Inter-city rail

Inter-city railservices areexpress trainsthat run services that connect cities over longer distances thancommuterorregionaltrains. They includerail servicesthat are neither short-distancecommuter railtrains within one city area nor slowregional railtrains stopping at all stations and covering local journeys only. An inter-city train is typically anexpress trainwithlimited stopsand comfortable carriages to serve long-distance travel.
Inter-city rail sometimes provides international services. This is most prevalent inEuropebecause of the proximity of its 50 countries to a 10,180,000-square-kilometre (3,930,000-square-mile) area.EurostarandEuroCityare examples. In many European countries, the word InterCity or Inter-City is an official brand name for a network of regular-interval and relatively long-distance train services that meet certain criteria of speed and comfort. That use of the term appeared in theUnited Kingdomin the 1960s and has been widely imitated.
The speeds of inter-city rail lines are quite diverse, ranging from 50 km/h (31 mph) in a mountainous area or on undeveloped tracks to 200–350 km/h (124–217 mph) on newly constructed or improved tracks. As a result, Inter-city rail may or may not fall into the category ofhigher-speed railorhigh-speed rail. Ideally, the average speed of inter-city rail service would be faster than 100 km/h (62 mph) in order to be competitive with car, bus and other methods of transport.
The distance of an inter-city rail journey is usually at least 50–100 km (30–60 mi), although in many large metropolitan areas commuter and regional services cover equal or longer distances. Examples of countries with relatively short intercity rail distances with service patterns comparable to regional rail includeBelgium,Israel,The Netherlands, andSwitzerland.
A distance of 100–500 km (60–300 mi) is a common journey distance for inter-city rail in many countries.  In many cases, railway travel is most competitive at about two to three hours journey time. Inter-city rail can often compete withhighwaysandshort-haulair travel for journeys of this distance. Most major intercity railway routes in Europe, such as London to Birmingham, Paris to Lyon, and Lisbon to Porto cover this range of distances.
In journeys of 500–1,000 km (300–600 mi), the role of inter-city rail is often replaced by fasterair travel.  Development of high-speed rail in some countries increases the share of railway for such longer-distance journeys. The Paris-MarseilleTGV(750 km or 466 mi in 3 hours) andTokyo-AomoriShinkansen(675 km or 419 mi in 2 hours 59 minutes) are examples of this type of journey. In conventional non high-speed rail,overnight trainsare common for this distance.
In some countries with a dense rail network, large territory, or less air and car transport, such as China, India, and Russia, overnight long-distance train services are provided and used practically.
In many other countries, such long-distance rail journey has been replaced by air travel except for tourism or hobbyist purposes, luxury train journeys, or significant cost benefit.Amtraklong-distance services in the United States,Via Rail'sCanadianservice in Canada, and theIndian Pacificin Australia are examples.
Faster high-speed rail of at least 250 km (160 mi) per hour, such as theBeijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railwayin China (1,300 km or 810 mi in 5 hours) and Tokyo-Sapporo in the proposedHokkaido Shinkansenin Japan (1,030 km or 640 mi in 4 hours), may play a significant role in long-distance travel in the future.
Railways inAfricaare still developing or not practically used for passenger purposes in many countries, but the following countries have inter-city services between major cities:
Trains run byChina Railwaylink almost every town and city in thePeople's Republic of China, includingBeijing,Guangzhou,Shanghai,Shenzhen, andXi'an, and onwards fromShenzhenacross the border toKowloon, inHong Kong. New high-speed lines from 200–350 km/h (124–217 mph) operation are constructed, and many conventional lines are also upgraded to 200 km/h (124 mph) operation. Currently there are sevenHigh-Speed Inter-City lines in China, with up to 21 planned. They are operated independently from the often parallel High-Speed-Rail-Lines.
Japanhas six main regional passenger railway companies, known collectively asJapan Railways Groupor simply as JR. Five JR companies operate the "bullet trains" on very fast and frequentShinkansenlines that link all the larger cities, including Tokyo,Yokohama,Nagoya,Kyoto,Osaka,Hiroshima,Fukuokaand many more.
Many other cities are covered by a network of JR'slimited expressinter-city trains on1,067 mm(3 ft 6 in)narrow-gaugelines. Major cities are covered by convenient train services of every one hour or more frequent. In addition to the JR Group, Japan has major private rail operators such as theKintetsu,Meitetsu,Tobu RailwayandOdakyu Electric Railwaythat operate "limited express" inter-city services.
Inter-city railway services crossing the Hong Kong-China border (often known asthrough trains) are jointly operated by Hong Kong'sMTR Corporation Limitedand theMinistry of Railways of the People's Republic of China. Currently,Hung Hom stationis the only station in the territory where passengers can catch these cross-border trains. Passengers are required to go through immigration and customs inspections of Hong Kong before boarding a cross-border train or alighting from such a train. There are currently three cross-border train services on the conventional line:
A new border-crossing service, theGuangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link, has been approved and has been granted HKD 6.6 billion in funding by the Legislative Council's Finance Committee. The line has been opened in 2018 with a new stationWest Kowloon Terminusin the city centre.
Taiwan's coastline is connected by frequent inter-city train services byTaiwan Railway Administration. Taiwan High Speed Rail, opened in 2007, covers the most populated west-coast corridor. Chinese：對號列車
There are Chu-kuang express (莒光號) andTze-chiang limited express(自強號).
Almost every major town and city inSouth Koreais linked by railway, run byKorail.ITX-Saemaeulis operated in mostMain railway lineslike Japanese limited express or GermanIntercity. Also,Mugunghwa-hois the most common and most popular type of intercity rail travel like GermanRegional-Express. In addition,SeoulandBusanare linked by a high-speed train line known asKTX, which was built using French TGV technology.
India'sinter-city trainsare run byIndian Railways. With 68,043 km (42,280 mi) of rail routes and 7,308 stations,the railway network in India is the third-largest in the world (after Russia and China) and the largest in the world in terms of passenger kilometres. TheVande Bharat Express,Gatimaan Express,Tejas Express,Tejas-Rajdhani Express,Rajdhani Express,Shatabdi Express,Jan Shatabdi ExpressandDuronto Expressare the fastest inter-city services in India; of these, the Vande Bharat is the fastest one.All long-distance journeys generally require a reservation, although unreserved travel is allowed in some trains.
There is only one train service inCambodia, fromPhnom PenhtoSihanoukville, stopping atDoun Kaev (Takeo)andKampot.
In Indonesia,PT Kereta Apioperates inter-city services between some of the country's major cities, likeJakarta,Bandung,Semarang,Yogyakarta,Surakarta,Surabaya,Medan,Padang, andPalembang. InJakartametropolitan area (orJabodetabek),KRL Jabotabekoperates inter-city andcommuterservices. Indonesia also currently operates Southeast Asia's first high-speed rail line, fromJakartatoBandung.
In recent years construction has started on aChina-funded higher-speed railway link, theBoten–Vientiane railway, commonly referred to as the China-Laos Railway. A fully electrified higher-speed railway line, it is part of a long-term goal of connecting China with the rest ofSoutheast Asia. The line runs fromBotennear the China-Laosborder toVientiane, the capital of Laos, using CRRC high/higher-speed EMU trains.
Keretapi Tanah Melayu(Malayan Railways) operates loco-hauled express trains calledKTM IntercityalongPeninsular Malaysiaand intoSingapore. At theMalaysia–Thailandborder, connections toState Railway of Thailandtrains are available. KTM Intercity trains are diesel-powered and run on asingle-track1,000 mm(3 ft3+3⁄8in)metre gaugesystem. The rail track is gradually being duplicated and electrified. On the completed Central to Northern section (border), KTM runs the higher-speedElectric Train Service(ETS).
As of February 2020, thePhilippine National Railwaysdoes not have a regular inter-city rail service although the agency is planning on rebuilding new railway lines. Prior to the 1970s, the main island of Luzon had a relatively expansive narrow-gauge railway network, but government prioritization towards highway construction and the effects of multiple natural disasters gradually led to the decline and abandonment of most intercity rail services. Until the 2000s, PNR had two inter-city rail services: the Bicol Express and the Mayon Limited. The Bicol Express leavesManilaand passes through Manila,Pasay, andMuntinlupaand the provinces ofLaguna,Quezon, andCamarines Surbefore arriving atNaga. The trip takes 10 hours, or 600 minutes.The Mayon Limited connects Minola and Ligao in10+1⁄2hours.The Philippine government is planning the revival of inter-city rail with projects such as thePNR South Long Haulwhich aims to reconstruct the railway in Southern Luzon.
Thailandhas a sizable meter-gauge intercity rail network radiating outwards fromBangkok, transporting around 60 million passengers every year. Construction is underway to connect Bangkok withNakhon Ratchasimausing a dedicated high speed rail line.
Trains inVietnam, run byVietnam Railways, linkHanoi,Hué,Da Nang,Nha Trang, andHo Chi Minh City.
Israel Railwaysoperates inter-city services between all the four major metropolitan areas ofIsrael:Tel Aviv,Jerusalem,Be'er Sheva, andHaifa. However, due to the small geography of Israel, most of the railway services have a moresuburbanservice pattern, with many short stops at stations between the major city centres.
In Europe, many long-distance inter-city trains are operated under theInterCity(often simply IC) brand.InterCity(or, initially, "Inter-City" with a hyphen) was first conceived as a brand name byBritish Railfor the launch of its electrification of the major part of theWest Coast Main Linein 1966, which brought new express services between London and the major cities ofManchester,BirminghamandLiverpool. It later became the name of one of British Rail's new business sectors in the 1980s and was used to describe the whole network of main-line passenger routes in Great Britain, but it went out of official use followingprivatisation. The introduction of theBritish Rail Class 43 (HST)helped InterCity become a familiar brand in the 1970s.
The principal network of international express trains in continental Europe is calledEuroCity, even though some InterCity trains also cross borders.
High-speed railwayshave relatively few stops. TheGermanhigh-speed train service was namedInterCityExpress, indicating its evolution from older InterCity trains. Other high-speed lines include theTGV(France),AVE(Spain),Treno Alta Velocità(Italy),Eurostar(United Kingdom–France and Belgium),Thalys(Netherlands–Belgium–Germany and France),Lyria(France-Switzerland), andRailjet(Germany-Austria–Czechia/Hungary).
InGreat Britain, the inter-city rail links are now operated bya number of private companies as well as Continental State owned railwayssuch asAvanti West Coast,LNER,EMR,CrossCountry,TransPennine Express,Greater AngliaandGWR.Ireland'sinter-cityrail network is maintained byIarnród ÉireannandNorthern Ireland's is run byNorthern Ireland Railways.
With the introduction of high-speed trains, intercity trains are limited to few services per day on mainline and regional tracks.
The daytime services (InterCityIC), while not frequent and limited to one or two trains per route, are essential in providing access to cities and towns off the railway's mainline network. The main routes areTriestetoRome(stopping atVenice,Bologna,Prato,FlorenceandArezzo),Milanto Rome (stopping atGenoa,La Spezia,PisaandLivorno/ stopping atParma,Modena, Bologna, Prato, Florence and Arezzo), Bologna toLecce(stopping atRimini,Ancona,Pescara,BariandBrindisi) and Rome toReggio di Calabria(stopping atLatinaandNaples). In addition, the Intercity trains provide a more economical means of long-distance rail travel within Italy.
The night trains (Intercity NotteICN) have sleeper compartments and washrooms, but no showers on board. Main routes are Rome toBolzano/Bozen (calling at Florence, Bologna,Verona,RoveretoandTrento), Milan toLecce(calling at Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, Faenza, Forlì, Cesena, Rimini, Ancona, Pescara, Bari and Brindisi),Turinto Lecce (calling atAlessandria,Voghera,Piacenza, Parma, Bologna, Rimini, Pescara, Termoli, San Severo,Foggia, Barletta, Bisceglie, Molfetta, Bari, Monopoli, Fasano, Ostuni and Brindisi) and Reggio di Calabria to Turin (calling at Naples, Rome,Livorno, La Spezia and Genova). Most portions of these ICN services run during the night; since most services take 10 to 15 hours to complete a one-way journey, their day-time portion provide extra train connections to complement with the Intercity services.
ThePolish State Railways(PKP), a state-owned corporate group, is the main provider of railway services. The PKP group holds an almost unrivaledmonopolyover rail services inPolandsince it is both supported and partly funded by the national government.
As of 2018, foreign services operate on the Polish Railways network. These include EuroCity andEuroNighttrains operating betweenWesternandEasternEuropean destinations, including by the EN 440/441 fromBerlinviaWarsawtoMoscowoperated by Talgo train of Russian Railways company.
In 2019, newnightjettrain fromViennato Berlin viaOstrava(CZ) andWrocław(PL) starts the service."source 1". 8 May 2018.This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain..
Russiahas a dense network of long-distance railways all over its vast territory, the longest and most famous being theTrans-Siberian RailwayfromMoscowtoVladivostok. Long-distance train routes of more than 1,000 or 2,000 km (621 or 1,243 mi) are common, with many trips taking two or three days. Speed is relatively low: trains average 60 or 70 km/h (37 or 43 mph).
Canada's inter-city trains are mostly run byVia Rail, a Canadiancrown corporationmandated to operate inter-city passenger rail service in Canada. The majority of its services connect major cities in the most populous part of the country known as theQuebec City - Windsor Corridor, straddling the provinces ofOntarioandQuebec. It also operates long-distance trains towestern Canadaandthe Maritimeson theCanadianandOceanlines and by smaller trains to more remote areas of Canada. Much like theUnited States, Canada previously had a larger intercity rail network prior to the 1970s; certain major cities such asCalgaryandReginalack connections to the extant Via Rail network, and passenger rail usage outside of the Quebec City - Windsor Corridor is infrequent and geared towards the tourism market.
International trains, run jointly byAmtrakand Via Rail, connectNew York CitywithToronto.Amtrakalso operates theAdirondackbetween New York City andMontreal, and theAmtrak Cascadesservice linking Vancouver andSeattle. In addition, theWhite Pass and Yukon RoutelinksSkagwayandWhitehorseon an isolated northern route.
Other inter-city passenger rail operators include theOntario Northland Railway, which operates passenger services betweenCochraneandMoosoneein ruralnorthern Ontarioandluxury trainoperators such as theRoyal Canadian PacificandRocky Mountaineer, which operate rail tours inWestern Canada.
InMexico, the federal government discontinued almost all scheduled inter-city passenger trains in June 2001.Ferromexoperates trains on three routes:Chihuahua CitytoLos Mochis,TorreóntoFelipe Pescador, andGuadalajaratoAmatitán. Mexican PresidentEnrique Peña Nietohas proposed intercity trains, including fromMexico CitytoToluca(construction began 7 July 2014), the Peninsular train fromYucatántoRiviera Maya, and the Mexico-Querétaro high-speed train fromPueblatoTlaxcalaandMexico Citywith future expansion to Guadalajara. In recent years, passenger trains have seen a revival, with the construction of the tourist-orientedTren Mayaroute traversing the Yucatan Peninsula.
There was a dense system of inter-city railways in theUnited Statesin the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After the decline of passenger railroads inNorth Americain the 1960s, the inter-city lines decreased greatly and today the national system is far less dense. The most heavily used routes with the greatest ridership and schedule frequencies are in theNortheastern United StatesonAmtrak'sNortheast Corridor. About one in every three users of mass transit in the United States and two-thirds of the nation's rail riders live inNew York City. The two busiest passenger rail stations in the United States arePenn StationandGrand Central Terminal, both inManhattan, New York City. Passenger rail outside the Northeast,Northwest,California, and theChicago metropolitan areais infrequent and rarely used relative to networks in Europe and Japan.
Passenger lines in most of the United States are operated by thequasi-public corporationAmtrak. The separateAlaska Railroad, which is also government-owned, runs passenger trains inAlaska, and the privately ownedBrightlinerail service operates inFlorida. TheCalifornia High-Speed Railsystem began construction in 2015 and aims to connect major job centers inCalifornia.
Multiple new rail corridors have been identified for private development throughout the country. These include theBrightline Westcorridor fromLas VegastoLos Angeles, California, theTexas Central RailwaybetweenDallasandHoustoninTexas, and others.
InAustralia, the national interstate network operated byJourney Beyondconnects all mainland Australian capital cities exceptCanberra. However, it is catered towards the luxury tourism market.NSW TrainLinkoperates interstate services from Sydney to Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane. Intrastate inter-city trains that traverse shorter distances are operated byV/Line, NSW TrainLink,Sydney Trains,Queensland RailandTranswa. The fastest intercity trains in regular service have a top service speed of 160 km/h.
In Australia, electrified interurban commuter railway systems are used to connect urban areas separated by long distances and useheavy-railequipment:
On these systems, services either run as limited-stop expresses in the suburban area or as shuttles terminating where the suburban lines end.
A large-scale non-electric project of four regional lines known as theRegional Fast Railis operational inVictoria. Current interurban and intercity journeys outside the suburban area are often locomotive-hauled, particularly for longer distance services, due to Victoria's lack of electrification outside of Melbourne.
InNew Zealand, there are currently three long-distance passenger services classed as inter-city: theCoastal Pacific, theNorthern Explorer, and theTranzAlpine. Their slow average speed is limited by the rugged country traversed, particularly in the middle of theNorth Island, where theNorth Island Main Trunkhas many sharp curves and steep gradients. Given these speeds, as well as the prioritization of therail transport in New Zealandtowards freight, these passenger services primarily cater the tourist market, similar to long-distance routes in Australia.
Other current commuter passenger services include theCapital Connection,Te Huiaand theWairarapa Connection. A network of regional and long-distance rail passenger services until the mid-twentieth century has largely been replaced by air or bus services.
A few countries of South America were once interconnected by international train services, but today they are almost non-existent, with the noticeable exceptions of Argentina and Chile. Most governments in the continent have favored roads and automobile transportation since the mid-20th century.
Argentinahas inter-city services on a number of routes, run byOperadora Ferroviaria Sociedad del Estado. Trains in Argentina are experiencing a revival, since the government intends to re-establish long-distance passenger trains between major cities.
Inter-city train services inBoliviaare operated by two train companies: Eastern and Western.  The western network runs daily trains fromOrurotoTupiza, with both espresso (fast) and WaraWara (slow) trains. The eastern rail hub isSanta Cruz de la Sierra, with connections toPuerto SuárezandVillamontes, and international lines toBraziland Argentina.
Brazil's inter-city services operate on two routes, one fromVitóriatoBelo Horizonte(Vitória-Minas Railway) and another fromParauapebastoSão Luís. Athird servicewas proposed bySão Paulostate government to operate fromSão PaulotoAmericana.
Chilehas inter-city services connectingSantiagotoChillánand occasionally toTemuco, run byEmpresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado. The fastest in Chile (and South America) isTerraSur, reaching around 150 km/h (93 mph).