've started by filling out the two DC networks.

Code:
COMMUTER/REGIONAL RAIL IN THE US AND CANADA
"Commuter" for systems focuses solely or primarily on rush hour trips.
"Regional" for systems with all-day/weekend operating characteristics.
"Regional*" for primarily regional systems with a small minority of commuter-focused lines.
"Mixed" for multi-line systems in which some lines operate in each catagory.

CITY		SYSTEM NAME		TYPE
Montreal	AMT			Mixed (1:5 regional:commuter)
Toronto		Go Transit		Mixed (2:5 regional:commuter)
Vancouver	West Coast Express	Commuter

New York	LIRR			Regional
New York	Metro-North		Regional
New York/Philly	NJ Transit		Regional
Chicago		Metra			Regional*
Chicago		South Shore		Regional
Boston		MBTA Commuter		Regional*
Philadephia	SEPTA Regional		Regional*
SF Bay Area	Caltrain		Regional
SF Bay Area	Capitol Corridor	Regional
SF Bay Area	ACE			Commuter
Los Angeles	Metrolink		Commuter
Washington	MARC			Mixed (1:2 regional:commuter)
Washington	VRE			Commuter
Miami		Tri-Rail		Regional
Seattle		Sounder			Commuter
Dallas		TRE			Regional
Dallas		A-Train			Commuter
San Diego	Coaster			Commuter
Salt Lake City	FrontRunner		Regional
Albuquerque	Rail Runner
Minneapolis	Northstar
New Haven	Shore Line East
Austin		Capital MetroRail
Portland	Westside Express
Nashville	Music City Star		Commuter
Denver		East and Gold lines	Regional
This second table is to expand the mixed systems on a line-by-line basis.

Code:
MIXED SYSTEMS LINE BY LINE

CITY		SYSTEM NAME	LINE NAME	TYPE

Washington	MARC		Penn		Regional
Washington	MARC		2 other lines	Commuter

Boston		MBTA		Fairmount	Commuter
Boston		MBTA		11 other lines	Regional

Chicago		Metra		North Central	Commuter
Chicago		Metra		Heritage	Commuter
Chicago		Metra		Southwest	Commuter
Chicago		Metra		8 other lines	Regional

Philadelphia	SEPTA Regional	Cynwyd		Commuter
Philadelphia	SEPTA Regional	12 other lines	Regional

Toronto		Go Transit	Lakeshore East	Regional
Toronto		Go Transit	Lakeshore West	Regional
Toronto		Go Transit	5 other lines	Commuter

Montreal	AMT		Deux-Montagnes	Regional
Montreal	AMT		4 other lines	Commuter
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Last edited by Cirrus; Feb 5, 2012 at 10:20 PM.
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  #3  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2012, 6:21 PM
untitledreality untitledreality is offline
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Chicago - Metra - Mixed System

Lines that run 7 days a week:
Union Pacific
Milwaukee District North
Union Pacific Northwest
Milwaukee District West
Union Pacific West
BNSF Railway
Rock Island District
Metra Electric District

Lines that run weekdays + Saturdays:
Southwest Service [15 in/outbound weekdays, 3 in/outbound Saturdays]

Lines that run only on weekdays:
North Central Service [11 inbound/day [mainly 5-11am and a few afternoon/early evening] 11 outbound/day [two morning runs, 9 afternoon/evening runs]
Heritage Corridor [3 inbound/day [morning rush] 3 outbound/day [afternoon rush]



Chicago - NICTD - Regional System

South Shore Line








I think thats it... anyone please feel free to correct me

Last edited by untitledreality; Jan 29, 2012 at 11:33 PM.
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  #4  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2012, 7:46 PM
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How often do the North Central and Heritage lines come? If they have good midday service on the weekdays I'd still call them regional instead of commuter.

Weekend service is definitely a strong indicator, but I don't want to treat it as a singular litmus test.
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  #5  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2012, 7:52 PM
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Both of the Sound Transit Lines are Commuter so here you go:

Seattle Sounder Commuter
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  #6  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2012, 8:29 PM
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For Boston I believe all of the lines have seven day service except for the Needham Line which doesn't run on Sundays and the Fairmount line that runs on weekdays (some of the Fairmount stations get service on other lines at other times). The amount of daily service outside of peak hours varies with it tending to be less frequent on some of the newer lines (Greenbush, Plymouth/Kingston, etc.) and hourly or better on some of the older lines.

So I guess your table would be:

Boston MBTA Mixed

7 Day Lines

Newburyport/Rockport
Haverhill
Lowell
Fitchburg
Framingham/Worcester
Franklin
Providence/Stoughton
Middleborough/Lakeville
Kingston/Plymouth
Greenbush

6 Day Lines

Needham

5 Day Lines

Fairmount (primarily commuter but with some midday service)

The MBTA has proposed cutting weekend commuter rail service - hopefully they'll keep it in place.
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Old Posted Jan 29, 2012, 8:47 PM
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By your definition, Salt Lake's FrontRunner is probably regional (perhaps not, because it has no Sunday service)

Trains run every half-hour in the mornings and evenings, hourly throughout the day and hourly on Saturdays, with no Sunday service.

The second (Provo) line is expected to open late this year and will likely follow a similar schedule.

The transit authority and most people who use it refer to it as commuter rail though.

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Old Posted Jan 29, 2012, 8:56 PM
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For the Bay Area:

Caltrain - Regional (7 day, at least hourly service both directions)
ACE - Commuter

You didn't list Capitol Corridor, but it's 7 day all day service, with somewhere between 11 and 14 trains each way per day (between Emeryville and Sacramento - only a handful of those trains go all the way to San Jose on one end and Auburn on the other). I'd count it as regional between Emeryville and Sacramento, and commuter outside of that central segment, so I guess for your table "Mixed" would make sense.
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Old Posted Jan 29, 2012, 8:58 PM
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The San Diego Coaster is geared mostly towards commuters, especially from North County. It has limited service on the weekends (4 trips each way, compared to 11 each way during the week). For bigger events, such as ballgames at Petco Park, there is a train that runs after the game is over. The schedules can erratic since the same rail corridor is shared with Amtrak (which has around a dozen northbound trains every day).
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Old Posted Jan 29, 2012, 9:05 PM
KVNBKLYN KVNBKLYN is offline
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All three New York systems should be considered regional rail by your definition as service is provided on all branches seven days a week. Some of the lesser-used branches have less than hourly service on the weekends, though.
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Old Posted Jan 29, 2012, 9:47 PM
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If you all don't post the frequency of service, it won't do Cirrus much good. He needs to know how many days a week they run, but also the peak /off-peak daily frequencies and even perhaps the hours they operate between (from am to pm), each day.
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Old Posted Jan 29, 2012, 10:01 PM
untitledreality untitledreality is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cirrus View Post
How often do the North Central and Heritage lines come? If they have good midday service on the weekdays I'd still call them regional instead of commuter.

Weekend service is definitely a strong indicator, but I don't want to treat it as a singular litmus test.
Updated my original post
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  #13  
Old Posted Jan 29, 2012, 10:37 PM
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Updated to reflect everything posted so far.

If you need a single test for determining how something that's in-between should be categorized, make the test whether or not there is approximately hourly service outside of peak commuter-focused periods/directions, at least 5 days a week. Allow 2 hours between off-peak trains if there is weekend service.

And allow common sense to trump rigid rules. If the headway is an hour and ten minutes, you can count it as "approximately hourly".
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Old Posted Jan 29, 2012, 11:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cirrus View Post
whether or not there is approximately hourly service outside of peak commuter-focused periods/directions, at least 5 days a week.
You can probably add the Southwest Service to "Regional" as well then, making Metra a 9:2 combination. I updated my original post.
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Old Posted Jan 30, 2012, 1:43 AM
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If you're adding under construction lines, you'll have to add the East (Airport) and Gold (Arvada) lines in Denver. Those are both funded and U/C. Assuming you classify EMU as commuter rail (same trainsets basically as SEPTA regional, so I assume you do). Obviously, both will be all day plus weekends service.

Not sure where you're drawing your line between commuter/regional rail and others, whether it's by vehicles used or by operations.
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  #16  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2012, 2:41 AM
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I'm not from there, so I don't know if I'm stealing someone else's thunder by posting, but the Nashville Music City Star is definitely commuter, they only run three times each way on weekdays, no weekend service.
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  #17  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2012, 2:49 AM
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Kind of an odd situation here in the Buffalo-Niagara region because although we don't have any commuter rail system, the way the schedule that Maple Leaf and Empire Service trains keep essentially gives Buffalo three trains to downtown Buffalo from Niagara Falls in the morning and three trains from downtown BUF to NF in the evening. I'm not sure if anyone within our region thinks of it this way, but it is a funny kind of thing. It also means it's possible to "commute" from Buffalo to Rochester and back each day and I actually know a few people who do this, but not on a consistant basis.
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Old Posted Jan 30, 2012, 3:04 AM
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All but one of SEPTA's Regional Rail lines run seven days a week though two run slightly shortened routes on weekends and off-peak times.

Philadelphia SEPTA

* = Truncated route

Lines that run seven days/week:

Airport Line
Warminster Line
Wilmington/Newark Line*
Media/Elwyn Line
West Trenton Line
Lansdale/Doylestown Line
Paoli/Thorndale Line*
Manayunk/Norristown Line
Chestnut Hill East Line
Trenton Line
Chestnut Hill West Line
Fox Chase Line

Lines that run only at peak times:
Cynwyd Line
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Old Posted Jan 30, 2012, 3:06 AM
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I don't know where GO Transit falls under your categories. AFAIK, it runs trains all day, but only on weekdays. It also has an extensive bus service too, some running on weekends.
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  #20  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2012, 3:53 AM
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GO Transit is interesting because they pioneered the "Train Bus" idea, express buses service rail lines during off peak hours.

So for GO Transit, the Lakeshore line has 7 day a week service every hour or better.

But all the other lines except Richmond Hill, have service seven days a week with trains peak direction, and buses on off peak, and weekends.
On some corridors these express buses run anywhere from every 15-60 minutes depending on the corridor.

The Train Buses on a number of corridors are getting pretty full now, and during some periods some stations have their own bus direct from Union to that particular station.

So it is a tad complicated. The Train Bus idea has been well regarded as a good way to bring off peak service to commuter train lines that maybe can't justify running the huge commuter trains all day long(that is a whole other issue, on if we should run huge trains or more frequent smaller trains).
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