Misplaced Pages

#463536

103-582: The Pascack Valley Line is a commuter rail line operated by the Hoboken Division of New Jersey Transit , in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York . The line runs north from Hoboken Terminal , through Hudson and Bergen counties in New Jersey, and into Rockland County, New York , terminating at Spring Valley . Service within New York is operated under contract with Metro-North Railroad . The line

206-473: A branch line, the Sha Tau Kok Railway from Fanling to Sha Tau Kok . This branch was unsuccessful and closed on 1 April 1928 following the opening of a road that ran parallel to the tracks. Through the years, more stations were added to the line. Sheung Shui station was opened in the 1930s, and Ma Liu Shui (now University) station opened in 1955. The KCR engines were powered by steam engines before

309-651: 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

412-412: A completely new Beacon Hill Tunnel (Tunnel 2) was constructed and took over the original one; and Tunnel 5 was doubled. The new one is known as Tunnel 5A. The line is currently served solely by nine-car R-Stock trains built by Hyundai Rotem , which entered service on 6 February 2021. Thirty-seven sets were built by Hyundai Rotem between 2014 and 2022. Before the introduction of the new R-Stock trains,

515-696: A first class section. The interior design between the two models is different, and the transverse seating near the ends of the Metro-Cammell carriages has been replaced with longitudinal seating in the Kinki Sharyo models to allow for a wider gangway between compartments. All of the East Rail line Hyundai-Rotem trains are maintained at Ho Tung Lau Depot in Sha Tin. With the construction of the Sha Tin to Central Link, which cannot accommodate trains of greater than nine cars,

618-413: 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

721-570: A hundred workers died in the construction. The construction was mainly carried out by the Chinese. The government built camps in Kowloon to support the construction. Most of the railway alignment was on flat land, so construction was relatively easy in those places, however, the construction of the Beacon Hill Tunnel involved digging and blasting. The tunnel's two ends were of soft soil, but the centre

824-577: 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

927-545: A minimum of 6 tph during early morning and late night hours. Most trains serve between Admiralty and Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau, with one train to Lok Ma Chau following two trains to Lo Wu. However, Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau stations close at approximately 00:30 the next day and 23:00 respectively, which means that Sheung Shui is the northern terminus after both border checkpoints are closed. During peak hours, trains are more frequent, running every 2–3 minutes. Between Sheung Shui and Admiralty, there are 20 tph during morning peak, bringing

1030-726: A new terminus site was chosen in Hung Hom . Hung Hom station replaced the old one and the old Hung Hom station in 1975. Today, a clock tower is the only structure left from the old terminus, and is a landmark near the Cultural Centre , Space Museum and the Star Ferry pier . Six pillars dismantled from the original station building were relocated to the Urban Council Centenary Garden in Tsim Sha Tsui East . A big bell

1133-579: A replacement for the previous Automatic Warning System (AWS) developed in Britain, ensures a safe distance is maintained between trains. It also allowed an increase in train frequencies from 20 to 24 per hour each way. The control centre was also relocated from Kowloon station to a new facility in the KCRC operations headquarters building at KCRC House (now known as the Fo Tan Railway House). Also as part of

SECTION 10

#1732850984464

1236-525: A total of ten sets of doors, each side with five; the introduction of new passenger information plasma display; and more standing space by rearranging seating patterns from the traditional back-to-back seating to a longitudinal design. In 1998, a new signalling system, known as Transmission balise-locomotive (TBL, as used in Belgium), came into operation on the line. This Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system,

1339-806: A week. The line was originally chartered as the Hackensack and New York Railroad in 1856. It later became the New Jersey and New York Railroad , which was bought by the Erie Railroad in 1896. The New Jersey and New York Railroad continued to exist as an Erie subsidiary until October 17, 1960 merger that created the Erie Lackawanna Railroad . On April 1, 1976 the Erie Lackawanna was merged with several other railroads to create Conrail . In 1983, after several years under operation by Conrail, operations of

1442-967: A wide variety of different features and service frequencies, but 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

1545-586: Is also estimated that with the completion of the Sha Tin to Central Link (Tai Wai – Hung Hom section), 20% of the current East Rail line passengers will take the new East West Corridor. The SP1900 EMUs were withdrawn from the East Rail line on 6 February 2021 and, together with the SP1900/1950 sets on the West Rail and Ma On Shan lines, are being reconfigured as 8-car trains to serve the Tuen Ma line. The conversion project

1648-874: 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

1751-591: 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

1854-610: Is named for the Pascack Valley region that it passes through in northern Bergen County. The line parallels the Pascack Brook for some distance. The line is colored purple on system maps, and its symbol is a pine tree . The Pascack Valley Line runs between Spring Valley, New York , and Hoboken Terminal . The line is 31 miles (50 km) long, of which the northernmost 6 miles (9.7 km) are in New York State . The entire line

1957-417: 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

2060-1884: 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

2163-470: 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

SECTION 20

#1732850984464

2266-607: Is owned by NJ Transit , but the Pearl River, Nanuet and Spring Valley stations are leased to Metro-North Railroad. The line is single tracked, but sidings at points along the line, including the Meadowlands , Hackensack and Nanuet , permit bi-directional off-peak service. A siding in Oradell was also planned for increased service and reliability, but the project was halted due to local opposition. Service on this line operates seven days

2369-526: 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,

2472-480: Is stored at Ho Tung Lau . The original Hung Hom station at Chatham Road South was also demolished. In 1975, the KCR asked two consultancies, Sofrerail and Transmark , to make proposals on the modernisation of the line. In 1979, Transmark's proposal to double-track and electrify the entire line for $ 2.5 billion (in 1979 prices) was accepted by the government. This work involved building a new tunnel through Beacon Hill as

2575-554: Is taking place at MTR's Pat Heung Depot and converted sets are being placed into service on the Tuen Ma line alongside newly delivered CRRC Changchun TML C-trains (nicknamed as the pseudo-SP1900 due to its similarity to the SP1900). The SP1900 first class cars will be shipped back to Kinki Sharyo factory in Osaka , Japan for conversion into standard-class compartments. The Metro-Cammell EMUs were retired on 6 May 2022 after 40 years of service, with

2678-570: 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

2781-426: 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

2884-900: 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

2987-747: 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

3090-519: 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

3193-761: 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

Pascack Valley Line - Misplaced Pages Continue

3296-685: The Hong Kong–China border and proceed to Guangzhou , Shanghai and Beijing in Mainland China. Intercity trains did not call at stations in Hong Kong apart from the Hung Hom terminus, where both inbound and outbound passengers complete their Hong Kong immigration and customs clearance. In July 2020, all of the Intercity Through Train routes has been permanently discontinued. As the demand for long-distance train service has been catered to by

3399-571: 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

3502-547: The Kowloon–Canton Railway (British Section) , the line is the first heavy rail line in Hong Kong. Prior to the MTR–KCR merger in 2007, the line (then known as KCR East Rail ) formed part of the Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR) network and was managed by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC). On 2 December 2007, the line was taken over by MTR Corporation (MTRC) and was given its current name. KCRC continues to own

3605-947: 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,

3708-405: 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

3811-528: 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

3914-424: 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

4017-426: 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

4120-431: The central business district . It is also the city's only railway line that connects to land-based border checkpoints with Mainland China . The line is generally double tracked and electrified, except for certain goods sheds. All of the stations on the line except Admiralty, Exhibition Centre and Hung Hom are at-grade or elevated. As of 2018, the line carried around 1 million passenger trips per day. Opening in 1910 as

4223-420: The 1950s. There were 20 engines. However, diesel engines were purchased starting from 1950, with the first one with number 51. Steam engines then disappeared from KCR. The development of the towns along the line began to grow immensely during the 1970s, prompting a modernisation of the Kowloon-Canton Railway. The original Kowloon station terminus at Tsim Sha Tsui was too small and had no room for expansion, so

Pascack Valley Line - Misplaced Pages Continue

4326-402: 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

4429-473: The ATP project, a two kilometre section of the tracks near the Pak Shek Kok reclamation, curving around the former coastline, was straightened out during the mid-1990s. The tracks now run alongside the Tolo Highway . A vestige of the former alignment, an old bridge beside Cheung Shue Tan village built between 1906 and 1909, was identified by the Antiquities and Monuments Office in 2008 as a historic asset. In 2002, an automatic train operation (ATO) system

4532-448: 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

4635-402: 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

4738-411: The East Rail line was operated with two types of commuter trains: the 29 refurbished Metro-Cammell EMUs (also known as Mid-Life Refurbished Trains) and eight sets of the newer SP1900 EMUs , manufactured by Kinki Sharyo of Japan in 2001. Both models shared the same exterior colour scheme, door arrangement (five pairs per car, except first class), as well as consisting of 12 carriages per train including

4841-421: The MTR decided in December 2012 to phase out all of the aging Metro-Cammell trains from 2020 and replace them with 37 sets of 9-car R-Stock trains built by Hyundai Rotem of South Korea. In 2020, the MTR purchased an additional 6 trains bringing the total number to 43 sets. The first new train arrived in Hong Kong in September 2015 and entered service in February 2021. They fully replaced the older fleet in time for

4944-433: 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

5047-467: The Pascack Valley Line were transferred to NJ Transit Rail Operations. The line used to continue north of Spring Valley to Haverstraw, New York . This portion of the line has been abandoned and most of the right-of-way has been sold off. Part of the line (between Spring Valley and Nanuet) was once part of the main Erie Railroad line from Piermont, New York to Buffalo, New York . Into the 1930s there had been Erie passenger service from Spring Valley at

5150-431: The SCL project presented an opportunity to improve the line's infrastructure. The local community had long fought for the retrofitting of automatic platform gates (APGs) on East Rail line platforms, yet the pre-SCL signalling system could not support their addition. As construction of the SCL project progressed, advance works for APGs installation including platform structure reinforcement was also carried out. A year after

5253-411: 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

SECTION 50

#1732850984464

5356-467: 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

5459-451: The construction of a railway from Kowloon to Canton (now Guangzhou). The whole project was 87 miles (140 km) long, with 22 miles (35 km) in the British Section and 65 miles (105 km) for the Chinese Section. However, the English could earn 65% of the income while China could only earn 35% of it. Construction started in 1906. The most difficult section was the approx. 7200-foot-long (2195 m) Beacon Hill Tunnel , and about

5562-414: The cross-boundary stations (except approved FCA residents holding a Railcard) are charged at a premium, the proceeds of which is used to cross-subsidise fares of domestic journeys to a certain extent. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic , the Intercity Through Train ( Chinese : 城際直通車 ) service shared tracks with East Rail line domestic service between Hung Hom and Lo Wu. These intercity trains ran across

5665-417: The cross-harbour extension opened, the installation of APGs formally commenced, with the first pairs of APGs at Racecourse and Tai Po Market stations putting into operation on 7 May and 3 June 2023, respectively. Tunnels on the East Rail line have numbers assigned to them. When the railway was first opened, there were five tunnels: During the construction of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel , which opened in 1972,

5768-417: 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

5871-423: The earliest. There are long distances between University and Tai Po Market stations, between Tai Wo and Fanling stations, and between Sheung Shui and Lok Ma Chau stations; and there are no intermediate stations within these sections. These sections of track are nearby the Science Park , Tai Po Kau , Hong Lok Yuen, Kau Lung Hang village, and Kwu Tung village. However, intermediate stations within some sections of

5974-589: The end of the Pascack line to Suffern station on the newer Erie Main Line . By 1941, this was reduced to a single weekday trip in each direction. In August 2020, amidst the financial repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic , the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said that it would shut down service on the line in Rockland County if federal bailout money were not available. On September 29, 2016, Pascack Valley Line Train 1614 crashed into Hoboken Terminal injuring 108 and killing one. Rockland Coaches: 11, 45 Commuter rail The term can refer to systems with

6077-525: The existing tunnel was not wide enough to accommodate two tracks. New stations were added, including Kowloon Tong station , which was completed in 1982 to provide an interchange with the new MTR network. Tai Po Kau station and the original Tai Po Market station were closed, with the latter being redeveloped into the Hong Kong Railway Museum . The development finished in sections between 1982 and 1983, with new Metro Cammell EMUs , manufactured by Metro-Cammell in England, replacing diesel locomotives . With

6180-448: The first class car is common during rush hour. Riding on this carriage costs twice that of a standard-class journey and passengers are required to buy the first class ticket (at the vending machine on East Rail line stations or ticket counters at the other stations) or revalidate their Octopus cards on the first class reader (located at the station platforms and beside the gangway door of the First class compartment itself) before entering

6283-421: The first class carriage), when trains once ran on four three-car EMUs. All but three of the 351 railcars were refurbished; the only unit exempt from refurbishment was unit E44 (144-244-444), which is currently stored in Ho Tung Lau depot. The yellow-cab train was formally retired with a "Farewell Ride" on 31 October 1999. When refurbished, each set was still made up of 12 cars (with one first-class car). Prior to

SECTION 60

#1732850984464

6386-448: The first-class car. Ticket Inspectors will perform random checks on train, and passengers failing to produce a valid first class ticket or validated Octopus Card will be liable to a surcharge of $ 1000. Domestic trains on the East Rail line operate from around 05:30 to 01:00 the next day, running at around 3–8 minute intervals for most part of the day. Trains operate at roughly 15–16 trains per hour (tph) per direction off-peak, and drops to

6489-406: The form of 37 nine-car R-Trains , which would completely replace all existing trains used on the line. The new signalling system was slated to replace the old ones on 12 September 2020 and R-Trains would start carrying passengers on the same day, but one day before the changeover, the discovery of abnormalities that misrouted Lok Ma Chau bound trains into tracks towards Lo Wu on three occasions during

6592-416: 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

6695-412: The last train leaving Hung Hom at 13:00, departing for Sha Tin, and ending service there to a large crowd who took the train. The East Rail line is the only railway in Hong Kong to offer first class commuter service. One car of each train is designated as a first class carriage (Northbound Car No.4 and Southbound Car No.6). These compartments have softer and wider seat arrangements; however, standing in

6798-465: The line and its infrastructure while leasing its operations to MTRC. The same railway was used for intercity passenger and freight services crossing the boundary into Mainland China. Freight services on the line ceased in 2009, while the intercity passenger services were suspended in early 2020 amidst the coronavirus pandemic , with no plans to resume service despite border reopenings. The United Kingdom and China signed an agreement to cooperate on

6901-399: The line once MFO started). Passenger services started on the cross-harbour extension on 15 May 2022. The extension allows New Territories East residents to reach the central business district in one train ride. During the first two weeks after the extension's commissioning, the patronage of the line's critical link, that is the section from Tai Wai to Kowloon Tong, during the busiest hour in

7004-506: The modernisation of the railway and the concurrent urbanisation of the New Territories, ridership rose quickly, from a daily average of 190,000 in 1983 to 491,000 in 1990. A temporary station in Tai Wai opened in 1983 while the permanent Tai Wai station was completed in 1986. Fo Tan station opened in 1985 to serve the expanding industrial estate. Tai Wo station opened in 1989 to serve Tai Wo Estate and to replace Tai Po Kau station . The 1990s saw more rapid development and changes within

7107-502: The morning peak recorded a 27% increase from 26,000 to 33,100 pphpd . As the need to transfer from the line to other MTR lines (at Kowloon Tong or Hung Hom / East Tsim Sha Tsui) or cross-harbour tunnel buses (at Hung Hom) for destinations on Hong Kong Island is now eliminated, the new extension had relieved the critical links on Tsuen Wan line and Kwun Tong line of around 20% and 10% loading during morning peak, respectively. The introduction of new trains and signalling systems under

7210-412: The natural border between Hong Kong and Mainland China. Trains had to stop at Lo Wu station after Communist China closed the border and suspended the through train service in 1949. The line was generally single track, with a passing loop at each station. It was originally built with narrow gauge tracks, but just before opening standard gauge track was laid and the original tracks were used to build

7313-408: The new Guangshengang XRL which opened 2018, there are currently no plans to resume the Intercity Through Train service despite the reopening of the border in 2023. This is a list of the stations on the East Rail line. In May 2008, MTR announced plans to renew many stations, some of which have been in service for over half a century. Refurbishment is not expected to be fully completed until 2016 at

7416-626: The north at Sheung Shui and ends at Admiralty station on Hong Kong Island . At approximately 46 km (29 mi), the line (including the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line ) is the second longest line within the network, behind the Tuen Ma line . The line's colour is light blue, formerly navy blue before the KCR/MTR merger. The line connects the new towns of Fanling–Sheung Shui , Tai Po and Sha Tin in eastern New Territories with urban Kowloon and

7519-917: 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 ,

7622-1003: 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

7725-522: 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

7828-460: The opening of the Hung Hom to Admiralty section of the Sha Tin to Central Link on 15 May 2022. Due to the shorter train length, there are concerns that the new formation may worsen the existing overcrowding problem. However, the Transport and Housing Bureau and MTRC suggest that the new signaling system and higher train speeds will increase the train frequency from three minutes down to two minutes. It

7931-527: 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. East Rail line The East Rail line ( Chinese : 東鐵綫 ) is one of the ten lines that form MTR , the mass transit system in Hong Kong. The railway line starts at Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau , both of which are boundary crossing points into Shenzhen and joins in

8034-688: 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

8137-509: The parallel Fo Tan station. Trains terminating at Racecourse might also be operated. Both Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau stations are integrated with immigration control points between Hong Kong and Mainland China. The two stations are located within the Frontier Closed Area (FCA) and access is restricted to genuine boundary-crossing passengers with a valid travel document, and nearby residents holding Closed Area Permits. Journeys to and from

8240-423: 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

8343-533: The railway was extended in tunnel to a new southern terminus at East Tsim Sha Tsui station . On 28 December 2004, a branch to the East Rail, the Ma On Shan Rail was added, with an interchange at Tai Wai. On 15 August 2007, an extension from Sheung Shui station northwest through a tunnel to Lok Ma Chau station was opened. This provides a second border crossing between Hong Kong SAR and Mainland China. The Kowloon–Canton Railway (KCR) network, of which East Rail

8446-471: The railway. The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) signed a contract with Anglo-French manufacturing giant GEC-Alsthom to refurbish the Metro-Cammell EMUs at the East Rail depot at Ho Tung Lau . In 1996, the first refurbished train was put into service on the line, which was now known as KCR East Rail ( 九廣東鐵 ), and trains now allow passengers to traverse from one end to another (except for

8549-552: 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

8652-413: The rule proclaimed in 1994 which fixed the number of cars on each set to 12, trains were inconsistent in terms of length, ranging from six cars (two EMUs), nine cars (three EMUs) to 12 cars (four EMUs). In terms of appearance, trains no longer have the monotonous design of having a red stripe running across the middle from the cab to the end; the doors now have a red coating, and the window panes along with

8755-488: 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

8858-611: The same year. Phase 2 of the link is a southern extension of East Rail line which takes the line southward across Victoria Harbour to a new terminus, Admiralty station, on Hong Kong Island . The extension also includes an intermediate station at Exhibition . In preparation for this extension, the TBL and ATO signalling systems in use on the East Rail line were replaced by the Trainguard MT communications-based train control system supplied by Siemens. The line also received new rolling stock in

8961-463: The section of tracks near Oi Man Estate , Ho Man Tin was covered to construct the section of Princess Margaret Road connecting to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel. A new tunnel was therefore created and given the number 1A. During the modernisation of the line in the early 1980s, Tunnels 1, 3, 4 were removed by demolishing the mounds above them. Tunnel 1A already had double track width when built;

9064-469: The system reliability tests was revealed by a media report. The changeover of signalling systems was eventually postponed to 6 February 2021. From that day until 6 May 2022, East Rail line entered the stage of "Mixed Fleet Operation" (MFO) in which new 9-car trains were put to service, running alongside and gradually replacing the legacy 12-car Metro-Cammell EMUs (the SP1900 EMUs were removed from service on

9167-461: 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

9270-541: The train frequency up to 2.7-3.8 minute intervals. Additional short-haul trains would also depart from Tai Po Market and Sha Tin, augmenting the number of trains south of Sha Tin to 23 tph. The line's usual service patterns on non-race days could be summarised as follows:- Racecourse station is only open to passenger traffic during horse racing meetings at the Sha Tin Racecourse , during which some trains would be channelled through Racecourse instead of calling at

9373-515: 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

9476-549: 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

9579-517: 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

9682-465: 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

9785-574: 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

9888-448: The upper part are fashioned with blue paint. The original design of the train front, encapsulating the driver's cab and commonly referred to as the "Yellow-cab", was replaced with a more modern design capped with a silver coating, and a digital display added providing the train's destination. The design of the EMU was modified as well: four more sets of doors being added to each car, adding up to

9991-470: 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

10094-495: Was added to TBL, which controls the speed of the train for the driver and ensures that all trains will stop when arriving at every station. Under normal circumstances, most trains are operated in ATO mode except for scenarios such as operation of trains in and out of train depots, driver training, or at times when the ATO system fails to function properly. However, intercity trains using the East Rail line continue to operate on AWS. In 2004,

10197-530: Was called the "Chinese Section" (now the Guangzhou-Shenzhen railway ). Initially, service was only provided from Yaumati station to Fanling station with a tunnel through Beacon Hill . After the "Chinese Section" was completed, through train service to Canton through Sham Chun (now Shenzhen ) became available. Lo Wu station also serves as a border crossing, with a bridge across the Sham Chun River ,

10300-485: Was completely suspended. Northbound trains terminated at Sheung Shui for three years, until Lok Ma Chau crossing was reopened on 8 January 2023 following the lifting of travel restrictions. Lo Wu station reopened to cross-boundary passengers on 6 February 2023, after completion of renovation. First conceived in 1967, the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) expansion project received approval in 2012, and began construction later in

10403-473: Was granite. This caused a delay in construction as it was not suitable to use explosives at the two ends while the explosives could not blast off a lot of rock in the centre. The railway line to the Chinese border, then called the Kowloon-Canton Railway (British Section) (KCRBS; 九廣鐵路英段 ), opened for passenger services on 1 October 1910. The remaining section from Lo Wu to Canton (now Guangzhou )

10506-566: Was part of, was amalgamated into the MTR system on 2 December 2007. The KCR East Rail was renamed the East Rail line. At that time, the line terminated at East Tsim Sha Tsui in the south, and Lo Wu / Lok Ma Chau in the north. On 16 August 2009, Hung Hom became the southern endpoint of both the East Rail line and West Rail Line after the completion of the Kowloon Southern Link . The section of East Rail line between Hung Hom and East Tsim Sha Tsui

10609-592: Was taken over by the West Rail line, with the latter station becoming an intermediate stop on West Rail line (now part of Tuen Ma line). As the COVID-19 pandemic started to affect Hong Kong in early 2020, the Hong Kong government closed all border crossings on the land boundary with Mainland China, including the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line control points, on 3 February. During the closure, Lo Wu station served only certified residents nearby, while passenger service at Lok Ma Chau

#463536