Passenger rail terminology
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Various terms are used for
Rapid transit
A rapid transit system is an
Originally, the term
Though the term was almost always used to describe
The term bus rapid transit has recently come into use to describe bus lines with features to speed their operation. These usually have more characteristics of light rail than rapid transit.[citation needed]
Metro/subway
Metros, short for metropolitan railways, are defined by the International Association of Public Transport (L'Union Internationale des Transports Publics, or UITP) as urban guided transport systems "operated on their own right of way and segregated from general road and pedestrian traffic. They are consequently designed for operations in tunnel, viaducts or on surface level but with physical separation in such a way that inadvertent access is not possible. In different parts of the world, Metro systems are also known in English as the underground, the subway or the tube. Rail systems with specific construction issues operating on a segregated guideway (e.g. monorail, rack railways) are also treated as Metros as long as they are designated as part of the urban public transport network."[2] Metropolitan railways are used for high capacity public transportation. They can operate in trains of up to 10 or more cars, carrying 1800 passengers or more. Some metro systems run on rubber tires but are based on the same fixed-guideway principles as steel wheel systems.
Subway used in a transit sense refers to a
In some cities where subway is used, it refers to the entire system; in others, only to the portions that actually are underground. Naming practices often select one type of placement in a system where several are used; there are many subways with above-ground components, and on the other hand, the
Light metro
Medium-capacity system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit.
Sub-surface subway
Some light rail / street car lines that have underground sections that are referred to as subway are often sub surface subways. Notably, Boston's
When the
Other definitions of subway
Bus subways are uncommon but do exist, though in these cases the non-underground portions of route are not called subways. Until March 2019, Seattle had a downtown bus subway in which diesel-electric hybrid buses and light rail trains operated in a shared tunnel. The hybrid buses ran in electrical-only mode while traveling through the tunnel and overhead wires power the light rail trains which continue to operate in the tunnel. Bus subways are sometimes built to provide an exclusive right-of-way for bus rapid transit lines, such as the MBTA Silver Line in Boston.[citation needed]
Subway, outside the US, and especially in Europe, often refers to an underground pedestrian passageway linking large road interconnections that are often too difficult or dangerous to cross at ground level. In Canada, the term subway may be used in either sense.
Underground and tube
The usage of underground is very similar to that of subway, describing an underground train system.
In London the colloquial term tube now refers to the London Underground, and is the most common word used for the underground system; and it is used by Transport for London, the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system throughout Greater London.[6] However, strictly speaking, it should only refer to those deep lines which run in bored circular tunnels as opposed to those constructed near to the surface by 'cut-and-cover' methods.[7] The Glasgow metro system is known as the Glasgow Subway or colloquial as "the subway". The word metro is not usually used in London or Glasgow to refer to those cities' metros, but it is used in and around Newcastle upon Tyne to refer to the Tyne and Wear Metro.
Overground
In the UK, the term overground was created in 2007 by Transport for London to refer to a mainly above-ground suburban rail network serving Greater London, the London Overground, which took over Silverlink Metro routes.[8]
Confusingly, the term overground is also used to refer to National Rail networks within London generally, or any non-London Underground rail service in everyday speech
U-Bahn and S-Bahn
The term metro is not usually used to describe metro systems in German-speaking areas (Germany, Austria and parts of Switzerland), instead using the term
Hamburg S-Bahn fulfills all criteria for heavy rail inside the state and city of Hamburg, but some lines go beyond the state border into the state of Niedersachsen and there the S-Bahn runs with lower train frequency.
The same applies also to the S-Bahn and U-Bahn in Copenhagen, Denmark, with the only exception that the word "Metro" is used instead of "U-Bahn", and "S-tog" instead of "S-Bahn". (The Danish word "S-tog" applies to the trains (tog), rather than the tracks as in Germany; "S-tog" means "S-train".) Otherwise, the S-Bahn of Berlin and the S-tog of Copenhagen are very similar with the exception of the size.
In Switzerland, where there is only one underground railway system in Lausanne, the term metro is generally used, due to the influence from the French language.
In Sweden, the metro of Stockholm is called "Tunnelbana" or "T-bana" which refers to the fact that the trains often run in tunnels. The same applies to Norway and the "T-bane" of Oslo.
Elevated and overhead
Elevated is a shorthand for
- Chicago "L" The best known elevated transit system in the United States.[citation needed]
- Vancouver SkyTrain An automated rapid transit system that is mostly elevated.
- New York City Subway A combination of the old IRT and BMT rapid transit systems that had built or leased numerous elevated lines throughout the entire city. New York "El's" are the oldest ones in the United States, dating from 1869. Today, the majority of "El" lines in New York are in Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx. Most "El's" in Manhattan were torn down in the 1940s and 1950s, some replaced by subways.
- Liverpool Overhead Railway This was the United Kingdom's only true elevated railway, although the London and Greenwich Railway of 1836 was constructed on a 3.45 miles (5.55 km) brick viaduct for the greater part of its length.
- SEPTA's Market–Frankford Line is elevated except for the portion running through Center City and University City, and is sometimes referred to as the "El".
- The Manila LRT Line 1in Manila, Philippines, is an elevated railway, made operational in 1984 and the country's first urban rail transit since Manila tram service ended in 1944, during the Japanese occupation of the city.
- The Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. It now consists of 34 stations and 2 lines.
- Sydney Metro Monorail was an elevated monorail through the CBD of Sydney from the bicentenary in 1988 until its dismantlement in 2013.
Heavy rail
The term heavy rail has different meanings in different parts of the world.
Europe
Austria, Germany, Switzerland
The German complementary term is
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, heavy rail refers to conventional railways forming part of the national network, including commuter,
North America
In North America, the American Public Transportation Association defines a heavy-rail system as an electric railway with the capacity to handle a heavy volume of traffic.[1] The term is often used to distinguish it from light rail systems, which usually handle a smaller volume of passengers.
In North America, heavy rail can also refer to
Such passenger rail cars are almost always electrically driven, with power either drawn from an overhead line or an electrified third rail.
Asia
In the
International
Heavy rail term according International Union of Railways (UIC) refers to both freight rail and passenger rail (commuter, regional, intercity and high-speed) other than large-capacity metro.[citation needed]
At-grade urban rail transit
Tram, streetcar, trolley
The terms tram, streetcar, and trolley refer to most forms of
Tram is a British word, cognate with the Low German traam, and the Dutch trame, meaning the "shafts of a wheelbarrow".[15] From this the term "tram" was used in the coal mines of Scotland and Northern England for a coal cart running on rails, and by extension to any similar system of trackway.
Streetcar is an American word derived from "street" + "car", where "car" is used in the sense of a vehicle running on rails, i.e. railway car. The first American streetcars, introduced around 1830, were horsecars, and this type of streetcar became ubiquitous because very few of the streets in American cities were paved. Mechanical versions, pulled by cables, were introduced around 1870. Electric streetcars were introduced in the 1880s and soon replaced the horse-drawn streetcar in cities across the United States.[16]
Trolley is an American word derived from the electric current pickup mechanism in early systems. The first successful electric streetcars in the United States used a system devised by
In the U.S. the word tram frequently refers to a special-purpose
Historical systems
Specific terms for some historically important tram technologies include horsecar, heritage streetcar, and cable car.
Heritage streetcar (also known as heritage trolley or vintage trolley) is an American term for streetcar systems that use vehicles that were built before 1960, or modern replicas of such vehicles.
Cable car is an American word for a passenger rail vehicle attached to a moving cable located below the street surface and powered by engines or motors at a central location, not on board the vehicle.[1] There are cable cars operating in numerous cities, such as San Francisco.
Light railway
A light railway is a British English term referring to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". These lighter standards allow lower costs of operation at the price of slower operating speeds and lower vehicle capacity. They were permitted under the Light Railways Act 1896 and intended to bring railways to rural areas. The London Docklands Light Railway, has more rapid transit style features than would be typical of light rail systems, but fits within the U.K. light railway definition.
Light rail
A light rail transit (LRT) system is an
The phrase
A few systems such as people movers and personal rapid transit could be considered as even "lighter", at least in terms of how many passengers are moved per vehicle and the speed at which they travel. Monorails are a separate technology.
Light rail systems can typically handle steeper
The most difficult distinction to draw is that between light rail and
- The traditional type, where the tracks and trains run along the streets and share space with road traffic. Stops tend to be frequent, and little effort is made to set up special stations. Because space is shared, the tracks are usually visually unobtrusive.
- A more modern variation, where the trains tend to run along their own right-of-way and are often separated from road traffic. Stops are generally less frequent, and the passengers are often boarded from a platform. Tracks are highly visible, and in some cases significant effort is expended to keep traffic away through the use of special signaling, and even level crossings(or grade crossings) with gate arms.
- At the highest degree of separation, it can be difficult or impossible to draw the line between light rail and rapid transit, as in the case of London's Docklands Light Railway, which would likely not be called light rail were it not for the contrast between it and the London Underground.
Many light rail systems – even fairly old ones – have a combination of the two, with both on-road and off-road sections. In some countries, only the latter is described as light rail. In those places,
There is a significant difference in cost between these different classes of light rail transit. The traditional style is often less expensive by a factor of two or more. Despite the increased cost, the more modern variation (which can be considered as "heavier" than old streetcar systems, even though it's called light rail) is the dominant form of new urban rail transit in the United States. The Federal Transit Administration helps to fund many projects, but as of 2004, the rules to determine which projects will be funded are unfavorable toward the simpler streetcar systems (partly because the vehicles tend to be somewhat slower). Some places in the country have set about building the less expensive streetcar lines themselves or with only minimal federal support. Most of these lines have been "heritage" railways, using refurbished or replica streetcars harkening back to the first half of the 20th century. However, a few, such as the Portland Streetcar, use modern vehicles. There is a growing desire to push the Federal Transit Administration to help fund these startup lines as well.
Light rail is generally powered by electricity, usually by means of
Very light rail or ultra light rail
Very light rail or ultra light rail is a term for light rail with more modest initial requirements than typical light rail.
Interurban
In the U.S.,
The classic U.S. interurbans are all but gone, with two of the remaining (
The European interurbans, like the
Interurbans sometimes used freight railways rather than building their own track.
In
Tram-train
Tram-trains are railcars or trains which run like trams (streetcars) in city streets, and on heavy rail tracks out to the suburbs or between the cities. Usually, this requires two current systems (German Zweisystemstadtbahn, Stadtbahn with two systems), both the tram voltage (600 or 750 V DC) and the heavy rail high voltage (in Germany, 15 kV AC). The vehicles must also be adapted to the heavy rail's signalling system. This transit mode combines the tram's availability with stops in the street, and the heavy rail's higher speed. They are often faster than most rapid transit (metro) systems. The first system was opened in Karlsruhe in 1992. Their top speed is often 100 km/h (62 mph), in Kassel as much as 114 km/h (71 mph).[23] This transit mode is a rebirth of the interurban.
Inter-city, regional and commuter rail
Passenger services are frequently split into three categories; Inter-city, Regional, and Commuter.
Inter-city rail covers fast trains linking urban areas over long distances. Examples include the former BR's InterCity and Germany's DB Fernverkehr.
Regional rail covers the slower services that stop at more stations than inter-city services along the same routes, as well as services on the more minor lines that do not see inter-city services. They provide services to and from smaller settlements and link them to long-distance inter-city services. Examples include the former BR's Regional Railways, France's TER (Transport express régional) and Germany's DB Regio services.
Commuter rail covers the services within singular urban areas that link the districts and suburbs within it. Examples include New York's Metro-North Railroad and London's Overground.
Note that in North America, "regional rail" is often used as a synonym for "commuter rail", often using "commuter rail" to refer to systems that primarily or only offer service during the rush hour while using "regional rail" to refer to systems that offer all-day service.[24][25]
Other types of rail transit
Automated guideway transit refers to guided transit vehicles operating singly or in multi-car trains with fully automated control (no crew on transit units). Service may be on a fixed schedule or in response to a passenger-activated call button. Automated guideway transit includes personal rapid transit, group rapid transit, and people mover systems.[11]
Personal rapid transit (PRT), also called personal automated transport (PAT), is a public transportation concept that offers on-demand, non-stop transportation, using small, independent vehicles on a network of specially built guideways.
Monorail means a system of guided transit vehicles operating on or suspended from a single rail, beam, or tube. Usually they operate in trains.[11] Monorails are distinguished from other types of elevated rail system by their use of only a single beam, and from light rail and tram systems by the fact they are always grade-separated from other vehicles and pedestrians.
Suspension railway is a form of elevated monorail where the vehicle is suspended from a fixed track (as opposed to a cable used in aerial tramways), which is built above street level, over a river or canal, or an existing railway track.
Service type
Local service
Also called all-stations or all-stops. Means trains stop at every station on a route.
Semi-fast service
Also called rapid or limited-stop. Means trains skip some stations, but stop at more stations than an express service.
Express service
Means trains operate for long distances without stopping, skipping some stations between stops.
Passenger boarding
Street-level boarding
Used primarily by light rail and tram lines that stop on the street rather than at stations. No platforms are used, the passengers walk up steps into the vehicles. For wheelchairs, a retractable lift or ramp is required to gain access to the vehicle.
Low-level platforms
Generally about 30 to 45 centimetres (12 to 18 in) above track level and are used primarily by some commuter rail and light rail and tram/streetcar rail systems. Wheelchairs can board low-floor vehicles directly from the platform, but high-floor vehicles require retractable lifts or ramps.
High-level platforms
Generally 45 to 95 centimetres (18 to 37 in) above track level and are used primarily by heavy rail, automated guideway, and some commuter rail lines. Only high-floor vehicles can be used, but wheelchairs can board directly from platforms if vehicle floors are level with the platform.[1]
Rail terminology with regard to speed
Conventional rail
Generally, the speed range for conventional rail is 160 km/h (99 mph) or less.
The vast majority of local, regional, and express passenger trains, and almost 100% of freight trains are of this category.
Countries that do not make distinction between conventional rail and higher-speed rail can have the maximum speeds of conventional rail up to 200 km/h (124 mph) with the systems that can operate at the speeds higher than that be classified as high-speed rail.[26] For the countries with higher-speed rail classification, the maximum speeds of conventional rail can vary which may go up to 160 km/h (99 mph) such as in Canada.[27]
Higher-speed rail
Generally, the speed range for higher-speed rail is between 130 km/h (81 mph) and 250 km/h (155 mph) .
The higher-speed rail can operate at top speeds that are higher than conventional rail but the speeds are not as high as those in the high-speed rail services. These services are provided after improvements to the conventional rail infrastructure in order to support trains that can operate safely at higher speeds. There is no globally accepted standard in the speed ranges for this classification. Local and regional jurisdictions may have their own definitions. For example, a definition in North Texas has a wide range of speeds between 80 mph (130 km/h) and 150 mph (240 km/h).[28] A planned construction in Thailand, called medium-speed rail, has the top speeds of 250 km/h (155 mph).[29]
In some cases the term higher speed rail would sound incorrect to define a train travelling below a high speed since higher is greater than high. Therefore, the word higher speed rail would sound correct to refer to a train at a speed between 300 and 500 km/h (i.e. greater than the high speed of 200–300 km/h).[according to whom?]
High-speed rail
Generally, the speed range for high-speed rail is between 200 km/h (124 mph) and 400 km/h (249 mph).
There is no globally accepted standard separating high-speed rail from conventional railroads; however a number of widely accepted variables have been acknowledged by the industry in recent years. Generally, high-speed rail is defined as having a top speed in regular use of over 200 km/h (124 mph). Although almost every form of high-speed rail is electrically driven via overhead lines, this is not necessarily a defining aspect and other forms of propulsion, such as diesel locomotives, may be used. A definitive aspect is the use of
In the United States, the
Very high-speed rail
Generally, the speed range for very high-speed rail is between 310 km/h (193 mph) and 500 km/h (311 mph).
The term is used for the fastest trains introduced after 2000, exceeding 300 km/h (186 mph). Shanghai Transrapid is one example, with a line speed of 430 km/h (267 mph).
Ultra high-speed rail
Generally, the speed range for ultra high-speed rail is between 500 km/h (311 mph) and 1,000 km/h (621 mph).
A number of both technological and practical variables begin to influence trains in the vicinity of 500–600 km/h (311–373 mph). Technologically, the limitations are by no means beyond reach, however conventional trains begin to encounter several physical obstacles, most notably track damage and
Trains faster than 600 km/h (373 mph) will exceed the speed of most propeller-driven aircraft. Regardless of technological parameters, the track for such a train and anything faster would more than likely require turn radii of significantly higher proportions than current dimensions, essentially preventing anything but a direct line between terminals. Such trains are extremely unlikely in the current or near future.
Greater than 1000 km/h (621 mph)
Depending on the aerodynamic design of the vehicle and various ambient atmospheric conditions, a train would begin to exhibit
Rail terminology with respect to railway track gauge
Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to the
Comparison of types
Characteristics | Ultra light rail/ Very light rail |
Tram or streetcar |
Light rail | Metro or heavy rail |
Commuter or suburban rail |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rail tracks
|
mixed traffic
|
Private right-of-way or grade-separated
|
Fully grade-separated |
Mostly grade-separated | |
Power supply
|
Battery
|
Overhead lines )
(or, rarely, DMU |
Overhead lines
|
||
Units per train | 1 | 1–2 | 2–6 | Up to 10 | Up to 12 |
Average speed (km/h) | 10–20 | 30–40 | 30–40 | 45–65 | |
Passengers per train | 35–70 | 125–250 | 260–900 | 800–2,000 | 1,000–2,200 |
Maximum passengers per hour per direction |
7,500 | 18,000 | 40,000 | 48,000 |
See also
- Glossary of rail transport terms
- Glossary of Australian railway terms
- Glossary of New Zealand railway terms
- Glossary of North American railway terms
- Glossary of United Kingdom railway terms
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Fact Book Glossary – Mode of Service Definitions". American Public Transportation Association. 2013. Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ UITP (2011). "Recommended basic reference for developing a minimum set of standards for voluntary use in the field of urban rail, according to mandate M/486" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ "Paris Visite". 29 November 2005. Archived from the original on 29 November 2005.
- ^ "MetroRoma – Home". Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2007.
- ^ "Metro de Madrid". metromadrid.es.
- ^ London Underground: Tube travel information website of Transport for London
- ISBN 0-85329-095-4.
- ^ "Introducing London Overground – a new era for London Rail" (Press release). Transport for London. 5 September 2006. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
{{cite press release}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) (via archive.org). - ^ "Rail Accident Investigation Branch reports". Rail Accident Investigation Branch. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ "On the trail of the tram-train". Rail Magazine. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ a b c "National Transit Database Glossary". U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration. 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ Magno, Junn (29 April 2022). Full Video | NSCR Balagtas station: The inside stories with Junn B. Magno (16:9 1080p) (YouTube). Link Link Link.
- Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corporation. Retrieved 21 January 2014 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "Coming soon: Faster, more modern trains". The Philippine Star. 25 December 2002. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ Tram at OED; retrieved 4 September 2018
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-33916-5.
- ^ Thompson, Gregory L. (2003). "Defining an Alternative Future: Birth of the Light Rail Movement in North America" (PDF). US Transportation Research Board. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
- ^ "Light Rail Fits In".
- ^ Smiler, Simon. "Passenger Train Variations - Trams, Streetcars and Light Rail Vehicles". citytransport.info.
- ^ "The next steps for ultra-light rail". www.railtechnologymagazine.com.
- ^ "Is Stourbridge the beginning, or end, of the ultra-light rai". www.transportxtra.com. 10 July 2015.
- ^ "Very Light Rail | Vehicles with a weight of less than 1 tonne per linear metre".
- ^ "MetroTram – KASSEL". MetroTram.it. 29 January 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ Blumgart, Jake (23 April 2021). "Taking the 'Commuter' Out of America's Rail Systems". Governing. e.Republic LLC. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ISBN 9781642832136.
- ^ "General definitions of highspeed". International Union of Railways. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- ^ "Ms. Helena Borges (Director General, Surface Transportation Policy, Department of Transport) at the Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Committee". Canada Parliament. 12 May 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- ^ a b "Section 5 Rail Transportation" (PDF). Congestion Management Process (CMP). North Central Texas Council of Governments. p. V-14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- ^ "New plan: medium speed trains, not high speed". Bangkok Post. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- ^ "US Code Title 49 § 26105 –Definitions". US Code Title 49. 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
reasonably expected to reach sustained speeds of more than 125 miles per hour
- ^ "High-Speed Rail Strategic Plan". Federal Railroad Administration. April 2009. p. 10. Archived from the original on 7 January 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- ^ Grunwald, Michael (28 December 2012). "High-Speed Rail: Obama's High-Stakes Gamble". TIME U.S. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- ^ Clayton, Mark (21 August 2012). "Obama plan for high-speed rail, after hitting a bump, chugs forward again". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- ^ "Types of passenger rail" (PDF). Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study Newsletter. 2 (1): 2. Winter 2014.
- ISBN 1-55963-591-6.