Which city is it? Provide some proofs that are only relating to commuter rail!

I would say Tokyo is easily the commuter rail capital of the world! :)
Then some of more closely match ups by London, Paris, NYC and Moscow.

How about Chicago among those close second ones? :)

Chicago's sprawling passenger rail network is being modernized and expanded to handle surging ridership and demands for new service in the region's burgeoning suburbs.
By Julian Wolinsky, Contributing Editor


Metra commuter rail daily ridership now averages 300,000. The agency plans to invest $2 billion over the next five years in plant and equipment.

http://www.railwayage.com/jun01/images/metra.jpg
Metra commuter rail daily ridership now averages 300,000. The agency plans to invest $2 billion over the next five years in plant and equipment.

Chicago's comprehensive rail transit system is operated by three independent agencies: Metra, which runs the commuter rail system within Illinois; the Chicago Transit Authority and its classic rapid transit system; and the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, which owns the South Shore Line linking South Bend, Ind., with downtown Chicago. Throughout the Chicago region, planning and capital spending are continuing at a vigorous pace to keep the network in top physical condition and ready to accept a growing volume of traffic well into the 21st Century.

Metra extends its reach
Metra, whose 703 weekday trains carry about 300,000 passengers, is plunging ahead with a five-year, $2 billion capital plan that includes both system expansion and a renewal of its car and locomotive fleet (RA, March, p. G16).

Beyond that, demand for rail service from areas not being served is driving a long-range plan to add new routes. Perhaps the most elaborate would be the Outer Circumferential proposal, which would utilize all or part of a 105-mile Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway freight line stretching from Waukegan south to the Illinois/Indiana state line. It would connect with all eight Metra routes and create a belt line providing suburb-to-suburb service. A feasibility study found no major problems despite the need for extensive upgrading and double-tracking that could cost up to $1.3 billion. A Phase 2 study is under way and, if results are positive, federal money would eventually be sought for the project, for which there is political and community support.

Two more radial proposals are under advanced study. One, the Inner Circumferential, would run 22 miles and link O'Hare and Midway airports, primarily on tracks of the Inner Belt route. It would intersect five Metra routes and also provide intra-suburb service. The other would be a new 38-mile SouthEast line in eastern Will and southern Cook counties using existing UP and Metra Rock Island rights-of-way. An alternative would be the nine-mile Peotone extension of the Metra Electric route south from University Park to a proposed new regional airport. Two possible alignments have been studied but no decision will be made until the fate of the airport is decided.

Two suggested Metra extensions into southern Wisconsin have been dropped after preliminary research found that projected patronage would be far too low to justify the capital cost. However, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission has begun a feasibility study into an extension north from Kenosha to Racine and Milwaukee.

Already under way is FAST (Future Agenda for Suburban Transportation), a long-range program designed to increase average speed and enhance other aspects of operating performance. The cost, should all of the projects come to fruition, would be in the billions of dollars.

The first major project to be completed under FAST was the 45-mile North Central Service, primarily over Wisconsin Central tracks, from Chicago to Antioch, near the Wisconsin border in northern Lake County. Now under way is a $192.7 million project that will add 16.3 miles of double track and 2.3 miles of triple track along the WC, allowing 22 weekday trains to use the route instead of the 10 now operated. In addition, tracks and signals along the Milwaukee District West line, which carries North Central trains from Franklin Park to Union Station, will be upgraded. This should increase average weekday ridership from 5,000 now to an estimated 8,400 by the year 2020. There will be five new stations, and 19 existing stops will be improved by 2005.

Also under way is a $108.7 million program to extend the 35-mile Union Pacific West line along an existing UP route from Geneva to Elburn in Kane County, a distance of 8.5 miles. The job includes 5.1 miles of triple track, the replacement of an interlocking plant, and construction of a new interlocker. The Geneva station will be updated and new stations built at La Fox and Elburn. The latter location will be home to a new yard that initially will store up to 116 cars overnight. There will also be crew facilities and storage areas for the m/w and signal departments. Completion is scheduled for 2006.

The 33-mile SouthWest line is to be extended by 12 miles, from Orland Park to Manhattan in Will County, with an increase in weekday trains from 16 to 30 by 2005. This $186.4 million project includes 3.3 miles of new double track, expansion of the 179th Street yard, and construction of a new yard in Manhattan. Track and signals along the existing line will be upgraded to allow higher operating speeds. Three new stations will be opened and nine existing facilities will be enhanced and made accessible to handicapped riders.

All three expansion projects have 62% federal funding under the FTA's New Start program, with a 38% match coming from the Illinois FIRST public works program and other local sources. For FY 2002, the Bush Administration has proposed $62 million for these projects.

Metra is also pressing ahead with a major rolling stock upgrade program. The fleet now consists of 130 diesel locomotives, 781 bilevel gallery cars, and 223 self-propelled electric gallery cars.

The latest round of acquisitions began last December with an order for 250 stainless steel bilevel gallery cars, followed a month later by a contract for 26 new 3,800-hp diesel locomotives from Motive Power Industries. Twenty-two of the streamlined locomotives will replace life-expired units and four will be assigned to expanded services. They will be equipped with microprocessor propulsion controls and electronically monitored air brake systems, and will be compliant with EPA Tier I emission requirements. Delivery of the first unit is expected during the second quarter of 2003. The federal government will pay 80% of the cost, with Illinois FIRST funds covering the local match.

The $398.6 million coach order, which includes an option for 50 vehicles, was awarded to Sumitomo Corp. of America. Super Steel of Milwaukee will assemble the 85-foot vehicles with shells from Nippon Sharyo in Japan, which is also designing and integrating onboard systems. Initial deliveries will begin in 2003 at a rate of about 10 a month. The new cars will allow the withdrawal of 258 coaches dating from the 1950s and 1960s as well as provide equipment for the three expanded lines. Sumitomo's bid was $98 million below the $496.9 million budgeted, so Metra plans to use the extra funds to buy 25 self-propelled cars for the Electric District, the start of a program to replace the line's 30-year-old rolling stock. Illinois FIRST will pay the entire cost.

CTA builds for growth
The Chicago Transit Authority's elevated and subway lines (known in Chicago as the "L")-seven rail routes with 222 miles of track, 143 stations, and 1,190 cars-handle approximately 1,452 trips each day. "We will continue to strengthen service and work toward better-matching service to demand," says CTA Chairman Valerie B. Jarrett. That commitment is being realized through a multi-billion-dollar capital program to rejuvenate existing facilities and extend the system. CTA says at least $4.1 billion will be needed over the next five years; however, only $1.78 billion is currently in the pipeline.

The last new CTA route to open was the Orange Line in 1993, linking the downtown Loop to Midway Airport. Now, two more extensions are in the study stage. The most ambitious proposal is a branch off the Blue Line near O'Hare International Airport that would serve suburban towns all the way to Schaumberg. The Northwest Corridor Transit Feasibility Study, completed a year ago, identified six rapid transit options including commuter rail, light rail, three bus alternatives, and the Blue Line. The latter proposal is the overwhelming favorite of local elected officials. A branch running along the Northwest Tollway would cost an estimated $720 million-the most expensive choice-but would draw the highest projected ridership, about 52,000 each weekday compared with 42,600 for light rail and 6,500 for commuter rail. A Phase 2 study is now under way to refine the route, ridership, and capital costs. It should be completed in 2003.

The other proposed expansion project, now the subject of a $150,000 study, would extend the Skokie Swift from its current terminal at Dempster to the Old Orchard shopping mall. Also being investigated is whether the addition of several stations along the existing route would unacceptably slow the service, which is now non-stop from Dempster to Howard Street. There is also a proposal to convert the line to third rail power supply over its entire length, replacing catenary on the outer end where it crosses several streets at grade.

Completed in 1996 was a two-year, $350 million total rebuilding of the Green Line Lake Street segment. Now, a similar makeover costing $482 million in FTA funds is planned for the badly deteriorated 6.6-mile Douglas Branch of the Blue Line. Eight stations are to be reconstructed, new signal and communications equipment will be installed, and the 54th Street/Cermak yard will be upgraded. Construction could begin by year-end.

Installation of a new signal control system in the State Street Subway is due for completion this year, improving safety and reliability of the line. The $27.2 million contract with GE Harmon includes a cab signal system and three new interlockings, with interfaces to six other CTA lines, replacing trip-stops that have been in place since 1943.

Rising ridership on the 9.3-mile Brown Line has made capacity improvements there of the highest urgency. Design work is under way on a platform-lengthening project that will allow the use of eight-car trains and will see the straightening of some curves to shorten running times.

In addition to these large-scale projects, the CTA has an on-going station rehabilitation program and is accelerating efforts to improve passenger amenities. For example, the CTA in 1997 eliminated token booths at stations, replacing them with a $52 million Cubic magnetic fare card system that can be adapted for smart cards.

Rolling stock is not being neglected in CTA's capital plans. A half-life overhaul by Alstom of the 2600 series built by Budd/Transit America between 1981 and 1987 is now 60% complete. The 2600s are being fitted with an upgraded propulsion system, IGBT-based auxiliary inverters, higher capacity heating systems, upgraded door controls, full-width cabs, and an advanced microprocessor-based cab signal system. Interior work includes the installation of new air conditioning, a public address system, and improved lighting.

Meanwhile, an order for 150 new cars is being prepared that could be put out to bid later this year. These will replace the Budd-built 2200 series, the oldest vehicles.


Catenary replacement is a major part of the South Shore's capital improvement plans. A constant-tension system is needed.

Photo by Howard Ande

Modernization on the South Shore
The South Shore Line, which shares Metra Electric District tracks into its Chicago terminal at Randolph Street Station, is also modernizing its facilities with a program of station, right-of-way, and rolling stock upgrades. Among the projects completed or under way are bridge rehabilitation and replacement, conversion of the entire system to CWR, construction of an expanded shop at Michigan City, a mid-life overhaul of 41 Nippon Sharyo cars delivered in 1982-83 (including conversion to a.c. propulsion), and studies on a new constant-tension catenary system that would cost about $34 million. Ten new cars were delivered last year to handle expanding ridership, which now totals over 12,000 on weekdays. Forecasts show boardings will grow by approximately 30% over the next 20 years.

An expansion to either Lowell or Valparaiso, Ind., is under consideration by the NICTD board. A study found the project would serve an estimated 7,900 weekday passengers by 2020 and cost about $250 million. So far, funding sources have not been identified. Two existing freight lines were found to be viable, the 46.6-mile CSXT route to Lowell, and the 54.2-mile Canadian National line to Valparaiso. The proposal does not include electrification, instead calling for dual-mode locomotives.

"L" [metro & loop rail]
http://homepage.mac.com/lpetrich/www/transit/Chicago_L.gif

"CTA" [metro & loop rail]
http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/rail/images/railmap.gif

"Subway" [metro & loop]
http://osamuabe.ld.infoseek.co.jp/subway/mappage/chicago.gif
http://www.subwaynavigator.com/subway_site/img/subway_maps/couleur/chicago.gif

"Metra" [metro & suburb rail]
http://www.clanmacleodusa.org/metra-system-map04-2003.gif

"Amtrak" [regional & international HSR]
Midwest routes
http://www.wcnet.org/~hern/amtrakmap.jpg
Overlook routes
http://www.railventures.com/images/railmap.gif
http://www.westernair.co.uk/amtraknationalmap
http://www.ctre.iastate.edu/educweb/ce353/lec01/fig1.3.jpg
http://www.narprail.org/cms/images/uploads/map02.gif
http://www.wcnet.org/~hern/Walton/map.gif
http://www.trainweb.org/railpix/miscpix/amtrak-map-1976.jpg
Scroll----------------------------------->
http://images.opentopia.com/enc/52/51928/Amtrak-map.png

Illinois Amtrak:
http://www.territorymapper.com/images/rail.gif

HSR
http://www.wilbursmith.com/HSRQuals/hsr2.gif
http://www.wilbursmith.com/HSRQuals/chi2fla.gif
^^^I will be using this line very often! :)

Very clearly Tokyo followed by London, with Paris and New York tied (IMO, although this is debatable).

Im sorry, but Chicago just gets killed here. The only North American city even remotely in contention for such an award is NYC. Tokyo easily wins this one..

Use your imagination then, if it is such pain to see~! :)
"HSR"
http://www.rockfordtransportation.com/news/ChicagoTerminal.jpg
http://www.rockfordtransportation.com/news/ChicagoSkyline.jpg

The L is metro, not commuter rail.

Tokyo most certainly.

The L is metro, not commuter rail.

I think that Chicago's "L" carries commuters from Loop #1 -------> Loop#2 consider as "commuter" rail. :)

Acela is most certainly not in Chicago..

^^ Are those last trains in the last two pictures even from the United States?

:crazy:

They appear to be running on the left and to my knowledge the US goes against international convention and drives its trains only on the right side.

Why show photos of the CTA system if you're asking about commuter rail? The el is rapid transit, not commuter rail. Metra is commuter rail. And Tokyo still pwns Chicago. It has SEVENTY FIVE commuter rail lines that transport 20 million a day. Metra has about 350,000 riders each day. Tokyo is the undisputed KING of commuter rail, without question.

I think that Chicago's "L" carries commuters from Loop #1 -------> Loop#2 consider as "commuter" rail. :)
Mmmmmm, no.

Acela is most certainly not in Chicago..

It is only matter of time! I think that we are getting something faster than that of Acela of the NE!

Why show photos of the CTA system if you're asking about commuter rail? The el is rapid transit, not commuter rail. Metra is commuter rail. And Tokyo still pwns Chicago. It has SEVENTY FIVE commuter rail lines that transport 20 million a day. Metra has about 35,000 riders each day. Tokyo is the undisputed KING of commuter rail, without question.
Good post. These rail threads are a disgrace to Chicago, a wonderful city that doesn't need to be associated with a stubborn poster. :p

It is only matter of time! I think that we are getting something faster than that of Acela of the NE!
And I banged the tooth fairy last night.

We are dealing with reality, not fantasy.

As of now, Chicago has no Acela and a mediocre commuter rail system. ;)

^^^
Thanks for the compliments guys! :)
I love to compare Chicago commuter rails with other cities like Tokyo, London, Paris, NYC and Moscow! Of course, there are many other cities that also have killer commter rail network, please all welcome to post them here! :cheers:

Good post. These rail threads are a disgrace to Chicago, a wonderful city that doesn't need to be associated with a stubborn poster. :p

Thank you for making the distinction. ChicagoSkyline's ignorance and bravado in no way represent that of most Chicago forumers here at SSC.

And I banged the tooth fairy last night.

We are dealing with reality, not fantasy.

As of now, Chicago has no Acela and a mediocre commuter rail system. ;)

Well, I know, of course!
Chicago is definitely working on it!
Once it is complete particulary the HSR lines to Miami, I will be the stalker! :rock: :okay:

Thank you for making the distinction. ChicagoSkyline's ignorance and bravado in no way represent that of most Chicago forumers here at SSC.
Oh, I knew that all along. ;) It's a pity the threads make Chicago's rail network look bad, when it really isn't. I loved the place, even with 20 inches of snow, save for how people didn't let me put ketchup on hot dogs. :(

@hydrogen
I already said Tokyo is without a sweat the "commuter" rail capital of the world!
Is that so hard for you to grasp the concept?
I am only posting the Chicago commuter rails to show on this thread. Is that so hard to face?
You are very welcome to post some of the most mind boggling images of tokyo commuter rails or maps or whatever that is related to commuter rail, I really love to check them out!
Particular from Paris, London and Moscow!
:cheers:

Oh, I knew that all along. ;) It's a pity the threads make Chicago's rail network look bad, when it really isn't. I loved the place, even with 20 inches of snow, save for how people didn't let me put ketchup on hot dogs. :(

Hey Jue, just exactly is that you mean by saying, "It's a pity the threads make Chicago's rail network look bad, when it really isn't."?
Making chicago rail network look bad by showing maps and pics in which, you wouldn't even have a chance to ride them yourself? Please, I am really flatter at your comment!

@hydrogen
I already said Tokyo is without a sweat the "commuter" rail capital of the world!
Is that so hard for you to grasp the concept?

Why would it be considering I cited statistics proving that Tokyo is the commuter king of the world? And considering that you posted CTA maps, I'm inclined to believe that you don't even know what commuter rail even is.

I am only posting the Chicago commuter rails to show on this thread. Is that so hard to face?

I've been here long enough to know that you start threads as a pretext to flaunt Chicago. I've seen it over and over again. For example, your thread on the largest rail yard was an excuse to post that photo of Chicago showing the massive north-south extent of the skyline. I'm not stupid.

^^^
Stalker, that is all I can say!
Why are you here then?
I didn't make a thread to ask for your opinion about my personality!
Please read the thread title before you bashing on someone, thanks!
BTW, I don't know you!

T O K Y O

Millions of people commute from the surrounding suburbs/exurbs of Yokohama, Saitima, etc. Plus inner city rail service too to compliment the already-complex subway system.

^^^
Stalker, that is all I can say!
Why are you here then?
I didn't make a thread to ask for your opinion about my personality!
Please read the thread title before you bashing on someone, thanks!
BTW, I don't know you!

I'm here to counteract the ignorance and idiocy you've been spreading about Chicago's rail system.

Wasn't this already discussed in the previous rail capital thread?

Also, I wonder why Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto is ignored by almost everyone. According to this report (in English), it is easily the world's second busiest rail system; even Nagoya seems to be busier than some of the examples you're providing.

http://www.publicpurpose.com/ut-crintl.pdf

Wasn't this already discussed in the previous rail capital thread?

Also, I wonder why Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto is ignored by almost everyone. According to this report (in English), it is easily the world's second busiest rail system; even Nagoya seems to be busier than some of the examples you're providing.

http://www.publicpurpose.com/ut-crintl.pdf

Oh yea, I remember that link, thank again btw!
I would think that some of the cities in Japan also have more extensive commuter rail network than the european cities. Can you show us some Osaka, Kobe, Soppro and Nagoya's commuter rail maps! :cheers:

I'm here to counteract the ignorance and idiocy you've been spreading about Chicago's rail system.

Thanks for making chicago looks bad,bud! :)

T O K Y O

Millions of people commute from the surrounding suburbs/exurbs of Yokohama, Saitima, etc. Plus inner city rail service too to compliment the already-complex subway system.

Oh, can someone from Tokyo or Japan post Tokyo's commuter rail network maps like from metro to suburban routes, thanks!

Thanks for making chicago looks bad,bud! :)

You do that just fine on your own.

You do that just fine on your own.

At least we can agree to each other, peace! :)

At least we can agree to each other, peace! :)

I wasn't agreeing with you. Are you that dense? Perhaps... You'd start a "Which City has the Best Sidewalks" thread if it meant you could post photos of Chicago's skyline. Keep doing us the disservice of maintaining your presence at this forum, ChicagoSkyline. *cheers"

I wasn't agreeing with you. Are you that dense? Perhaps... You'd start a "Which City has the Best Sidewalks" thread if it meant you could post photos of Chicago's skyline. Keep doing us the disservice of maintaining your presence at this forum, ChicagoSkyline. *cheers"

LOL, I didn't thought of that! Maybe you can create one that you just mentioned!

This map was made by FMV:

http://2ch.jpn21.net/Imgboard/01/data/img20060205180700.gif

Also by FMV:

Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto

http://www.mukiryoku.com/osaka_suburban.gif

Nagoya

http://www.mukiryoku.com/nagoya_suburban.gif

^^^ Thanks Vapour, much appreciated! Tokyo is really well deserving for the commuter rail capital of the world and so are osaka, kobe and kyoto! :runaway:
and nagoya as well, some really complex commuter network!

It's not Tokyo, it's Osaka.

Hey Vapour, How are the riderships in Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto and Nagoya stacks up to Tokyo?
Which city do you think has the most advance and complex commuter systems and networks in Japan?

The three metro areas, downsized:

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/4272/tokyosuburban6wz.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/3738/osakasuburban2ha.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/6761/nagoyasuburban2rm.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Hey Vapour, How are the riderships in Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto and Nagoya stacks up to Tokyo?
Which city do you think has the most advance and complex commuter systems and networks in Japan?

According to the source I posted before, ridership in Osaka is 1/3 of Tokyo's and Nagoya is 1/16.

According to the source I posted before, ridership in Osaka is 1/3 of Tokyo's and Nagoya is 1/16.

Thanks! Tokyo commuter rail is incredible!
Now, that after seeing some eye opening Japan cities' commuter network, I am feeling like an azz by comparing Chicago's to Tokyo's,lol!
:eek2:
Also very welcome to post anything that will educate forumers of SSC from Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya commuter rails. LIke the ivestments, maintainances, and future outlook for commuter rails. :cheers:

Tokyo central area:

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/6594/tokyocentral6tg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Now, that after seeing some eye opening Japan cities' commuter network, I am feeling like an azz by comparing Chicago's to Tokyo's,lol!

very good: don't forget that only dummies never change their mind.

1. Toyko
2. London
3. Paris
4th.... dunno - perhaps another European city such as Madrid?

Also - it's all very well to have miles/kms of commuter track - but surely frequency here counts as well! In South London, where the subway doesn't really exist much, commuter trains come every 2-3min in Peak hours - and Clapham Junction (argued as the World's Busiest Railway Station) has a commuter train every 30 seconds in to Central London.

The three metro areas, downsized:

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/4272/tokyosuburban6wz.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Unfortunately there is no combined map of the city and metro area services for London that is similar to the above map for Greater Tokyo.

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/5778/londoncityrailmap20065on.jpg


http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/572/londonmetrorailmap20063ww.jpg

very nice :okay: great report ChicagoSkyline :cheers

The three metro areas, downsized:

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/4272/tokyosuburban6wz.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
[/URL]
Is that the combined rail services or just the commuter rail alone for the greater Tokyo?
What is the scale used for the map?
Just curious about some Greater Tokyo commuter rail service stats.
How far spread out does it cover and How many km/miles of tracks in total?

As for Chicago Metra commuter rail, it is a suburban sprawl vehicle, that explaines the total reliance on cars once you left the metro. The furtherest single route in the NW suburban city of Harvard is about 60 miles away from the Chicago loop!...
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/7990/systemmap2006working8yg.gif

Tokyo is definitely the commuter rail capital of the world.

I would say that this is like another sport for the railroad fans! :)

TRAINS Magazine's Top 10 train-wacthing spots in the railroad capital
by J. David Ingles and Kevin P. Keefe

If you want to know railroads, you’ve got to know Chicago. And TRAINS Magazine takes you there in its July 2003 Special Issue.

You’ll see how 500 freight trains a day thread their way through the city, check in at the 30 active interlocking towers, pay homage to the city’s six great passenger stations, and understand why Chicago’s role as the nation’s railroad capital will only grow larger in the years to come.

And if you want to see it all for yourself, here are TRAINS Magazine’s "10 Best" hot spots for Chicago train watching, as nominated by the magazine in its July 1993 issue.

The criteria were fairly simple: Each location had to be accessible to the public, with good vantage points that would not require trespassing on railroad property. Accessibility via public transportation was desirable but not necessary (and all but three are). Each one had to feature a variety of railroads or styles of operation; and collectively, should include most of Chicago’s line-haul railroads. And each spot had to be busy. You’ll easily find others of your own, but the message is simple: Head for Chicago and enjoy the show!

Roosevelt Road
The best Chicago skyline views with trains are available from Roosevelt road (12th Street), which spans the multi-track routes of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Amtrak, and Metra’s Rock Island District south of downtown.

Trains and yard moves keep action seemingly constant at this passenger-train only location. The Roosevelt Road bridge has ample sidewalk room, although it might be wise to be with at least one companion at what can be a conspicuous location. Roosevelt Road is a hearty walk from Union Station—go south along Canal Street. Parking is available on Canal Street, just off the viaduct to the west of the BNSF tracks.


Elmhurst
Anywhere on Union Pacific’s West Line—the former Chicago & North Western Overland Route for old-timers—can be a good spot. But those west of Proviso Yard, UP’s hub, have more main line freight action. One favorite is the pleasant suburb of Elmhurst, just west of Proviso. UP freights go slow here, either accelerating in departure or decelerating for arrival. If you want more speed, other good spots include curves in Glen Ellyn and Wheaton; the EJ&E diamonds (with tower) in West Chicago, also known as Turner Junction and the end of a BNSF branch from Aurora; and the Fox River bridge in Geneva. Metra runs 59 trains each weekday on the West Line.<br>

The Elmhurst Metra station is at York Road in the city’s central business district. To drive to Elmhurst, exit from the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) at St. Charles Road, go west to Poplar, then north to the tracks (just east of the depot). From the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), exit at North Avenue/Lake Street (Illinois 64/U.S. 20) and go west to York Road, then south to the tracks.


Rondout
Rondout, a storied junction 32 miles north of Union Station, offers variety on Canadian Pacific’s ex-Milwaukee Road main line to Wisconsin and the Twin Cities. An active interlocking tower guards the crossing of Elgin, Joliet & Eastern’s main line to Waukegan, and the divergence of Metra’s Milwaukee District North Line onto the Fox Lake branch.

Amtrak’s 14 Chicago-Milwaukee push-pull trains, plus the Chicago-Seattle Empire Builder, roar through Rondout, and Metra has 58 weekday North Line trains through the junction, although Rondout is no longer a Metra stop (Libertyville is the closest). CPR runs most of the freights through here; EJ&E fields a local, and Wisconsin & Southern comes off the Fox Lake branch nightly with a freight from Janesville, Wis., bound for Belt Railway’s Clearing Yard. One public vantage point is the old North Shore Line’s Mundelein branch bridge, now part of a trail, which spans the CPR.

Rondout is about halfway between Libertyville and Lake Bluff on Illinois 176. To reach Rondout from the northbound Tri-State (I-94), exit at 176 and go east.


Highlands
Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s street-level, three-track “raceway” is Chicago’s busiest main line, when freight and passenger train volumes are combined. Just as with the UP West Line, anywhere on BNSF between Cicero and Eola yards can be a great train-watching location. This stretch encompasses 23 miles, from the Metra station at La Vergne to the yard at Eola, on the east side of Aurora. Perhaps the most serene spot is Highlands station in eastern Hinsdale. It features a park, a charming stone depot, and a narrow street “rainbow bridge.”

Metra fields 94 trains on weekdays, although only a handful stop at Highlands; most call at nearby Hinsdale. Amtrak’s Southwest Chief, plus the California and Illinois Zephyrs also ply the route.

Among other raceway favorite raceway vantage points: La Vergne, in Berwyn, the west throat of BNSF’s Cicero Yard and where the Canadian National’s Freeport Sub bridges the BNSF main line; Riverside, site of a picturesque city water tower and depot; La Grange Road, not far from where the Indiana Harbor Belt ducks under BNSF; and Lisle and Naperville, towns at each end of a long S-curve.

To reach Highlands, exit the Tri-State (I-294) at Ogden Avenue (U.S. 34), go west to York Road, then south to Chicago Avenue (47th Street) just across the tracks, then east to the park. If you’re going by auto, Ogden Avenue generally follows the BN through the suburbs.


Joliet
Trains of seven railroads can be seen from the platforms of Joliet Union Station, 40 miles from Chicago. The building, refurbished in the early 1990s, is above street level at the southeast corner of downtown in this industrial city of 77,000. It is the terminus for Metra Rock Island District and Heritage Corridor trains (three each weekday rush hour), and it serves Amtrak’s six daily trains on the route to Springfield, Ill., and St. Louis.

As with half our Chicago Hot Spots, diamonds are a train-watcher’s best friend at Joliet. But only one Rock Island track is left to cross the four that split the depot and the interlocking tower, which is still in use. BNSF’s busy former Santa Fe main line to Kansas City claims two of the four east-west tracks. Union Pacific trains to St. Louis use the other two, as do occasional Canadian National coal trains bound for the nearby Plaines Power Station. UP track ownership changes to CN a few blocks north of the depot, but a CN switch job goes through the junction. On the Rock Island, CSX runs two weekday freights, usually at night; Iowa Interstate sends two through daily, east in the early morning, west in the afternoon.

Elgin, Joliet & Eastern’s yard and back shop are a mile or so northeast of Union Station; the J’s main line passes over the BNSF and CN north of town and crosses Metra at grade a mile east of union Station. A view of the J yard is available from the overpass on Jefferson Street, U.S. 7.

To reach Joliet Union Station from I-80, exit at either Illinois 53 (Chicago Street) or Richard Street and go north until you pass under the Rock Island.


Homewood
Homewood is a south suburb at the north end of a stretch that offers the best Chicagoland viewing of Canadian National’s former Illinois Central main line. Through the city and close-in suburbs, the CN main is elevated above street level. At Homewood, it comes down to grade level except for street underpasses and the EJ&E railroad underpass at Matteson. So, anywhere from Homewood station south six miles to University Park, where the Metra Electric line ends, is about equal. Metra Electric, formerly IC’s operation, runs on the westernmost two tracks of CN’s multi-track right of way.

Homewood is also at the south throat of Markham Yard, no longer CN’s primary freight facility (that’s now Glenn Yard in southwestern Chicago) but still very much in use, with the Moyers Intermodal Terminal occupying land once used for carload switching.

Markham is also the site of CN’s large Woodcrest diesel shop. Homewood is a Metra Electric stop, and is Amtrak’s suburban stop for the Illini and City of New Orleans. Norfolk Southern runs three or four trains a day on trackage rights to Decatur, Ill. Metra Electric runs hourly off-peak service Monday through Saturday, and every two hours on Sundays.

The Tri-State Tollway (I294 and I-80) passes over Markham Yard. To reach Homewood from the west, exit the Tri-State at Dixie Highway. Go south until you pass under the IC, then turn right to the depot. From the east, exit the Tri-State at Halsted Street, Illinois Route 1. Go south a mile to Ridge Road, then west two miles through the Homewood business district to the tracks.


Blue Island
The junction that offers the biggest variety of freights at any single Chicagoland site, and one of the busiest, is “Blue Island crossing,” one of two Hot Spots in Blue Island, a gritty southwestern suburb of 21,000. The other is Vermont Street, one of two Metra passenger depots.

B&OCT’s main line from Pine Junction, Ind., splits here, with one leg headed north to Chicago and the other leg, jointly owned with Indiana Harbor Belt, running northwest around the city. Slicing across is Canadian National’s former Grand Trunk Western main line. All cross Broadway at grade, protected by the watchman’s tower. Also visible are two of the five imposing truss bridges over the Calumet Sag Channel Canal, which add a ruggedly photogenic element to many pictures. The interlocking tower is out of sight across the canal to the north.

Trains from at least 8 railroads pass through this junction. Metra’s Rock Island District crosses overhead near the diamonds. An interchange ramp track is used by Iowa Interstate and CSX trains off the Rock Island to reach their yards. Chicago Rail Link occasionally sends a local out to the Rock.

Vermont Street is parallel to Broadway but north of the Sag Channel. The two Metra depots — across the tracks from one another — are a half-mile northeast of Blue Island crossing (but a longer and indirect walk). The Rock Island District depot is at the divergence of the Suburban Line from the Main Line. Nearby is the tiny, two-track outer terminus of the Metra Electric’s Blue Island branch. Besides all the Metra trains (there is no Sunday service on the Electric here), freights of Iowa Interstate and Chicago Rail Link, a switching line with freight rights on most of the former RI track in Chicago, go through here.

To reach Blue Island, use the 127th Street exits from either the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) to the west (the exit is marked for Cicero Avenue, Illinois 50), or I-57 to the east. Go to Western Avenue, then south to Vermont Street; Western Avenue’s connection with Broadway is via street ramps, as Western passes over Broadway as well as the Rock Island District on the same overpass.


Dolton
Dolton (pronounced Dahl-ton), five miles east of Blue Island, is the most interesting junction in the southeast suburbs. It is where the IHB and B&OCT (CSX) double-track main lines cross Union Pacific’s north-south double-track main. A half mile west of Dolton, the B&OCT and IHB routes pass under the elevated Canadian National (ex-Illinois Central) main.

On an average day, Dolton sees more than 40 freights from five railroads: IHB, CSX, UP, CN, and CPR. East of Dolton, IHB and B&OCT parallel each other for a mile before separating for State Line and Hohman Avenue junctions, respectively.

Dolton’s tower, south of the IHB, is aligned along the former Pennsylvania “Panhandle” line, now abandoned. CSX trains coming up on UP’s ex-C&EI main from the south leave the UP at Dolton to access Barr yard. These include the few trains off the Monon, which run on CN and UP via Thornton Junction, a crossing 3.4 miles south of Dolton. Some CN run-through trains also go this way.

CPR trains through Dolton include the 500-series, which operate on CSX to Detroit and Canada, as well as those going south on CSX to southern Indiana.

From the Metra Electric Riverdale station at 138th Street, a moderate walk of less than a mile through a residential area east on 138th, then southeast on Lincoln, brings you to the junction. To reach Dolton by car from the Calumet Expressway (I-94), exit on Dolton Avenue west to Lincoln, then northwest to the IHB grade crossing.


Porter
Perhaps the most pastoral yet busiest spot in Indiana’s portion of Chicagoland is Porter, a junction dominated by Norfolk Southern and Amtrak. Porter is a small town of 3000 next to the larger community of Chesterton. The junction, 40.6 miles from Chicago Union Station, is where Amtrak’s Michigan Line passenger route splits from Norfolk Southern’s main line, the former New York Central, to Elkhart Yard and points east. At the same point, which used to have diamond crossing, CSX’s ex-Conrail freight branch off the Indiana Harbor Belt from Blue Island converges. This branch and the Amtrak Line comprised the original Michigan Central route to Detroit.

The junction has been remotely controlled since March 1985, after which PO (Porter) Tower was razed. Now it’s just “CP 482,” for “controlled point” and the milepost from Buffalo, N.Y.

Just east of the Amtrak switch, in the same junction, CSX’s former Chesapeake & Ohio route to Grand Rapids also diverges. Trains of CSX and Canadian Pacific, plus Amtrak’s Pere Marquette, use this line to the east and NS’s main line to the west.

Amtrak runs 12 trains a day through Porter. Most are on the Michigan line: three Detroit/Pontiac trains each way plus the International for Toronto. The overnight Lake Shore Limited and Capitol Limited use NS’s main line.

The junction is just south of Interstate 94. Exit Indiana 49 south, go into Chesterton, and just beyond the Conrail tracks, take Broadway west into Porter to 18th Street, then north to the tracks.


Hammond
Three separate locations, each a busy Hot Spot in its own right, are in Hammond, Ind., a blue-collar city of 85,000. They are the Amtrak depot and two junctions with towers, State Line and Hohman Avenue.

The Amtrak station “Hammond-Whiting,” in Hammond’s Robertsdale neighborhood on Conrail’s main line at the lakeshore, sees 14 Amtrak and over 40 Norfolk Southern trains a day. An EJ&E branch runs parallel to CR north of the depot. It’s seldom used by its owner, but you’ll see the switchers of little South Chicago & Indiana Harbor (former Chicago Short Line) on it. The Amtraks are the same as at Porter (18 miles to the east), with the addition of the Three Rivers. To reach the depot from the Indiana Toll Road or Calumet Skyway (I-90), at the state line, exit on eastbound Indianapolis Boulevard, U.S. 12-20-45. Go to Calumet Avenue, then north to the tracks. A day at Hammond-Whiting was featured in September 1985 TRAINS.

Four miles south of the Amtrak depot on Hohman Avenue is South Shore Line’s Hammond passenger station. (Go south on Calumet, U.S. 41, to Gostlin Avenue, then west a half mile.)

Another three blocks west of the depot, via Gostlin, Dearborn, and Brunswick streets is State Line Tower, hard by the Illinois border. Where once you could see Erie Lackawanna, Monon, Chesapeake & Ohio, and Wabash, as well as predecessors of today’s occupants, now only two main lines cross: CSX’s ex-Baltimore & Ohio to Garrett, Ind., and points east, and Norfolk Southern’s ex-Nickel Plate line to Fort Wayne and beyond.

The South Shore is a city block north of the tower, and that line, NS, and CSX each are crossed by a north-south Indiana Harbor Belt branch used about five times a day. CPR haulage trains and the occasional EJ&E switch job run on CSX. South Shore schedules 37 passenger trains each weekday, and has a few diesel-powered freights.

To get to State Line from the east, use the Calumet Avenue (U.S. 41) exit on the Indiana toll road, I-90. From the west, off the Calumet Expressway (I-94), exit at 130th Street east to Burnham Avenue, then go southeast along the South Shore past the Hegewisch depot to the state line.

South of State Line Tower a mile along the Norfolk Southern is Hammond’s third Hot Spot, Hohman Avenue Tower, just north of the downtown district. Here, with diamonds in a street intersection that’s guarded by gates controlled manually from the interlocking tower, NS crosses the old Michigan Central route, used by IHB and CSX freights to or from Blue Island (Ill.) yard.


Ten alternate Chicago hot spots…

So, we cheated — we’ve given you more than 10 top hot spots. Add the extra one in Blue Island to Hammond’s three, and you get 13. Actually, we’ve mentioned dozens if you’re liberal on the CN&W and BN routes. Enjoy all of them, and more, in the Railroad Capital.

And before you stroke that keyboard to tell us of your favorite Chicago train-watching spot that wasn’t included in our “Top 10,” allow us to mention our “Second 10.” Some lack the easy public accessibility that we made a requirement for the “first team.” From north to south:

Deval Tower, Des Plaines: The active interlocking tower (Deval is short for Des Plaines Valley) sits amid three sets of diamonds where UP’s Northwest Line, UP’s freight cutoff for Wisconsin trains, and CN’s Wisconsin Central all cross.

Tower B-12, Franklin Park: Controls the crossing of CN with Metra’s Milwaukee West Line, also a route for CPR through freights to and from Milwaukee. The junction marks the north end of Indiana Harbor Belt, and you’ll see transfers of several roads, including BRC and CN.

River Forest: A station on UP’s West Line, just west of CN’s ex-WC bridge, which crosses over UP. UP intermodal trains and transfers of several roads can be seen.

Tower A-2, Western Avenue: A good Metra spot. The Milwaukee District crosses the UP West Line, and it’s at the eastern throat of both Metra coachyards, California Avenue (UP) and Western Avenue (MILW). Amtrak’s Chicago-Milwaukee trains pass through here, too. We chose this spot for Metra rather than Mayfair Tower, six miles north, where the Milwaukee North and UP Northwest lines cross, because Mayfair is not as accessible for visitors. At A-2, the Milwaukee Western Avenue station platform is handy.

Twenty-First Street: The southerly of Amtrak’s towers near Union Station, is where Amtrak’s routes to Joliet and the East Coast divide. Canadian National’s freight link crosses here. The tower is just south of Amtrak’s tall Chicago River lift bridge, itself an engineering landmark. Every Amtrak Chicago headed east of Chicago crosses the bridge, as do Metra Heritage commuter trains, and NS and UP freights. In the mornings, you can watch the action from a city park along the Chicago River, sandwiched between the Amtrak lift bridge and the CN tracks.

Panhandle Crossing, or Brighton Park: A noninterlocked junction where CN’s Joliet line (Metra Heritage) crosses two parallel north-south lines, B&OCT (CSX) and NS. Transfers of many railroads go through here; a cabin with semaphores guards the crossing.

Lemont: In this Chicago suburb, BNSF’s ex-Santa Fe main line crosses the Sag Channel on a sharp S-curve. The track is very close to CN’s Joliet route, also used by UP road freights. The restored stone depots in Lemont and nearby Lockport, the oldest in use by Metra, were built in 1853 and 1863, respectively, by Chicago & Alton.

Thornton Junction: Located in the south suburb of South Holland, the crossing of CN’s ex-GTW main and the joint UP-CSX line, also used by CPR’s Indiana freights. The tower has been razed.

Fort Wayne Crossing: West of Valparaiso off Indiana 130 is the diamond of CN (Grand Trunk Western) and NS (Nickel Plate). Parallel to NS is CSX’s old PRR main line, once the route of the Broadway Limited. The junction is named for PRR predecessor Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago.

Commuter capital of the World...Tokyo, no area compares...

Of the US, it's New York, it has triple the ridership than Chicago with Metro-North, NJ Transit, and the busiest rail in the US, the LI Railroad.

Tokyo really is king, espectially when you consider it the center of Japan's amazing intercity rail system. This video is amazing... check out the view from the driver's seat a 1/3 of the way through.

"Nozomi" operation from Hakata to Shin-Osaka
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp0M8tnPP98

i agree, tokyo.

chicago pales in comparison.

:lock:

i agree, tokyo.

chicago pales in comparison.

:lock:

Yea, Chicago still needs tons of improvements! :)

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Capping three years of negotiations, the railroad industry and the City of Chicago announced on June 16 a $1.5 billion plan to improve Chicago's railroads.


Chicago has more rail traffic by far than any other terminal in North America, but it doesn't handle it efficiently. Though efficiency has improved recently, due to better management, the railroads are bumping up against inherent constraints of an antiquated plant. The number of freight cars traversing Chicago grew from 28,500 per day in 1998 to 37,500 now, and is projected to be 67,000 in 20 years. "You've got an 1890 infrastructure supporting a 2003 freight system," says city transportation commissioner Miguel d'Escoto. "It doesn't work."

The consequences of what would happen without improvements led Mayor Richard M. Daley to write Surface Transportation Board chairman Linda Morgan in December 2000, seeking her help in solving the effects on city street traffic, noise, air pollution, and emergency vehicle response times. The STB helped the city convene a task force of Chicago's trunk-line railroads and belt lines, Metra, Amtrak, and the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The task force considered future rail traffic and what is required to reconcile it with the city's livability. The railroads met last year at a Norfolk Southern facility in North Carolina. Each presented its three "most-needed" improvements-which could be on someone else's railroad. More than 80% of the proposed improvements were included in the plan.

"This is a very unusual agreement," says one Class I official who participated in building the plan. "Getting six Class Is to agree on a complicated plan, all at once, may be unprecedented in history. I don't think it would have been possible without the mergers, which reduced the number of players and gave each of them a much broader perspective."

The plan, called the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Project ("CREATE"), selects for improvement five primary railroad corridors with a total length of 122 miles [see map, following pages]. Four corridors would be used primarily by freight trains. The fifth would improve Metra's Southwest Service over the former Wabash.CREATE calls for construction of 50 miles of new track and 364 new switches, most on existing rights-of-way, though two significant new sections cut through residential neighborhoods. Most of the 25 rail-highway crossings to be grade-separated were selected to improve train movements, for instance, by avoiding having to hold a train well short of an interlocking to stay off a busy street crossing.

While a centralized dispatching center for the Chicago terminal is not included, signaling enhancements would enable dispatchers to monitor intersecting lines on their own screens. Ten staffed interlocking towers, including A-5, B-17, Blue Island, Gresham, Deval, and Kensington would be automated.

Computer models project the improvements would increase average freight-train speed through Chicago from 9 mph to 13 mph or more, reducing delays 63% and saving 375 to 450 train hours per day. Construction is expected to take six years and employ more than 1000.

The unanswered question is money-full funding has not yet been obtained. The six Class I railroads have committed $212 million of the $1.5 billion, an
average of $5.9 million per railroad per year for the life of the plan. Metra plans to contribute a substantial but yet undetermined amount. The rest of the money will have to come from local, state, and federal funds, which proponents hope will be provided in this year's federal transportation funding bill.

Primary proponent for inclusion of CREATE in that bill is expected to be U.S. House will be Rep. William Lipinski (D.-Ill.). But Lipinski is already criticizing the railroads' funding commitment as inadequate.

"These improvements are worth more to the railroads than $212 million," Lipinski remarked a few hours after the plan was announced. "I assume they will ultimately be willing to pay whatever price is deemed fair."

Congressmen from other areas may perceive the plan as a giveaway to privately owned railroads.

Daley's concern is that if the railroads have to pay more, they may walk away.

"They could say, 'We don't have to participate. We pay our taxes,' " Daley said. Association of American Railroads President Edward Hamberger defended
the railroads' commitment as "real money" and pointed out that railroads had spent $1.2 billion on capital improvements in the Chicago area over the past five years.

With the federal deficit projected to break records and the Bush administration loath to impose new taxes, competition for available federal transportation dollars is likely to be fierce, and there is no assurance Lipinski will be able to bring the needed money home.

Beltway Corridor: Basically the Indiana Harbor Belt-Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal joint main line between Tower B-12 in Franklin Park and Blue Island, it suffers from inadequate connections with major freight routes radiating from the city. CREATE will add a second connecting track with UP at Provo Junction, along with a third UP main track around Proviso Yard, to reduce delays and allow freights to run during Metra rush hours.

The BNSF connection at McCook would be similarly improved. Centralized traffic control would be added on IHB between CP Hill (Bellwood) and CP La Grange, and on B&OCT between McCook and the connection with BRC at Argo. B&OCT would gain a third main track between 123rd Street (Alsip) and
Francisco (just west of Blue Island).

A key objective in this corridor is to improve access between BRC's Clearing Yard and the UP-CSX joint line heading south from Yard Center (the former
Chicago & Eastern Illinois). A realignment of the Blue Island interlocking, with new connections, would enable UP and CSX trains to use the B&OCT or CN
(Grand Trunk Western) interchangeably to reach Clearing. The Beltway would be extended over CN from Blue Island to Thornton Junction, where a new
connection to the former C&EI would be built to let trains bypass busy Dolton.

East-West Corridor: This covers the length of the BRC from Argo to Rock Island Junction near the lakefront. Due to the interlockings at 80th Street,
Belt Junction, and 75th Street, the highway crossing at Columbus Avenue, and Metra movements, just one train at a time can move over the current plant
between Hayford and 80th Street. A second connection between B&OCT and BRC would be built at Argo, and two main tracks would be constructed through Clearing, where none exist today.

The Columbus Avenue crossing would be grade-separated, and flyovers for Metra would be built at the 75th Street and 74th Street interlockings. Belt Jct. interlocking would be eliminated.

Western Avenue Corridor: This corridor consists of the parallel NS (ex-New York Central), B&OCT, and ex-Pennsylvania Railroad rights-of-way running
north and south along its namesake street. The NS and B&OCT trackage would get CTC signaling; hand-thrown switches at Ogden Junction would be powered.

The diamonds at Ash Street would be removed, and Brighton Park would become a flyover, enabling Amtrak Chicago-St. Louis and Metra Heritage Corridor
trains to soar over three busy freight lines. A new connection in the northwest quadrant of Brighton Park would give BNSF a direct route between Cicero and Corwith Yards. A new NS main track through Ashland Avenue would expedite movements on and off the corridor.

Central Corridor: This corridor will allow the St. Charles Air Line to be abandoned, long sought by the Daley administration. The Air Line's elevated tracks divide the South Loop neighborhood where the mayor currently lives, and it impedes real estate development. Extending from South Wye Junction at 18th Street near the lakefront to Union Avenue about a mile to the west, the Air Line carries Amtrak's City of New Orleans and Illini, plus freights serving CN's Illinois Central lines. Operations are complicated by the crossing at 16th and Clark of Metra's Rock Island District commuter line, and the route will not clear double-stack cars.

In 1999, the city and Illinois Central reached an "understanding in principle" eliminate the Air Line and reroute IC and Amtrak trains onto a new route through Englewood and Brighton Park [pages 26-27, June 1999 Trains]. This understanding, which led to withdrawal of the city's opposition to CN's corporate acquisition of IC, has with small changes been incorporated in CREATE.

Northbound from Markham Yard, CN (IC) trains would be diverted onto the "Nickel Plate Connection," a dormant structure at Grand Crossing that once linked NKP's main line to the New York Central for access to LaSalle Street Station. The Central Corridor would follow the PRR route through Englewood, which would be grade-separated from Metra's Rock Island line, to a connection at 45th Street with the former Chicago & Western Indiana main now run by Metra.

A new connection at "the Pepsi curve" (for the adjacent plant) will turn west onto CN's unused elevated line along 49th Street. Another new connection
(tentatively called CP Damen) would join the Central Corridor with the 49th Street Line west of the Western Avenue Corridor. Two new main tracks would
be constructed for CN's use from CP Damen to Brighton Park, and one to Ogden Junction.

From Ogden Junction west, the Central Corridor would follow the CSX (B&OCT) elevated Altenheim Subdivision, the eastern portion of which is out of service owing to viaduct problems, to a connection with CN's former Wisconsin Central at Forest Park. CN's IC trackage northward along Lake Shore Drive from Grand Crossing to South Wye Junction, plus the Air Line, would be abandoned, with the Air Line converted to park, residential, and commercial use. The Metra Electric main line, also used by South Shore Line, would remain in place.

Passenger Express Corridor: This corridor requires construction of flyovers at Englewood, 74th Street, 75th Street, and Chicago Ridge, achieve Metra's
goal of shifting Southwest Service trains from Union Station to La Salle Street Station, and eliminating freight train interference that afflicts this Metra route. The improvements would reduce the number of railroad diamond crossings on the route to one-the moderate-volume CN (GTW) at Ashburn.

-Michael W. Blaszak

^^ I thought this thread is about commuter rails... :dunno:

^^ I thought this thread was about the world and not Chicago.

-_-

^^ I thought this thread is about commuter rails... :dunno:

The articles mention our Chicago Metra and Amtrak rail...

:spam1:

Railway Age, Oct, 1999 by Tom Judge

Metra and BNSF have learned how to amicably divvy up m/w and signal costs on the 35-mile Chicago/Aurora "racetrack."

If you have 160 freight and passenger trains operating around the clock on a 35-mile stretch of track, you face some tremendous operating, signaling and m/w challenges. Now add in the fact that three different entities--one public, one private, and one public/private--must figure out who pays for what and you could have constant, contentious bickering.

But not in Chicago. The original formula for allocating costs, negotiated more than 20 years ago between Metra and a pre-merger Burlington Northern, is still in effect. Thanks to good communications and lots of understanding, Metra and today's Burlington Northern and Santa Fe are able to get the needed work done without constant hassles. Every weekday, BNSF, under contract to Metra, carries approximately 58,000 riders on that line, 30,000 in the morning rush hour and 28,000 in the evening, with 92 revenue trains and 10 equipment moves.

BNSF operates approximately 50 freight trains daily, about 60% of them intermodal trains. The railroad also has major yards at Cicero and Eola and a smaller facility at Western Avenue in the City of Chicago along the line. Amtrak adds another six trains a day, one each way for the venerable California Zephyr and two each way for Chicago-to-Quincy, Ill., service.

HOW THE FORMULA WORKS

"We pretty much follow the original fixed facilities agreement negotiated back in the early 198Os," says Bill Tupper, chief engineer, Metra. "The basic split for track work is based on gross ton miles. For signal work, it's based on train movement. West of Cicero, the gross-ton-miles figure is in the 70% range for BNSF, perhaps higher now. Whereas that number is almost reversed for train movements. So if it's a signal improvement, we pay more. If it's rail, tie, ballast, turnouts, and so on, they pay more." There are variations within that. An example is a project set for next year: the Lisle crossovers.

Originally installed in the late 70s, they're up for renewal now. "Metra is paying 100% of the cost of this project," Tupper notes. "The only reason for those crossovers is to allow our Naperville express trains to get onto or off of the middle track. A freight train may use the crossover occasionally to get around something else, but the basic purpose is to aid commuter trains.

Rest of article..... (http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1215/is_10_200/ai_56958289)

:spam1:

DLC | Blueprint Magazine | September 10, 2001
By Paul Weinstein Jr.

Thirty years ago, Congress and President Nixon created Amtrak as a way to save national passenger rail service in America. Ever since, Amtrak has struggled to hold together its network with minimal public investment, constant political interference from 535 congressional micromanagers, and an aging infrastructure that hinders improvements in service. But the system is still failing, and it's time for an overhaul.

The good news is that Amtrak succeeded in saving passenger rail in America. But the company's political survival skills have also become its greatest liability. Faced with an aging infrastructure of old cars, bumpy tracks, and rundown stations, Amtrak continues to run trains through as many states (and congressional districts) as possible, supporting a passenger rail system based on the economic and transportation needs of the 1940s -- and the politics of the 1980s and 1990s. If we are truly to have a state-of-the-art passenger rail system, we need to bid farewell to Amtrak and begin the process of modernizing our rail system in densely populated corridors.

Despite many inherent advantages, such as energy efficiency and cleanliness, intercity passenger rail continues to flounder. While some of the problems can be attributed to a relatively small national investment in rail infrastructure, an equal amount of the blame falls to how our nation, through Amtrak, manages our passenger rail network.

Amtrak has a host of problems. Its debt has tripled in the last few years, forcing it to propose mortgaging Penn Station in New York for $30 million. Unlike most airlines, Amtrak lacks a real-time computerized reservation system -- sometimes customers are told a train is booked even when seats are available. And most disturbing of all, since 1990 national rail ridership has remained nearly flat while airline and intercity bus riderships have grown significantly.

In addition, the long-distance trains -- 17 famous "limiteds" or sleepovers that train enthusiasts wax nostalgic about -- are money losers. The Cardinal route between Chicago and Washington, D.C., for instance, incurs $3.29 of cost for every dollar of earned revenue.

High-speed rail is a key to increasing ridership. Presently, the Acela route between Boston and Washington, D.C., is the only high-speed system in the nation. The train can reach a top speed of 150 mph, yet because of infrastructure that in some places is over 100 years old, it rarely runs that fast. The tunnels into Baltimore from the south, for instance, were dug in 1877. As a result, Acela only cuts the regular rail travel time between Washington and New York by about 15 minutes. To get the maximum performance out of Acela, the Northeast Corridor needs $20 billion in improvements over the next 25 years. The 15 miles of tunnels into Penn Station in New York alone need $900 million to meet modern safety requirements, according to the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transpor-tation. Meanwhile, Amtrak has identified 11 new high-speed corridors in 33 states for future development. Some of these routes make sense -- Chicago to Detroit, for example -- while others that serve sparsely populated areas such as Mississippi seem to have been chosen for political reasons. (Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott is an enthusiastic supporter of Amtrak.)

Politics and the lack of capital have forced Amtrak to lower the definition of high-speed rail to about 95 mph. This is in contrast to the standard used in Europe and Japan, where only electric-powered trains traveling at an average speed of 125 mph are considered high-speed. While Amtrak has argued that train amenities will compensate for the lack of speed in terms of rider appeal, in the end speed counts when it comes to attracting substantial numbers of new passengers.

Despite Amtrak's problems, ridership is growing on short regional routes and commuter rail routes such as the highly populated Northeast Corridor, areas along the West Coast, and a few other regions. Ridership in the Northeast Corridor grew 5 percent in 2000 and is up 8 percent in 2001. At the same time, there has been a significant expansion of regional commuter rail systems, which are typically more than 15 miles long with stations more than three miles apart. Commuter rail ridership in 2000 grew by 5.2 percent, according to the American Public Transportation Association. Communities ranging from Salt Lake City to Nashville are considering opening new commuter rail systems. And those already in existence, such as the Virginia Rail Express (VRE), have experienced an annual doubling (or more) of passenger levels in recent years. California, with a $4 billion rail plan, may spend more in the next five years on capital improvements than Amtrak spends for the entire country.

Yet Amtrak and Congress continue to prop up an overextended national rail network instead of focusing on regional high-speed corridors and commuter rail. One need only look to Europe to see the failure of this strategy. While some Americans fondly recall crisscrossing Europe by rail as college students, the reality is that the strength of the European rail system is its mesh of high-speed rail corridors through densely populated regions. A Parisian can take a three-hour train ride to Marseille for only $75, but he would probably avoid the 12-hour train journey to Rome and take a plane instead.

A trust fund for high-speed rail. Congress and the White House should follow the lead of countries such as Great Britain, New Zealand, Argentina, and Japan that are experimenting with new ways to manage their rail networks. Creating regional instead of national rail operators, privatizing, and separating rail operations from rail investment are some options to consider. But to meet America's needs, we must take radical action.

First, we should kill Amtrak and split its functions in half. Trains would be operated by a number of entities -- regional, government-sponsored corporations; state and local cooperatives; and, in some cases, private companies. A government corporation would control the remaining functions by managing a trust fund that would finance the modernization -- and regionalization - of our rail network. It would own the rail infrastructure: trains, tracks, and stations.

Like highways and airports, rail needs a trust fund to provide a regular source of capital investment. A rail trust fund (RTF) controlled by the government would make investments based in part on a formula and in part through a competitive process. Funds from the RTF could be made in the form of grants, loans, and bonding authority. Regional or commuter rail systems could be awarded additional capital based on the merit of the project they propose and the amount of matching state, local, and private investment. The non-federal share of the financing would have to reach at least 40 percent before a project could become eligible for financing.

Like the highway and airport trust funds, the RTF would be financed by a variety of user fees, including a minimal tax on all passenger commuter and regional rail tickets (not including transit); a transfer from the Highway Trust Fund of the portion of the gas tax paid by commercial freight and passenger rail systems; and higher fees on freight and commuter trains that operate on the rail tracks owned by the RTF.

To get modernization on to solid financial footing, Congress should appropriate an initial $6 billion to capitalize the RTF -- $2 billion each year over the next three years.

Regional rail corridors. The creation of America's new regional rail network could be modeled on the reform of the Japanese National Railroad (JNR), beginning in 1987. By the early 1980s, the highly regarded JNR had required annual operating subsidies in excess of the combined subsidies of all European railroads. It also carried a debt of $300 billion. In 1982 alone, JNR required an annual net subsidy of $6.3 billion. Yet after restructuring, management, and privatization improvements, government subsidies to JNR fell dramatically.

Similar to reforms in Japan and elsewhere, this new system would allow regional government-sponsored corporations, state and local operators, and private firms to compete for the operating rights for a regional or commuter rail corridor. State government consortia could also apply for contracts. Bidders would then compete to acquire the rights to the franchises or concessions that serve a particular route. Where the service can be expected to operate at a profit, the bidder offering the highest price would acquire the rights to the concession.

And like other countries, we should recognize that even the most highly traveled rail corridors sometimes need operating subsidies. However, the amount of subsidy available from the RTF would be capped, eliminating the operation of financially failing overnight trains.

Once the regional system is in place, the RTF would invest dollars to turn these networks into true high-speed rail systems. Tracks would be modernized and electrified, allowing for speeds of at least 125 mph. Where the tracks are not owned by the federal government -- almost everywhere outside of the Northeast Corridor -- the RTF would either build new tracks or receive equity for any improvements it makes in freight rail lines that improve freight rail transportation.

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MODS PLEASE CLOSE THE THREAD!!!! chicagoskyline is now using it as a "chicago commuter rail news update" thread!!!

:lock:

PLEASE!!!

^^^
Which city is it? Provide some proofs that are only relating to commuter rail!
Tokyo and then Chicago
:)

^^^

Tokyo and then Chicago
:)
:crazy:

1)Tokyo
2)London
3)several Japanese cities.
4)Paris
5)New York
6)Madrid
7)Berlin
8)Sydney
etc.

Chicago behind Tokyo? NOT EVEN CLOSE!

:rofl:

What is Commuter Rail?

What is Regional Rail ?

What is MRT, Metro, or whatever you want to call it?

Take my city.

There is a very extensive "street-railway" system (fairly confidently, I would say the largest in the English-speaking world. There was only one serious competitor: Chicago!

We call them trams.

Melbourne has an interesting "suburban rail" system: as does our sister city Sydney.

Most of it is above ground, but in Sydney's case, there are long stretches which are not. In Melbourne's case, almost every train travels through 3 or 4 km of underground tunnel which has prompted the site Zen & The City Loop (http://www.railpage.org.au/railmaps/cityloop.htm)

In Sydney, double- decker trains run through tunnels beneath the city around a loop almost continuously ( 4 am thru noon till 2 am in the morning is the way I remember it). Is there anywhere else in the world where double-decker trains do this?

I don't think that the loop thing is necessarily and advantage.

I would prefer a system like the S-Bahn in German cities, the RER in Paris, or Cercanias in Madrid, where the doubledecker trains (well, Paris and Madrid I know have doubledeckers not sure about Germans) run in underground tunnels but go in more or less straight lines through the city center as opposed to looping around.

its exist german doubledecker trains

its exist german doubledecker trains
Do they go in tunnels as well?

Here we have doubledeckers as well but you have to transfer to them as the tunnels are too low to accomodate them.

u_u

What is Commuter Rail?

What is Regional Rail ?

What is MRT, Metro, or whatever you want to call it?

Take my city.

There is a very extensive "street-railway" system (fairly confidently, I would say the largest in the English-speaking world. There was only one serious competitor: Chicago!

We call them trams.

Melbourne has an interesting "suburban rail" system: as does our sister city Sydney.

Most of it is above ground, but in Sydney's case, there are long stretches which are not. In Melbourne's case, almost every train travels through 3 or 4 km of underground tunnel which has prompted the site Zen & The City Loop (http://www.railpage.org.au/railmaps/cityloop.htm)

In Sydney, double- decker trains run through tunnels beneath the city around a loop almost continuously ( 4 am thru noon till 2 am in the morning is the way I remember it). Is there anywhere else in the world where double-decker trains do this?
Hey, it is also very nice to know that Melbourne also has some unique commuter rail system!
Yep, here in Chicago, our metro rail just as important as the commuter rail due to both the greater needs in the city and in the suburbs! There is a greater need right now using our commuter rail system due to our suburban sprawl, the high price gas and our limited highway bottleneck during the rush hours. Even though America is consider car and truck driven nation, but rail has never been overlook here in Chicago due to our root in railroad infrastrcutures, extensive freight rail network and the great alternatives by commuter rail! Majority of big city in US just doesn't have the luxury of have the commuter rail as an alternative one of them that I can think of is Houston! As more of our suburban commuters realized that by train can cut down lots of commuting time and while save lots of money, you can see our Metra ridership double or triple within next few years, if the Metra decided to add more Trains, tracks, improve their existing technologies for efficiency. With our suburban cities are getting more populas and bigger, I would say the Metra rail systems very likely to change to compensate the suburb.

Hey, it is also very nice to know that Melbourne also has some unique commuter rail system!
Yep, here in Chicago, our metro rail just as important as the commuter rail due to both the greater needs in the city and in the suburbs! There is a greater need right now using our commuter rail system due to our suburban sprawl, the high price gas and our limited highway bottleneck during the rush hours. Even though America is consider car and truck driven nation, but rail has never been overlook here in Chicago due to our root in railroad infrastrcutures, extensive freight rail network and the great alternatives by commuter rail! Majority of big city in US just doesn't have the luxury of have the commuter rail as an alternative one of them that I can think of is Houston! As more of our suburban commuters realized that by train can cut down lots of commuting time and while save lots of money, you can see our Metra ridership double or triple within next few years, if the Metra decided to add more Trains, tracks, improve their existing technologies for efficiency. With our suburban cities are getting more populas and bigger, I would say the Metra rail systems very likely to change to compensate the suburb.
That's nice and all, but the low ridership, outdated equipment, and poor unelectrified infrastructure means that several cities have better commuter rail networks.

Good within the US when it comes to rail HARDLY carries any weight internationally.

MODS PLEASE CLOSE THE THREAD!!!! chicagoskyline is now using it as a "chicago commuter rail news update" thread!!!

:lock:

PLEASE!!!

Updates? Where?

I only see articles from many years ago...\\

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/images/smilies/spam1.gif

That's nice and all, but the low ridership, outdated equipment, and poor unelectrified infrastructure means that several cities have better commuter rail networks.

Good within the US when it comes to rail HARDLY carries any weight internationally.

True!
When it comes to mass transit commuter networks, NYC and Chicago are the only two cities that can reprsent the US internationally! :)

Updates? Where?

I only see articles from many years ago...\\

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/images/smilies/spam1.gif

lol even worse

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You guys need to stop :spam1:!!!
:)

1) Tokyo
2) Osaka
3) London
4) Paris
5) New York

After that, there are a number of cities that can compete.

1) Tokyo
2) Osaka
3) London
4) Paris
5) New York

After that, there are a number of cities that can compete.

It is a good list!
What do you think the ranking for Chicago commuter rail? :)

In Paris, as of the end of 2002, there were 1,160 miles of commuter rail lines (both underground and above ground) within the 8 zones of the Carte Orange (Paris travel card). Besides these 1,160 miles, there were also 131 miles of the well-known Métro (mostly underground).

Here is a map showing all commuter rail lines within the 8 zones of the Carte Orange (the Métro is not shown on the map):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/mg/2/26/Transilien.jpg

This one map shows both the commuter rail lines and the Métro lines, but I am not sure it will display properly on your screens due to its complexity.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/mg/4/49/Rer_idf_geo1.jpg

It is a good list!
What do you think the ranking for Chicago commuter rail? :)

Seriously... get a grip with reality. Chicago DOES NOT compete on the world stage. Many European and Asian cities have networks far superior to that of Chicago.

Even in the U.S., NYC significantly overshadows Chicago in commuter rail use.

Daily ridership in Chicago:
METRA: 300,000
The 'El': 500,000
Total: 800,000

Daily ridership in NYC:
Metro-North: 250,000
Long Island Railroad: 275,000
NJ Transit: 750,000
Subway: 4,500,000
Total: 5,775,000

Thats nearly 5 times the daily ridership in NYC than Chicago.

Chicago is indeed dwarfed by other cities in commuters.

1) Tokyo
2) Osaka
3) London
4) Paris
5) New York

After that, there are a number of cities that can compete.

no 2 Osaka..................? U are kidding right. never heard of it. sorry.

my list
1 London
2 NewYork
3 maybe Tokyo.

no 2 Osaka..................? U are kidding right. never heard of it. sorry.

my list
1 London
2 NewYork
3 maybe Tokyo.

:lol: You're kidding right?! You've never heard of Osaka? What rock are you living under?

Tokyo is definitely the undisputed leader in commuter rail transport, Osaka (the second largest metropolitan are in Japan) is definitely a contender:

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/3738/osakasuburban2ha.jpg

I'd put it like this:

1. Tokyo
2. Osaka
3. Paris
4. London
5. Nagoya

Japan owns rail. :lol:

Looks like Tokyo to me.

oh, and ChicagoSkyline, please, just quit.

tokyo, london, paris, new york.

chicago? no chance, not even close, so many other cities networks dwarf.

Stop it with Chicago, please!
:sleepy:

Stop it with Chicago, please!
:sleepy:
He won't. He revels in the attention.

The only thing that works is :lock:

^^^
Good stuffs,guys, I would have to say that Chicago commuter is indeed nowhere around these great commuter rail cities mentioned so far, particularly Japanese cities!
Modz can feel free to shut it down now, I am afraid that Houston Jue is growing impatience! :bash:

What is Commuter Rail?

What is Regional Rail ?

What is MRT, Metro, or whatever you want to call it?

Take my city.

There is a very extensive "street-railway" system (fairly confidently, I would say the largest in the English-speaking world. There was only one serious competitor: Chicago!

We call them trams.

Melbourne has an interesting "suburban rail" system: as does our sister city Sydney.

Most of it is above ground, but in Sydney's case, there are long stretches which are not. In Melbourne's case, almost every train travels through 3 or 4 km of underground tunnel which has prompted the site Zen & The City Loop (http://www.railpage.org.au/railmaps/cityloop.htm)

In Sydney, double- decker trains run through tunnels beneath the city around a loop almost continuously ( 4 am thru noon till 2 am in the morning is the way I remember it). Is there anywhere else in the world where double-decker trains do this?

OUr tram network is the largest in the English speaking world & the world's third largest :)

OUr tram network is the largest in the English speaking world & the world's third largest :)

Cool! WTG mate! :)

It would have to be Mumbai, and Mumbai's Suburban Railway System. It carries 6.1 million passengers per day.

It would have to be Mumbai, and Mumbai's Suburban Railway System. It carries 6.1 million passengers per day.


That's amazing... Its not far short of the number of journeys for the entire UK (Tube+rail)

I am not sure it will display properly on your screens due to its complexity.


After seeing those of Tokyo, Osaka and London, no problem at all.

I would say that the list would go:

1) Mumbai
2) Tokyo
3) Delhi (metro included)
4) New York area
5) London

Remember, this is not a judgement of the length or beauty of the railways, it is one to show the commuter rail capital of the world.

While Mumbai's suburban rail is crude and uncomfortable, it is definately first in the world for ridership, and one of the best for timing, as trains arrive once every two minutes (one way) and are always on time.

No
Tokyo railway systems has about 40 million passenger per day
about 30 million excluding subway
It is far higher than Mumbai.
6.1 millions per day it is not that good exept if it is for all day and not only for workday
Paris metro + RER only it is about 8 million passengers per average workday.

The difference between Mumbai and Tokyo is the number of lines.
Tokyo has the biggest suburban system in the world with the busiest line (Tokaido line has 3.5 million passengers per day)
Mumbai has very busy lines but the system is not very big.
As I know the busiest line in Mumbai has 2.6 million passengers per day. :)

Tuberman Only 6 at 7 million passenger per day in entire U.K
It is not a bit low. :ohno:

Yes, Tokyo is higher, I just checked the ridership.

20 million, subway included. That is quite amazing.

Paris is only 4.1 million.

So..

1) Tokyo
2) Mumbai
3) NYC
4) Paris
5) London


and yes, it is for all days, weekends included.

I think I read somewhere that Zürich has the most commuter rails per citicen.

Of course the city itself is much smaller as the cities mentioned earlier.

http://www.zvv.ch/netzplan/tarifzonen_2006/sbahn_06.gif

Yes, Tokyo is higher, I just checked the ridership.

20 million, subway included. That is quite amazing.

Paris is only 4.1 million.

So..

1) Tokyo
2) Mumbai
3) NYC
4) Paris
5) London


and yes, it is for all days, weekends included.


What's about Moscow?

Paris is only 4.1 million.


but Paris number are wrong
4.1 million par average day (all day week include) It is only for the subway and Paris has aslo RER and suburban trains
Paris railways system it is 6.6 million passengers per average day (all days week end include)

But RER and suburban train are not very used the week ends.

EDIT : Those number don't include Paris light rail system

Tuberman Only 6 at 7 million passenger per day in entire U.K
It is not a bit low. :ohno:

Crap, isn't it? The Tube accounts for more than half of the daily railway journies in the UK and has 4 million/day, so it follows that the mainline railways manage less than 4 million. Therefore 8 million maximum.

Of the 4-ish million mainline journies I'd expect a very large proportion to be in the London / SE England area, leaving very little for the rest of the UK.

Fortunately mainline rail ridership is growing quite healthily.

Like London
The majority of passengers transported by train in France are in Paris
but we have some other big cities with a good subways system
Like your data It is per average workdays

Paris metro : 5 million
RER : 3.5 million
Suburban train : 1-1.5 million (Estimation Suburban train are not very used the week ends the real number should be higher)

About 11-12 million for all France (Per average weekday)
Intercities main lines are not include.

I know that Hamburg can't compete here, but maybe these data can be used to make an ultimate ranking list.
According to the Hamburg Transport authority (HVV) there are 27 rapid transit rail lines. Out of these are 3 U-Bahn (metro) lines, 6 S-Bahn (commuter rail acting like a metro) and the rest regional rail lines. All 27 lines transported 438 million passengers in the year 2005. Out of these 177 million (or 485,000 daily) are accounted for the U-Bahn. The remaining 261 million transported by the other 24 lines result in 715,000 passengers per day. Out of these are ca. 500,000 accounted for the S-Bahn.

So you get the following numbers:
all lines: 1.2 million
commuter lines (incl. S-Bahn): 715,000
commuter lines (excl. S-Bahn): 215,000

The problem however with the Hamburg U-Bahn and S-Bahn is that they share a lot of the same characteristics. Some branches of the U-Bahn could be easily seen as commuter rail while the central parts of the S-Bahn network are used like a metro. The same problem applies to the rapid transit network of Berlin.

Crap, isn't it? The Tube accounts for more than half of the daily railway journies in the UK and has 4 million/day, so it follows that the mainline railways manage less than 4 million. Therefore 8 million maximum.

Of the 4-ish million mainline journies I'd expect a very large proportion to be in the London / SE England area, leaving very little for the rest of the UK.

Fortunately mainline rail ridership is growing quite healthily.

The Tube has only 4 million/day? I thought it has 7 million/day.

I thought the tube had 1Billion/year, which is under 3mil/day?

Of course Tuberman data are by average Workday.
It is a better for show the real traffic in trains because the weekend traffic is much lower.

Exemple the busiest line in the Europe (Russia exclude) is the RER A in Paris. with around 300 million passengers. It is managed by two compagnies RATP and Sncf (272 million passenger in the RATP section only in 2004 Dont forget that the traffic growing ) RATP section = 2/3 of the size RER A but it is more 2/3 of passengers because this section include central Paris.
It is about 820,000 passengers per average day, but it is more than 1,100,000 passengers per average workday

It is why Tube has 4 million passengers per workday but less than 3 million per day.

^^ Aah I see.

I thought the tube had 1Billion/year, which is under 3mil/day?


We just had out first 4 million+ day, so on average it's less taking weekends into account. We'll surely beat the 1 billion mark handsomely this year though.

I am usable by a train, a subway, a bus, a taxi, shopping.
http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/7803/suicazh1.jpg
Technology during an experiment
Rings/floor LED
http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/8233/suica2hg0.jpg
Floor generation
http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/7743/suica3cz7.jpg

I think this has to be Tokyo without a doubt.

And for Gods sake.....can I just apologize for ChicagoSkyline - how freaking embarassing for everyone from Chicago. It's almost impressive how easily he can completely ruin almost any thread...

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/lon_con.pdf

^^ Paste and copy and click go this is the link to show you londons railway and underground network.

And tell me it aint the biggest ok passenger wise no but miles of track maybe

wt abt guangzhou, in the chinese new yr, it moved 30millions ppl out in afew days by train, no city in the world can do that

London, they do have the world's oldest metro. London has more than just the Tube. Thousands of mainline National Rail services transport commuters in and out of the metropolis every day. The whole of London is criss-crossed by rail. Including London Underground, mainline railways and tram links. Since the Tube mostly serves the north side of the Thames, to help improve the south side, the national rail services that serve the suburbs on the south side run by private rail companies, are being converted to metro style services. A new rail orbital rail link will have a new form of Underground trains operating on it - Overground trains. Overground is the brand name. House and job advertisments always indicate what Travel Card zone, or nearest tube or national rail stations or even tube lines. When I lived there, people who choose to live near particular tube lines.

Westender

:crazy:

1)Tokyo
2)London
3)several Japanese cities.
4)Paris
5)New York
6)Madrid
7)Berlin
8)Sydney
etc.

Chicago behind Tokyo? NOT EVEN CLOSE!

:rofl:

Sydney? How did you come to that conclusion? There are countless cities with larger commuter networks and higher passenger counts. Frankfurt alone has a commuter network 5 times larger than the whole of Sydney's "City Rail" which also includes the Newcastle and Wollongong networks (over 200km apart)

Sydney? How did you come to that conclusion? There are countless cities with larger commuter networks and higher passenger counts. Frankfurt alone has a commuter network 5 times larger than the whole of Sydney's "City Rail" which also includes the Newcastle and Wollongong networks (over 200km apart)

Newcastle and Woolongong are not separate networks from Sydney. They are all part of the Sydney based CityRail network which currently has 2000km of track with 302 stations. And the network is growing with a new tracks, tunnels and stations either currently being constructed or planned for the future. Sydney has one of the largest fleets of double decker trains in the world. Playing the roles of both urban, suburban, inter-city and inter-regional, CityRail has been described as one of the most complex rail networks in the world. With the current Clearways program, 14 rail routes will in a couple of years be reshaped into 5 clearways or rail routes. But I my self would not class Sydney as being among the best rail commuter cities in the world. It's not exactly the busiest network and dosn't cover huge portions of Sydney suburbia.

Westender

Newcastle and Woolongong are not separate networks from Sydney. They are all part of the Sydney based CityRail network which currently has 2000km of track with 302 stations. .

Westender

Route-mileage?

Newcastle and Woolongong are not separate networks from Sydney. They are all part of the Sydney based CityRail network which currently has 2000km of track with 302 stations.

I know it's part of the same network. But you have to keep in mind that those 2000km of track, are "Track" figures. Most (in fact almost all) other networks in the world use the "Route km" figures rather than "Track km" as it is more relevant to passengers needs. Track figures are meaningless for passengers and only used by smaller networks to try and boost their image on a global scale.

To give you an example. A "track route" includes all tracks on a network. So a 20km line would be called "20km" by most other networks using the "Route km" method. However, if that is a double line, which most are, a "Track km" line would be around 41km (20km x2 plus all the extra rails feeding to other tracks).

Now imagine how much larger that would be when you take every double rail line in City Rail and every route with 4, 6 or 8 lines. It becomes an inflated figure like the 2000km network City Rail talks of. link (http://www.urbancharlotte.com/ptx/rosen%20tokyo.jpg)

We are also talking about three seperate metropolitan area's. Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong that just happen to have a single company running all three. Here is a site that shows the exact route km's of "Sydney's" network. It's not too hard to add up (although you do have to make sure you don't double over any lines, but if you add it up with a map that's not too hard) link (http://www.urbanrail.net/au/sydney-distances.htm) and you end up with approx: 316 ROUTE Km.

Of cause, this is just the Urban Area of Sydney, not the full metro which would extend the km a bit if you take it to the central coast, blue mountains etc, but certainly not 2000km which is the TRACK KM for three seperate metropolitan area's run by the single company.

On comparison, the city proper alone of London has some 1196 Route km of rail (underground + commuter), and that's only the city proper link (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/london-travel-report-2004.pdf), the metropolitan area has some 4048 ROUTE KM of underground & commuter train link (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/london-travel-report-2003.pdf). Tokyo is even larger. Look at this network and compare to the entire cityrail and see which is more complex. And this is just one city, not three seperate metro area's that cityrail comprises of. Link (http://www.urbancharlotte.com/ptx/rosen%20tokyo.jpg)

And Osaka is Japan's second city...link (http://www.urbancharlotte.com/ptx/rosen%20osaka.jpg), Paris, Moscow, New York etc etc...

Of cause, these are all larger cities than Sydney.However, you can also look at many other cities of similar size to Sydney's population. Frankfurt has some 1500 Route km of rail services (U-bahn, S-bahn and R-bahn) within the metro Link 1 (Local, U-bahn, S-bahn, R-bahn) (http://www.rmv.de/coremedia/generator/Bilder/0Abbildungen/PlaeneNetzplaene/PLA__Schnellbahnplan2007_3Dgr,property=image.gif) (Wider Metro, no U-bahn, just S-bahn and R-bahn) (http://www.rmv.de/coremedia/generator/Bilder/0Abbildungen/PlaeneNetzplaene/PLA__Schienennetzplan2007_3Dgr,property=image.gif). Barcelona has 551 Route km of metro & commuter rail, Madrid has 570 Route km, Vienna has 1,646 Route km, Zurich 660 Route km, etc etc. - all larger than Sydney's 316 Route km. And these are just a few that come to mind.


Playing the roles of both urban, suburban, inter-city and inter-regional, CityRail has been described as one of the most complex rail networks in the world.

It has been described as one of the complex rail networks in the world by City Rail in their publicity papers. However in reality it certainly isn't. By route km and stations there is a very large list of city metropolitan area's with much larger and more complex networks than Sydney, or even all of the three metropolitain area's that City Rail administers.

The only possible way that City Rail can seem large is that it is all under the one umbrella, where as most cities that have larger networks, split them up into different companies or operating groups.

Sydney has a nice network but on a global scale, it is not considered large.