[Nexis]

I'm wondering how many Commuter Rail systems in the world operate using the 3rd Rail. Ikno the Long Island Railroad and Metro North do use 3rd Rail to power there trains here in the US. I know some British systems do , but any other systems use the 3rd Rail?

 

[Coccodrillo]

The whole southern England uses third rail: http://www.bueker.net/trainspotting/map.php?file=maps/british-isles/british-isles.gif

Also the mountain lines Villefranche-La Tour de Carol (Cerdagne, France) and St Gervais-Chamonix-Vallorcine-Martigny (France-Switzerland) use mostly a third rail.

The French part of the Fréjus railway (but not the main tunnel itself, originally three-phase AC and now 3 kV DC) was converted from third rail to overhead in the 70s.

Two suburban lineas around Milan and Naples in Italy were originally electrified with a third rail but soon (50s or even before) converted to overhead lines. Also some lines around Paris.

 

[sidney_jec]

Boston has a line that uses 3rd rail.
Kolkata in India has metro which uses a 3rd rail too

 

[Nexis]

Boston has a line that uses 3rd rail.
Kolkata in India has metro which uses a 3rd rail too

I was talking about Commuter Rail systems and not Metro systems.

 

[Minato ku]

Paris Saint Lazare suburban network used the third rail until the 1970's.
It was also the case of other lines.

The last line with a third rail in Paris suburban network was the Moulineaux line, it was closed in 1993 and reopened as a tramway (T2).

Picture by Daniel Richer

 

[sidney_jec]

I was talking about Commuter Rail systems and not Metro systems.

oops

 

[AlexNL]

The Berlin S-Bahn system uses 3rd rail for its power supply as well.

 

[flierfy]

The whole southern England uses third rail: http://www.bueker.net/trainspotting/map.php?file=maps/british-isles/british-isles.gif

Bollocks. Only the lines south of river Thames and London Underground use 3rd rail.

 

[sotonsi]

Err, you are also inaccurate, flierfy, while correcting the "the whole southern England uses third rail" inaccurate statement.

1)Parts of the North London Line (west of Acton Central, Camden Road - Stratford (though trains now use OHLE from Dalston eastwards) and West London line (from not far south of Willesden Junction southwards) are 3rd rail electrified and north of the Thames, likewise the ELL and Watford DC lines. All these lines are part of the London Overground network for those that don't know.
2)Parts of the South West Trains network is north of the Thames and 3rd rail electrified - bridges just west of Richmond, between Staines and Egham, Datchet and Windsor, Kingston and Hampton Wick and Barnes Bridge. 24 stations in all north of the Thames.
3)The London Underground uses 4th rail electrification (though the 3rd rail is also electrified).

Therefore, it is not only the lines south of Thames, nor London Underground using 3rd rail </pedant>

What Coccodrillo ought to have said is that most of the old Southern Region still in passenger service uses 3rd rail (Uckfield branch, Ore-Ashford and Basingstoke-Exeter-beyond being the exceptions). This would exclude the London Overground lines with 3rd rail electrification, but would be correct. It's also worth pointing out that, while all the network would be used by commuters (and not just London ones), a lot of it isn't "commuter rail".

Also, Merseyrail (Liverpool area commuter network) uses 3rd Rail electrification on the Northern and Wirral lines.

 

[Momo1435]

Germany

S-Bahn Hamburg


3 en 1 by Xavier Bayod, on Flickr

S-Bahn Berlin


ringbahn by Loso, on Flickr


In Japan there are a couple of railway lines with third-rail around Osaka, although these are extensions of Metro lines they are still seen as separate commuter rail lines.


Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway - an extension of the Osaka Municipal Subway Midosuji Line.

Kintetsu Keihanna Line - an extension of the Osaka Municipal Subway Chuo Line.

 

[Nexis]

Park Avenue Portal and Embankment

 

[poshbakerloo]

Pretty much then entire south east of England is 3rd rail. There is also a large 3rd rail network around Liverpool in the north west...

We also have the world's fastest 3rd rail train...Class 442, 108Mph

Sutton Valley Line, Class 377 in the south...

Merseyrail Network at Liverpool South Parkway station, in the north west (Liverpool)

 

[poshbakerloo]

Bollocks. Only the lines south of river Thames and London Underground use 3rd rail.

If you look at that map, you can see that most of the south east is 3rd rail...like 90%?

 

[sotonsi]

If you look at that map, you can see that most of the south east is 3rd rail...like 90%?

What, Oxford, Essex and Herts have 3rd rail?

Depends how you define South East...

It is basically, give or take a few bits (take off Uckfield, Hastings-Ore and Basingstoke - Devon, add on the Merseyrail network, Watford DC lines, NLL and WLL), the lines that were Southern region when it existed. That's the easiest definition.

 

[spindoctor]

Bangkok skytrain.

New BTS skytrain

 

[aliesperet]

And again, third rail commuter, not metro/subway

Ligne Saint-Gervais - Vallorcine, Haute-savoie, France

 

[makita09]

We also have the world's fastest 3rd rail train...Class 442, 108Mph

It has the record, but I would say the class 395s would be the fastest, even when using 3rd rail.

I have to say though, the ride on the 442s is excellent for a 30 year old train.

More pics:

Class 460 Gatwick Express, only 2 left in this role, being replaced by the older but more numerous class 442s.

Class 458, likely the class 460s will join these ones with SouthWestTrains

And some heavy sparking in the recent snow

Vid Salfords in Surrey. Here can be seen classes 319, 377, 442, 460 and (165/166 diesel 3-car units)

 

[makita09]

Nexis thought you might like this as well. Available in HD.

 

[TheKorean]

I hear Eurostar trains convert to 3rd rail after entering Britain somewhere.

 

[Momo1435]

I hear Eurostar trains used to convert to 3rd rail after entering Britain somewhere.

fix

After the opening of the High Speed 1 the 3rd rail equipment was removed.