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Various terms are used forpassenger railway lines and equipment; the usage of these terms differs substantially between areas:
Arapid transit system is anelectric railway characterized by high speed (~80 km/h (50 mph)) and rapid acceleration. It uses passengerrailcars operating singly or inmultiple unit trains on fixed rails. It operates on separaterights-of-way from which all other vehicular and foot traffic are excluded (i.e. is fullygrade-separated from other traffic). The APTA definition also includes the use sophisticatedsignaling systems, andhigh platform loading.[1]
Originally, the termrapid transit was used in the 1800s to describe new forms of quick urbanpublic transportation that had a right-of-way separated from street traffic. This set rapid transit apart fromhorsecars,trams,streetcars,omnibuses, and other forms of public transport. A variant of the term,mass rapid transit (MRT), is also used for metro systems inSoutheast Asia andTaiwan.
Though the term was almost always used to describerail transportation, other forms of transit were sometimes described by their proponents as rapid transit, including localferries in some cases.
The termbus rapid transit has recently come into use to describebus lines with features to speed their operation. These usually have more characteristics oflight rail than rapid transit.[citation needed]
AMetro, originally shorted from 'metropolitan railway',[2] is defined by theInternational 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."[3] Metros 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.
Paris,Rome,Madrid,Barcelona,Lisbon,Copenhagen,Helsinki,Warsaw,Saint Petersburg,Amsterdam,Rotterdam,Prague andMoscow all have metro (from the word metropolitan where "metro" means "mother" and "politan" means "city") systems which are called metro in French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Dutch, Czech and Russian.[4][5][6]
Subway used in a transit sense refers to arapid transitheavy rail system that goes underground. The term may refer only to the underground parts of the system, or to the full system.Subway is most commonly used in theUnited States and the English-speaking parts ofCanada, though the term is also used elsewhere, such as to describe theGlasgow Subway in Scotland, and in translation of system names or descriptions in some Asian and Latin American cities.
In some cities wheresubway 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 manysubways with above-ground components, and on the other hand, theVancouver SkyTrain andChicago "L" include underground sections. Historic posters referred to Chicago'sRed &Blue lines (then called the State Street & Milwaukee/Dearborn lines) as "the subway lines".
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.
Some light rail / street car lines that have underground sections that are referred to as subway are often sub surface subways. Notably, Boston'sGreen Line and theNewark City Subway, each about half underground, originated from fully surfacestreetcar lines. Also, theBuffalo Metro Rail is referred to as "the subway", while it uses light rail equipment and operates in a pedestrian mall downtown for half of its route and underground for the remaining section. Sometimes the term is qualified, such as inPhiladelphia, where trolleys operate in an actual subway for part of their route and oncitystreets for the remainder. This is locally styledsubway-surface.
When theBoston subway was originally built, thesubway label was only used for sections into whichstreetcars (trams) operated, and the rapid transit sections were calledtunnels. Also, in some countries,subway refers to systems built under roads and the informal termtube is used for the deep-underground tunnelled systems (such as London'sPiccadilly line) – in this usage, somewhat technical nowadays and not used much in London,underground is regardless the general term for both types of system.
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 adowntown 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 forbus rapid transit lines, such as theMBTA 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 termsubway may be used in either sense.
The usage ofunderground is very similar to that of subway, describing an underground train system.
InLondon the colloquial termtube now refers to theLondon Underground, and is the most common word used for the underground system; and it is used byTransport for London, the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system throughout Greater London.[7] 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.[8] TheGlasgow metro system is known as theGlasgow Subway or colloquial as "the subway". The wordmetro is not usually used in London or Glasgow to refer to those cities' metros, but it is used in and aroundNewcastle upon Tyne to refer to theTyne and Wear Metro.
In the UK, the termoverground was created in 2007 byTransport for London to refer to a mainly above-groundsuburban rail network servingGreater London, theLondon Overground, which took overSilverlink Metro routes.[9]
Confusingly, the termoverground is also used to refer to National Rail networks within London generally, or any non-London Underground rail service in everyday speech.[citation needed]
The termmetro is not usually used to describe metro systems in German-speaking areas (Germany, Austria and parts of Switzerland), instead using the termU-Bahn – a shortening ofUntergrundbahn, meaning "underground railway" – andS-Bahn – an abbreviation for the GermanStadtschnellbahn or justSchnellbahn (fast city train, fast train) the more common English translation, suburban train. So for example in Berlin, the mostly underground system is known as theBerlin U-Bahn and it is integrated with the mostly above-ground system, known as theBerlin S-Bahn. TheFrankfurt U-Bahn is an important exception, the system being really alight rail transit system with underground sections.
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 is a shorthand forelevated railway, arailway built on supports over other rights of way, generally city streets. The termoverhead tends to be used in Europe. The names of elevated railways are sometimes further abbreviate it toEl orL. Some examples include:
The termheavy rail has different meanings in different parts of the world.
The German complementary term isVollbahn and the oppositeKleinbahn. These terms were defined to distinguish different axle loads and connected construction rules. Today the termVollbahn is not common andKleinbahn is used fornarrow-gauge lines.
In the United Kingdom,heavy rail refers to conventional railways forming part of the national network, including commuter,intercity,high-speed rail,regional rail and freight services, as distinct frommetro,light rail andtram lines,people movers, and similar.[10][11] TheLondon Underground, despite being described as a metro system, is nonetheless officially classified as beingheavy rail.
In North America, theAmerican 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 fromlight rail systems, which usually handle a smaller volume of passengers.
In North America,heavy rail can also refer torapid transit, when referring to systems with heavier passenger loadings than light rail systems,[1] but distinct fromcommuter rail andintercity rail systems. It is characterized by high-speed, passenger rail cars running in separate rights-of-way from which all other vehicular and foot traffic are excluded.[12]
Such passenger rail cars are almost alwayselectrically driven, with power either drawn from anoverhead line or an electrifiedthird rail.
In thePhilippines, theNorth–South Commuter Railway has been described byPhilippine National Railways general manager Junn Magno as aheavy rail metro line. Although the use ofheavy rail also refers to rapid transit as with American parlance, it is characterized aselectrified passenger rail services that use 8- or 10-car trains.[13] This is then distinguished fromlight rail used to describemedium-capacity rail systems such as theLRT Line 1 andMRT Line 3,[14] andmedium rail which is a regular rapid transit system operated with fewer train cars such as theLRT Line 2.[15]
Heavy rail term outside North America refers globally to both mainline/branch line freight rail and passenger rail (commuter, regional, intercity and high-speed) other than large-capacity metro but still a subject of debate.[citation needed]
The termstram,streetcar, andtrolley refer to most forms ofcommon carrierrailtransit that run entirely or partly on streets, providing a local service and picking up and discharging passengers at any street corner, unless otherwise marked. Whiletram ortramway are widely used worldwide, the term used varies in differentdialects ofEnglish, withstreetcar andtrolley most commonly used inNorth America (streetcar being more common in the western and central part of the continent andtrolley in the eastern part), whiletram predominates in Europe and elsewhere.
Tram is a British word, cognate with theLow Germantraam, and theDutchtrame, meaning the "shafts of awheelbarrow".[16] 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, werehorsecars, and this type of streetcar became ubiquitous because very few of the streets in American cities were paved. Mechanical versions, pulled bycables, were introduced around 1870. Electric streetcars were introduced in the 1880s and soon replaced the horse-drawn streetcar in cities across the United States.[17]
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 byFrank J. Sprague, in which a spring-loadedtrolley pole pushed a small trolley wheel up against an overhead wire to collect electricity for the motors. Although not the first overhead collection system, it was far more reliable than its predecessors, and eventually became used by almost all streetcars.[17] Some authorities believe that the vehicle became known as atrolley car because it reminded people (particularly on theWest Coast) of a boattrolling for fish. Others believe it derived from a dialect word for a wheeled cart.
In the U.S. the wordtram frequently refers to a special-purposebus used as a shuttle (and often not designed for use on public roads), such as for parking lot shuttles at theme parks and major events or transportation within theme parks. Other common North American English meanings of the termtram includeaerial cable cars and short-distance, rubber-tiredpeople-movers (such as at certain airports). Tourist buses that have been given the appearance of a vintage streetcar (i.e.trolley-replica buses) are most commonly referred to, ambiguously, simply astrolleys by the companies or entities operating them or selling them, but may be referred to as trams or streetcars.[citation needed]
Specific terms for some historically important tram technologies includehorsecar,heritage streetcar, andcable car.
Heritage streetcar (also known asheritage trolley orvintage 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 asSan Francisco.
Alight railway is aBritish 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 theLight Railways Act 1896 and intended to bring railways to rural areas. The LondonDocklands Light Railway, has morerapid transit style features than would be typical oflight rail systems, but fits within the U.K.light railway definition.
Alight rail transit (LRT) system is anurban rail transit system with a "light" passenger capacity compared toheavy rail and metro systems. Its operating characteristics are that it usesrailcars, calledlight rail vehicles (LRVs), operating singly or in shortmultiple unit trains on fixed rails in a right-of-way that is not necessarilygrade-separated from other traffic for much of the way. Light rail vehicles are almost alwayselectrically driven, with power usually being drawn from anoverhead line rather than an electrifiedthird rail,[1] though a few exceptional systems usediesel multiple units (DMUs) instead as a cheaper alternative to an electrically driven light rail system.
The phraselight rail was coined in the 1970s during the re-emergence ofstreetcars/trams with more modern technology. It was devised in 1972 by the U.S.Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA; the precursor to theFederal Transit Administration) to describe new streetcar transformations which were taking place, and was a translation of the German wordStadtbahn. However, instead of the literal translation ofcity rail, UMTA usedlight rail instead.[18] In general, it refers to streetcar/tram systems with rapid transit-style features. It is named to distinguish it fromheavy rail, which refers torapid transit systems as well as heavierregional rail/intercity rail.
A few systems such aspeople movers andpersonal 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 steeperinclines than heavy rail, andcurves sharp enough to fit within streetintersections. They are typically built inurban areas, providing frequent service withmultiple-unit trains or single cars.
The most difficult distinction to draw is that between light rail andstreetcar/tram systems. There is a significant amount of overlap between the technologies, and it is common to classify streetcars/trams as a subtype of light rail rather than as a distinct type of transportation. The two general versions are:
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 aslight rail. In those places,trams running on mixed right of way are not regarded as light rail, but considered distinctly as streetcars or trams. However, the requirement for saying that a rail line is "separated" can be quite minimal – sometimes just with concrete "buttons" to discourageautomobile drivers from getting onto the tracks.
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 calledlight rail) is the dominant form of newurban rail transit in theUnited States. TheFederal 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 thePortland 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 ofoverhead wires, but sometimes by alive rail, also called third rail (a high voltage bar alongside the track), requiring safety measures and warnings to the public not to touch it. In some cases, particularly when initial funds are limited,diesel-powered versions have been used, but it is not a preferred option. Some systems, such asAirTrain JFK in New York City, are automatic, dispensing with the need for a driver; however, such systems are not what is generally thought of as light rail, crossing over intorapid transit.Automatic operation is more common in smallerpeople mover systems than in light rail systems, where the possibility of grade crossings and street running make driverless operation of the latter inappropriate.
Very light rail or ultra light rail is a term for light rail with more modest initial requirements than typical light rail.Parry People Mover which is grade-separated, low passenger capacity (maximum 35 standing) powered by LPG with no overhead lines, has been described as ultra light rail.[19][20][21][22] The proposedCoventry Very Light Rail which is at-grade, low passenger capacity (60-70 people), battery powered so no overhead lines also falls into this category. A Very Light rail vehicles is described as vehicles weighing less than 1 tonne / m3.[23]
In the U.S.,interurban (GermanÜberland(straßen)bahn) refers to a higher-speed streetcar (tram) line – i.e. electrical railcars or trains which run both between the cities or towns (often inrural environments) on their own right-of-way, and through the city streets as trams. In the U.S., some interurban railcars constructed in the period 1900–1930 ran at extremely high speed for its time. Essentially, the classic interurbans were thelight-rail lines of the day. Several advanced innovations – likestreamlining,wind tunnel research and lightweight constructions – have their origin on the interurban scene, or were early adopted by companies likeJ. G. Brill Company,Cincinnati Car Company, andSt. Louis Car Company. The fastest interurbans had a maximum service speed at 145–150 km/h (90–93 mph), and an average speed including stops at above 80 km/h (50 mph). The Cincinnati–Toledo route ofCincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad was 349 km (217 mi). A few interurbans likePhiladelphia and Western Railroad adapted to high speeds with double-track, absoluteblock signalling and withoutgrade crossings. Others ran at (too) high speed on single-track right-of-way without block signalling – and experienced disastrous wrecks.
The classic U.S. interurbans are all but gone, with two of the remaining (Norristown High Speed Line[citation needed],IRT Dyre Avenue Line) having been upgraded torapid transit specifications, and a third system (Cleveland'sBlue andGreen Lines) now considered to be light rail. TheSouth Shore Line, which runs fromChicago'sMillennium Station toSouth Bend, Indiana, has been converted to modern electric rapid-transit operation on the dense corridor between Chicago andGary, Indiana, but still runs essentially as an interurban through several small towns between Gary and South Bend. Los Angeles has a light-rail system whose lines sometimes follow the routes of the area's interurbans, although this revival commenced decades after the original interurban ceased service.
The European interurbans, like theSilesian Interurbans (Tramwaje Śląskie S.A.; GermanSchlesische Straßenbahn) and Belgium'sCoastal Tram, were (and are) more like conventional tramways, as their names indicate.
Interurbans sometimes used freight railways rather than building their own track.
InAustralia,interurban refers to long-distance commuter trains such as the routes betweenNewcastle and Sydney, betweenBrisbane and Gympie, or betweenBrisbane and the Gold Coast. Some interurban trains may operate from where suburban lines end, such asSouthern Higlands services between Campbelltown and Goulburn, or betweenIpswich and Rosewood. These do not have the features of "intercity trains" in other parts of the world, such as booked seats and meal services, but are bare commuter trains. They are properly called interurban rather than intercity, although New South Wales refers to its interurban services as "intercity" trains and Victoria refers to theirs as "regional" trains.
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 (GermanZweisystemstadtbahn,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 inKarlsruhe in 1992. Their top speed is often 100 km/h (62 mph), in Kassel as much as 114 km/h (71 mph).[24] This transit mode is a rebirth of the interurban.
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Passenger services are frequently split into three categories;Inter-city,Regional, andCommuter.
Inter-city rail covers fast trains linking urban areas over long distances. Examples include the formerBR'sInterCity and Germany'sDB 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'sRegional Railways, France'sTER (Transport express régional) and Germany'sDB Regio services.
Commuter rail covers the services within singular urban areas that link the districts and suburbs within it. Examples include New York'sMetro-North Railroad and London'sOverground.
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.[25][26] InEurope, trains are assigned to differentcategories based on several factors, and categories vary between countries.
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 includespersonal rapid transit,group rapid transit, andpeople mover systems.[12]
Personal rapid transit (PRT), also calledpersonal 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.
People mover orautomated people mover (APM) systems are fully automated, grade-separated mass transit systems which serve a relatively small area such as an airport, downtown district or theme park. The term "people mover" has become generic for the type of system, which may use technologies such asmonorail,duorail,automated guideway transit ormaglev.
Monorail means a system of guided transit vehicles operating on or suspended from a single rail, beam, or tube. Usually they operate in trains.[12] 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.
Means trains stop at every station on a route. For light rail vehicles operating on city streets as trams or streetcars, local service is analogous to local bus service, where stops are every block or two apart.
Means trains operate for long distances without stopping, skipping some stations between stops. This speeds up longer trips, especially in major urban areas. In major cities, express trains may have separate tracks for at least part of their routes.
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.
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.
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]
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 andhigher-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 ashigh-speed rail.[27] 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.[28]
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 inNorth Texas has a wide range of speeds between 80 mph (130 km/h) and 150 mph (240 km/h).[29] A planned construction in Thailand, called medium-speed rail, has the top speeds of 250 km/h (155 mph).[30]
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?]
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 ofcontinuous welded rail which reduces track vibrations and discrepancies between rail segments enough to allow trains to pass at speeds in excess of 200 km/h (124 mph). Track radius will often be the ultimate limiting factor in a train's speed, with passenger discomfort often more imminent than the danger of derailment. Depending on design speed, banking, and the forces deemed acceptable to the passengers, curves often exceed a 5 kilometer radius.Tilting trains have been developed for achieving greater comfort for passengers, so higher speeds are possible on curvy tracks. Although a few exceptions exist, zero grade crossings is a policy adopted almost worldwide, with advanced switches utilizing very low entry and frog angles.Magnetic levitation trains fall under the category of high-speed rail due to their association with track oriented vehicles; however their inability to operate on conventional railroads often leads to their classification in a separate category.
In the United States, thefederal law has used the term "high-speed rail" as the rail services with "reasonably expected to reach sustained speeds of more than 125 miles per hour [200 km/h]" since 1998.[31] In 2009, theUnited States Department of Transportation created a vision plan for national high-speed rail network with conflicting definitions by describing the lowest speed range of the high-speed rail systems as "Emerging HSR" with top speeds between 90 mph (140 km/h) and 110 mph (180 km/h)[32] This created confusion in terminology and the media started to differentiate the "higher-speed rail" from the high-speed rail.[33][34] Some state-leveldepartments of transportation andcouncil of governments now use different sets of definitions. For examples,North Central Texas Council of Governments uses the definition of the speeds over 150 mph (241 km/h), andTexas Department of Transportation andOklahoma Department of Transportation use the speeds of 165 mph (266 km/h) or more to define high-speed rail. These agencies have a separate category for higher-speed rail which can be a wide range of speeds between 80 mph (129 km/h) and 150 mph (241 km/h).[35][29]
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).
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 andpantograph limitations. It is important to note that the current world record for rail vehicles is held by theTGVV150 set on 15 April 2007 at 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph), and conventional trains may indeed eventually reach into ultra high-speeds. However, this test has shown that speeds over 500 km/h are unrealistic for regular usage; it wears down the material too much. Based on current and foreseeable technology, these speeds will more than likely be reached predominantly bymaglev trains. The two most prominent maglev trains are theTransrapid with a maximum speed of 550 km/h (342 mph) and the JapaneseMLX01, which holds the world land speed record for rail vehicles at 581 km/h (361 mph).
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.
Depending on the aerodynamic design of the vehicle and various ambient atmospheric conditions, a train would begin to exhibittransonic airflow in the vicinity of Mach 0.8 (988 km/h) and higher. From a modern perspective, this is essentially the realistic maximum speed of trains as they are known today. This is because thePrandtl-Glauert singularity would cause catastrophic damage to the vehicle as the sound waves reflected off of the ground, potentially blasting the train into the air.[dubious –discuss] The only trains that could exceed this speed significantly arevactrains.
Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to thestandardtrack gauge where the distance between the inside edges of the rails of the track is1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (seethe list of countries that use the standard gauge).
Narrow-gauge railways have track gauges of between600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) and1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in). They are cheaper to build and operate, but tend to be slower and have less capacity.Minimum-gauge railway have a gauge of less than600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) and are primarily used asindustrial railways rather than for passenger transit. However manyminiature railways use this type of gauge.
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in). Examples include1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)Russian gauge,5 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1,588 mm) and1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in).
| Characteristics | Ultra light rail/ Very light rail | Tram or streetcar | Light rail | Metro or heavy rail | Commuter or suburban rail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rail tracks | At grade – inmixed traffic | Private right-of-way orstreet running in reserved lanes, sometimesgrade-separated | Fully grade-separated | Mostly grade-separated | |
| Power supply | Battery | Overhead lines Cables Ground-level power supply | Overhead lines (or, rarely,DMU) | Third rail Fourth rail Overhead lines | Overhead lines Third rail Locomotive |
| 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 |
{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) (via archive.org).reasonably expected to reach sustained speeds of more than 125 miles per hour
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