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83-551: The Cross-City Line is a suburban rail line in the West Midlands region of England . It runs for 32 mi (51 km) from Redditch and Bromsgrove in Worcestershire , its two southern termini, to Lichfield , Staffordshire , its northern terminus, via Birmingham New Street , connecting the suburbs of Birmingham in between. Services are operated by West Midlands Railway . Cross-City Line services began in 1978, as

166-651: A city's central business district, and often share right-of-way with intercity or freight trains. Some services operate only during peak hours and others use fewer departures during off peak hours and weekends. Average speeds are high, often 50 km/h (30 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. The general range of commuter trains' travel distance varies between 15 and 200 km (10 and 125 miles), but longer distances can be covered when

249-558: A few saw further use in departmental service, as sandite or route-learner units. Several of this class have been saved for preservation. Several units were allocated to Heaton TMD in the late 1980s to carry out Pacer replacement services during the latter's troubled introduction period. During this time, the individual cars were often mixed into hybrid sets with, for example, class 119 vehicles. Services worked included Bishop Auckland to Saltburn. Three units were converted to carry parcels traffic and reclassified as Class 130 , though

332-413: 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

415-461: A loop between Birmingham New Street and Kings Norton). In October 2018, as part of a 30-year strategy of Transport in the West Midlands several proposals were put forward. By 2034, there would be longer trains, electrification of the line from Lichfield Trent Valley to Burton-on-Trent allowing 2 services per hour to be extended to Burton-on-Trent via a newly reopened Alrewas . Beyond 2034, it

498-577: 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 subway and the LIRR and Metro-North Railroad , Paris' Métro and RER along with Transilien , Washington D.C.'s Metro along with its MARC and VRE , London's tube lines of

581-509: A project of the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) to improve local rail services. It made use of pre-existing railways lines, which previously did not have any through services. Services were extended to Redditch in 1980, and to Lichfield Trent Valley in 1988. The route was electrified in 1993. In 2018 services were extended to Bromsgrove , which was added as a second southern terminus. What

664-478: A three-car set, the trailer (centre carriage) was unpowered. Built of an all steel construction, the 116 and its variants were classed as heavyweight DMUs but were capable of speeds of 70 mph (110 km/h). Like other BR Derby output, the type underwent testing on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway which had been closed to passenger trains by the mid 1950s. The class were similar in design to

747-415: A toilet. Hybrid sets usually had a toilet to overcome this problem. They stayed in regular service until 1990, when they began to be withdrawn from traffic along with other first generation types. The age of the trains along with concerns about corrosion and the asbestos used during the initial building and subsequent renovations were the reasons given. They were gradually replaced on regional services by

830-678: A total of fourteen sets were in service. The class was repainted in Trans Clyde livery, and were used on longer routes between Glasgow and Ayr. Hamilton Depot closed in August 1982 and so the class 116 fleet was reallocated to Eastfield. In theory the units were out-based at Corkerhill, continuing to work services out of Glasgow Central. After electrification, the 116's were phased out of use. The last 116 unit left service in Scotland in March 1987, being returned to

913-467: A wartime economy measure) and new stations to serve the University of Birmingham and Longbridge (the former station at Longbridge was on the branch line to Halesowen and Old Hill). Most of the other stations on the southern half of the route were rebuilt at the same time, and improvements were made to signalling and junctions. Of the new stations, the only one to be officially opened was University , which

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996-502: A well used regular suburban service, which had been switched from steam to diesel multiple unit (DMU) operation in 1956, leading to a large increase in usage. However, the southern half of the route from New Street to Redditch was a different matter: In 1964, the closure of all the stations between New Street and Redditch (along with the branch to Redditch) was proposed by the Beeching Axe . They were reprieved from closure in 1967, however

1079-874: Is especially the case for lines operated by Korail , such as the Gyeongui-Jungang Line , the Gyeongchun Line , the Suin-Bundang Line , or the Gyeonggang Line . Even some lines not operated by Korail, such as the AREX Line, the Seohae Line or the Shinbundang Line mostly function as commuter rail. Lastly, even for the "numbered lines" (1–9) of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway which mostly travel in

1162-591: Is heavily used by commuters in the Greater Tokyo Area , who commute between 100 and 200 km (62 and 124 mi) by Shinkansen . To meet the demand of commuters, JR sells commuter discount passes. Before 2021, they operated 16-car bilevel E4 Series Shinkansen trains at rush hour, providing a capacity of 1,600 seats. Several lines in China, such as the Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway and

1245-517: Is now the Cross-City Line was not built as a single route; it is a combination of lines opened by different companies at different times between 1837 and 1885. On the northern half of the route (Birmingham–Lichfield): On the southern half of the route (Birmingham–Redditch): These lines from Birmingham to Barnt Green and Redditch were operated by the Midland Railway and the line to Lichfield

1328-417: 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 control cab at the other end of the train from the locomotive, allowing the train operator to operate

1411-901: Is often used in contrast to rapid transit or light rail . Some services share similarities with both commuter rail and high-frequency rapid transit ; examples include German S-Bahn in some cities, the Réseau Express Régional (RER) in Paris, the S Lines in Milan, many Japanese commuter systems, the East Rail line in Hong Kong, and some Australasian suburban networks, such as Sydney Trains . Many commuter rail systems share tracks with other passenger services and freight . In North America, commuter rail sometimes refers only to systems that primarily operate during rush hour and offer little to no service for

1494-1884: Is one suburban rail called the Chittagong Circular Railway . Another suburban railway called the Dhaka Circular Railway is currently proposed. Karachi in Pakistan has a circular railway since 1969. Tehran Metro currently operates the Line 5 commuter line between Tehran and Karaj . Turkey has lines connecting Başkentray , İZBAN , Marmaray and Gaziray . Major metropolitan areas in most European countries are usually served by extensive commuter/suburban rail systems. Well-known examples include BG Voz in Belgrade (Serbia), S-Bahn in Germany, Austria and German-speaking areas of Switzerland, Proastiakos in Greece, RER in France and Belgium, Servizio ferroviario suburbano in Italy, Cercanías and Rodalies ( Catalonia ) in Spain, CP Urban Services in Portugal, Esko in Prague and Ostrava (Czech Republic), HÉV in Budapest (Hungary) and DART in Dublin (Ireland). London has multiple commuter rail routes: The Merseyrail network in Liverpool consists of two commuter rail routes powered by third rail, both of which branch out at one end. At

1577-470: Is operationally more like a typical metro system (frequent trains, an emphasis on standing passengers , short station spacings) than it is like commuter rail in other countries. Japanese commuter rail commonly interline with city center subway lines, with commuter rail trains continuing into the subway network, and then out onto different commuter rail systems on the other side of the city. Many Japanese commuter systems operate various stopping patterns to reduce

1660-526: Is still possible to tell them apart. Some operators, for example Thameslink , focus solely on commuter services. Others, such as Avanti West Coast and LNER , run solely intercity services. Others still, such as GWR and 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,

1743-570: 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. Sometimes high-speed rail can serve daily use of commuters. The Japanese Shinkansen high speed rail system

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1826-426: Is widely used in many commuter rail trains to increase capacity in rush hours. Carriages are usually not organized to increase seating capacity (although in some trains at least one carriage would feature more doors to facilitate easier boarding and alighting and bench seats so that they can be folded up during rush hour to provide more standing room) even in the case of commuting longer than 50 km and commuters in

1909-599: The BRC&;W respectively under licence. These units were originally ordered for use on suburban and local services in the Birmingham area, but many found their way to other areas such as South Wales . The type was powered by twin BUT 11.3-litre (2.5 imp gal; 3.0 US gal) six-cylinder diesel engines, each producing 150 bhp (110 kW) with mechanical transmission. The type came in two or three car formations; in

1992-665: The Birmingham area in favour of the Class 107 which returned to service after an overhaul of the fleet. The 116 was extensively used in South Wales, being belatedly introduced on 2 December 1957 in the Cardiff Valley region. Originally intended to be introduced in September, a lack of vehicles caused the delay into service. They were housed at Canton depot. Just as in the Birmingham region,

2075-900: The Brisbane ( Queensland Rail 's City network ) and Perth ( Transperth ) systems in Australia, in some systems in Sweden, and on the Genoa-Casella line in Italy. Some countries and regions, including Finland , India, Pakistan, Russia , Brazil and Sri Lanka, as well as San Francisco ( BART ) in the US and Melbourne and Adelaide in Australia, use broad gauge track. Metro rail and rapid transit usually cover smaller inner-urban areas within 12 to 20 km (7 to 12 mi) 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

2158-747: The Chennai MRTS , also covers over 300 stations and carries more than 2.5 million people daily to different areas in Chennai and its surroundings. Other commuter railways in India include the Hyderabad MMTS , Delhi Suburban Railway , Pune Suburban Railway and Lucknow-Kanpur Suburban Railway . In 2020, Government of India approved Bengaluru Suburban Railway to connect Bengaluru and its suburbs. It will be unique and first of its kind in India as it will have metro like facilities and rolling stock. In Bangladesh, there

2241-508: The Class 114 , sharing the same heavyweight steel chassis but were fitted out as high-density sets, built for short-distance, high-capacity services, and so were built without gangways or toilets, although gangways were later fitted on some units. The Class 117 and 118 types were equipped with toilets however. They were originally capable of accommodating 262 passengers. On introduction, they were heavily marketed based on their appeal to commuters, and offered cheap fares. Some sources claim that

2324-519: The Greater Tokyo Area , Seoul metropolitan area , and Jabodetabek area have to stand in the train for more than an hour. Currently there are not many examples of commuter rail in Africa . Metrorail operates in the major cities of South Africa , and there are some commuter rail services in Algeria , Botswana , Kenya , Morocco , Egypt and Tunisia . In Algeria, SNTF operates commuter rail lines between

2407-811: The Guangshen Railway have more frequent metro-like service. The two MTR lines which are owned and formerly operated by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation ( East Rail line and Tuen Ma line which is integrated from the former West Rail line and Ma On Shan line in 2021), then the "KCR" ), and MTR's own Tung Chung line connect the new towns in New Territories and the city centre Kowloon together with frequent intervals, and some New Territories-bound trains terminate at intermediate stations, providing more frequent services in Kowloon and

2490-571: The Jakarta city center with surrounding cities and sub-urbans in Banten and West Java provinces, including Depok , Bogor , Tangerang , Serpong , Rangkasbitung , Bekasi and Cikarang . In July 2015, KRL Commuterline served more than 850,000 passengers per day, which is almost triple of the 2011 figures, but still less than 3.5% of all Jabodetabek commutes. Other commuter rail systems in Indonesia include

2573-947: The Metro Surabaya Commuter Line , Commuter Line Bandung , KAI Commuter Yogyakarta–Solo Line , Kedung Sepur , and the Sri Lelawangsa . In the Philippines, the Philippine National Railways has two commuter rail systems currently operational; the PNR Metro Commuter Line in the Greater Manila Area and the PNR Bicol Commuter in the Bicol Region . A new commuter rail line in Metro Manila,

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2656-597: The North–South Commuter Railway , is currently under construction. Its North section is set to be partially opened by 2021. In Malaysia, there are two commuter services operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu . They are the KTM Komuter that serves Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding Klang Valley area , and the KTM Komuter Northern Sector that serves Greater Penang , Perak , Kedah and Perlis in

2739-753: The Shanghai–Nanjing High-Speed Railway , serve a similar role with many more under construction or planned. In 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 HSR Line ), or the section between Dongtan Station and Suseo station on the SRT Line. The high-speed services linking Zürich , Bern and Basel in Switzerland (200 km/h (120 mph)) have brought

2822-573: The Underground and the Overground , Elizabeth line , Thameslink along with other commuter rail operators , Madrid's Metro and Cercanías , Barcelona's Metro and Rodalies , and Tokyo's subway and the JR lines along with various privately owned and operated commuter rail systems. Regional rail usually provides rail services between towns and cities, rather than purely linking major population hubs in

2905-592: The Yamanote Line , Keihin Tohoku Line , Chūō–Sōbu Line services arguably are more akin to rapid transit with frequent stops, simple stopping patterns (relative to other JR East lines) no branching services and largely serving the inner suburbs; other services along the Chūō Rapid Line , Sōbu Rapid Line / Yokosuka Line , Ueno–Tokyo Line , Shōnan–Shinjuku Line etc. are mid-distance services from suburban lines in

2988-495: The 300 km/h (186 mph) Nuremberg–Ingolstadt high-speed railway . The regional trains Stockholm – Uppsala , Stockholm– Västerås , Stockholm– Eskilstuna and Gothenburg – Trollhättan in Sweden reach 200 km/h (120 mph) 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

3071-517: 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 ( Hauptbahnhof ). The Regional-Express commuter service between Munich and Nuremberg in Germany runs at 200 km/h (120 mph) on

3154-470: The Class 116 had issues such as poor ride and weak build quality, causing difficulties in later service. Twenty nine 116 units (50050-50078, 59000-59028 and 50092-50120) were first introduced into service on 17 June 1957, operating from Birmingham Snow Hill . The 116 was used extensively around the commuter belts of Birmingham before being used on longer routes to Oxford and Worcester from spring, 1958. The type

3237-544: The Cross City Line. Post- pandemic the Cross-City Line weekday service has been reduced from 6 to 4 trains per hour in each direction usually operated by two sets of Class 730s , forming 6 cars. 6 trains per hour are expected to be reintroduced as part of Midlands Rail Hub. The Class 323 were finally withdrawn from the line after 30 years of service, on 27 September 2024. As part of the new West Midlands Trains franchise, they were replaced by Class 730 Aventras . In

3320-581: The Cross-City Line is contiguous with the Cross Country Route . Some longer distance services stop at University , including CrossCountry trains to Cardiff and West Midlands Railway trains to Hereford . Tracks are also shared with the Chase Line between Birmingham New Street and Aston . There are long-standing proposals for the re-introduction of local trains on the Camp Hill line (effectively

3403-526: The December 2024 timetable the off-peak weekday and Saturday service on the core section of the line between Four Oaks and Longbridge comprises four West Midlands Railway trains per hour in each direction. Two northbound trains per hour continue from Four Oaks to Lichfield Trent Valley while two southbound trains per hour continue from Barnt Green to Redditch , and the other two southbound trains per hour continue to Bromsgrove . The service consists of: Between Birmingham New Street and Barnt Green ,

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3486-402: The East Rail Line share tracks with intercity trains to mainland China . The three KCR lines are integrated into the MTR network since 2008 and most passengers do not need to exit and re-enter the system through separate fare gates and purchase separate tickets to transfer between such lines and the rest of the network (the exceptions are between the Tuen Ma line's East Tsim Sha Tsui station and

3569-433: 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

3652-411: The Tsuen Wan line's Tsim Sha Tsui station . 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 includes a total of 22 lines, and some of its lines are suburban lines. This

3735-401: The Western region with a view to running a Kings Cross - Cambridge all DMU service. A delay in introducing new trains to the London region from the Chiltern area saw the 116 pressed into service to fill the gap. The 116 fleet and its variants were extensively refurbished in the late 1970s. The carriages were renovated with new interiors including gangways, improved lighting and improvements to

3818-721: The area along with the Class 101 , with which it worked in tandem with. Withdrawal started from November 1992 and they were fully replaced by EMUs on 12 July 1993. From the mid 1960s, surplus units were transferred to the Eastern and Scottish Regions. The first three Class 116 units were transferred to Scotland in October 1966, initially on-loan to Hamilton depot, but the move became permanent in November, and by December that year eight units were based at Hamilton. The Scottish 116 units were put to work immediately. Initially with eight sets available, they worked out of Glasgow Central to East Kilbride, Barrhead, Kilmarnock, Kilmacolm, sometimes reaching Largs and Edinburgh via Shotts. By July 1972,

3901-467: The capital Algiers and its southern and eastern suburbs. They also serve to connect Algiers ' main universities to each other. The Dar es Salaam commuter rail offers intracity services in Dar es Salaam , Tanzania. In Botswana, the ( Botswana Railways ) "BR Express" has a commuter train between Lobatse and Gaborone . In Japan, commuter rail systems have extensive network and frequent service and are heavily used. In many cases, Japanese commuter rail

3984-417: The dense parts of Seoul, some track sections extend far outside of the city, and operate large sections at ground level, such as on the Line 1 , Line 3 and Line 4 . In Busan, the Donghae Line , while part of the Busan Metro system, mostly functions as a commuter rail line. In Indonesia , the KRL Commuterline is the largest commuter rail system in the country, serving the Greater Jakarta . It connects

4067-421: The elderly diesels operating the service were becoming increasingly unreliable, and the WMPTE (now reorganised as Transport for West Midlands , formerly Centro ) pressed for electrification . The decision to electrify the line was made on 7 February 1990 by the then Transport Minister Cecil Parkinson during the campaign for a by-election in the Mid Staffordshire constituency. Work started on electrifying

4150-460: The electrified line, and replace the elderly diesels. Full service with the Class 323s did not begin until 1994, due to initial reliability problems with the new units. Some elderly Class 304 , Class 308 and Class 310 EMUs were drafted in to operate services in the interim, along with some of the original diesel units. The cost of the electrification scheme was estimated at £64.5 million (equivalent to £165,950,000 in 2023), of which around 70%

4233-401: The end of the first year was carrying 30,000 passengers daily. Services were extended to Redditch in 1980, initially on an hourly frequency, increased to half-hourly in 1989. The service to Lichfield City was increased to half hourly in 1986, and on 28 November 1988, some services were extended to terminate at the re-opened high level platforms of Lichfield Trent Valley . By the late-1980s,

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4316-416: The former BR 's Regional Railways , France's TER ( Transport express régional ), Germany's Regionalexpress and Regionalbahn , and South Korea's Tonggeun and Mugunghwa-ho services. 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 " intercity " trains in Belgium and

4399-402: The least busy station is Alvechurch with 151,042 passenger entries and exits in 2023/24. The railway stations and cities , towns and villages served by the line are listed below. A large stretch of the northern part of the line closely follows the A5127 road . Commuter rail The term can refer to systems with a wide variety of different features and service frequencies, but

4482-441: The new "Sprinter" derivative units, or by Class 323 electric multiple units on services around Birmingham , with several units still being used until the final day of diesel running before electrification. The remaining units in use were transferred to Tyseley depot to partially replace the retired British Rail Class 114 and their workings in Lincolnshire. The final units lasted in traffic until around June 1995. However,

4565-563: The new trains were heavily advertised. The units were used for the next 30 years almost exclusively in the South Wales area, but did occasionally work services to Bristol and Bath. With the introduction of Sprinters , the 116 became obsolete and were slowly withdrawn from service in favour of British Rail Class 150s starting in 1987. The final 116s were withdrawn from Wales on 18 September 1992. The Eastern region based 116 units were based at Stratford, running services to and from Liverpool Street and Kings Cross. They had been transferred from

4648-502: The northern region of Peninsular Malaysia. In Thailand, the Greater Bangkok Commuter rail and the Airport Rail Link serve the Bangkok Metropolitan Region . The SRT Red Lines , a new commuter line in Bangkok, started construction in 2009. It opened in 2021. Another commuter rail system in Southeast Asia is the Yangon Circular Railway in Myanmar . In India, commuter rail systems are present in major cities and form an important part of people's daily lives. Mumbai Suburban Railway ,

4731-889: 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 Turkey. Commuter/suburban 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. Cars may be single- or double-level , and aim to provide seating for all. Compared to intercity trains, they have less space, fewer amenities and limited baggage areas. 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

4814-417: The oldest suburban rail system in Asia, carries more than 7.24 million commuters on a daily basis which constitutes more than half of the total daily passenger capacity of the Indian Railways itself. Kolkata Suburban Railway , one of the largest suburban railway networks in the world, consists of more than 450 stations and carries more than 3.5 million commuters per day. The Chennai Suburban Railway along with

4897-542: The onboard heating. The work was awarded to BR Swindon . The type was subsequently seen in use everywhere from Tyneside to Devon. Still in extensive use across the West Midlands during the 1980s, eventually the 116s were joined by brand new Class 150 trains beginning in 1984, with the aim of phasing out the older DMU. By the early 1990s, the 116 units had aged to the point where hybrid sets were created from available serviceable stock. The 116 had originally been designed for short-distance commuter services, so did not have

4980-401: The other, the Northern line continues out of the city centre to a mainline rail interchange, while the Wirral line has a city-centre loop. British Rail Class 116 The British Rail Class 116 diesel multiple units were built by BR Derby from 1957 to 1961. Introduced as part of the British Railways Modernisation Plan in the mid 1950s, as with other first generation DMUs the 116

5063-581: The outer reaches of Greater Tokyo through operating into these lines to form a high frequency corridor though central Tokyo. Other commuter rail routes in Japan include: Commuter rail systems have been inaugurated in several cities in China such as Beijing , Shanghai , Zhengzhou , Wuhan , Changsha and the Pearl River Delta . With plans for large systems in northeastern Zhejiang , Jingjinji , and Yangtze River Delta areas. The level of service varies considerably from line to line ranging high to near high speeds. More developed and established lines such as

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5146-423: 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. Locomotive hauled services are used in some countries or locations. This

5229-430: The reopening of the line feasible. West Midlands Combined Authority also released a plan for the line as part of a 10-year transport plan called the 2026 Delivery for Transport. In 2021–22, the Cross-City Line's 24 stations (excluding New Street) had combined passenger numbers of 12.4 million, The busiest station on the route besides Birmingham New Street is University , with 3.05 million passenger entries and exits, and

5312-552: The rest of the day, with regional rail being used to refer to systems that offer all-day service. Most commuter (or suburban) trains are built to main line rail standards, differing from light rail or rapid transit (metro rail) systems by: Compared to rapid transit (or metro rail), commuter/suburban rail often has lower 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

5395-482: The route with the 25 kV AC overhead line system in May 1990, and it was completed on 6 June 1993. Redditch, Alvechurch, and Blake Street stations were rebuilt at this time, and several other stations including Barnt Green were extensively modified to accommodate the new longer electric trains. The signalling was also modernised at the same time as the electrification, as part of a parallel scheme. A new fleet of Class 323 Electric multiple units were introduced to work

5478-488: 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, especially where service densities have converged in the inner parts of the network. Most such trains run on the local standard gauge track. Some systems may run on a narrower or broader gauge. Examples of narrow gauge systems are found in Japan, Indonesia , Malaysia , Thailand , Taiwan, Switzerland, in

5561-407: The service to be increased to three trains per hour. The line between Barnt Green and Redditch was closed for eight weeks for the works to be carried out, and was reopened on 1 September 2014. The improved service began in December 2014. Electrification was also extended from Barnt Green to Bromsgrove station , which was rebuilt in 2016 and was added as a second southern terminus once electrification

5644-441: The service was cut back to a handful of trains at peak times for commuters. In the early-1970s the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) gained responsibility for managing and planning the local railway network in the West Midlands, and they set about looking for ways it could be improved: The WMPTE Passenger Transport Plan of 1972 recognised the need for a cross-city rail service, and especially an improved service to

5727-441: The south of Birmingham with new stations to serve the growth areas in the south of the city. The Cross City Line project was sanctioned by the WMPTE in May 1975 and launched on 8 May 1978 . Costing £7.4 million (equivalent to £78,410,000 in 2023), it involved joining the services into Birmingham from north and south into a single through service, along with the re-opening of Five Ways station (the original had closed in 1944 as

5810-401: The then Secretary of State for Transport Bill Rodgers MP formally opened on 8 May 1978. There is a plaque on platform 2 marking this occasion. Services initially ran on a 15-minute frequency between Longbridge and Four Oaks via Birmingham New Street, with an hourly extension to Lichfield City, using refurbished Class 116 Diesel multiple units . The new service was an instant success, and by

5893-461: The towns closer to Kowloon. They use rolling stocks with a faster maximum speed and have longer stop spacing compared to other lines which only run in the inner urban area, but in order to maximise capacity and throughput, these rolling stocks have longitudinal seatings, 5 pairs of doors in each carriage with large standing spaces like the urban lines, and run as frequent as well. Most of the sections of these four lines are overground and some sections of

5976-515: 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. In the US and some other countries, a three-and-two seat plan is used. Middle seats on these trains are often less popular because passengers feel crowded and uncomfortable. In Japan, South Korea and Indonesia, longitudinal (sideways window-lining) seating

6059-549: 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 – Piraeus line and the Aigio – Airport lines reach speeds of up to 180 km/h (112 mph). The Athens – Chalcis line is also expected to attain speeds of up to 200 km/h (124 mph) upon upgrading of the SKA–Oinoi railway sector. These lines also have many daily commuters, with

6142-517: 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. Their ability to coexist with freight or intercity services in

6225-465: The travel time to distant locations, often using station passing loops instead of dedicated express tracks. It is notable that the larger Japanese commuter rail systems are owned and operated by for-profit private railway companies, without public subsidy. East Japan Railway Company operates a large suburban train network in Tokyo with various lines connecting the suburban areas to the city center. While

6308-574: The type of train, amenities offered, and stopping pattern, usually tell the services apart. 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

6391-470: 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 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

6474-589: Was a familiar sight on the Cross City Line , the Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line and across the West Midlands for the next thirty years, including services between Leamington Spa and Stratford-Upon-Avon. Several units were painted in West Midlands PTE livery. The 116s were refurbished several times in their lifetime, but with the electrification of the Cross City Line, the type was wound down in

6557-463: Was completed in August 2018. These changes allowed three trains per hour to run to both Redditch and Bromsgrove. Three of the ten new Class 350 trains that London Midland introduced in 2014 displaced Class 323s on other routes in the West Midlands to enable an increase in capacity between Longbridge and Redditch, and the extension of all remaining Longbridge trains to Bromsgrove after electrification. Class 350s are not currently authorised to be used on

6640-530: Was funded by Centro, and the remainder by the Regional Railways sector of British Rail . At Selly Oak , a new bridge was constructed in 2011 to carry the railway over a new section of the A38. The single track between Barnt Green and Redditch restricted the number of trains that could run to Redditch to two per hour. In November 2013 a scheme was approved to construct a new passing loop at Alvechurch to allow

6723-475: Was intended to replace steam trains and reduce costs across the rail network. Alongside Metro-Cammell , BR Derby had prior experience with DMUs, having developed a Lightweight Unit , and so was awarded a contract for a new design. BR ordered the type in large numbers but Derby Works could not keep up with demand, with 108 three-car sets being built in all. Variants of the type, British Rail Class 117 and British Rail Class 118 were built by Pressed Steel and

6806-613: Was operated by the London and North Western Railway , so there were no through services. This continued despite the Grouping of the LNW and Midland Railways to form the London Midland and Scottish Railway in 1921, and subsequent nationalisation to form British Railways . Prior to the creation of the Cross-City Line, the northern half of the route from New Street to Sutton Coldfield and Lichfield had

6889-495: Was proposed that new semi-fast service could serve more larger stations. There is also a single tracked mothballed line to the former Anglesey Sidings which was in use until 2001. The line remains in situ but rusty beyond repair. There is a possibility that the line which connected to Walsall from Lichfield via Brownhills and Pelsall could reopen as Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street promised to look and make

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