The Great Canadian Transit Thread

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

That's closer to intercity rail. Commuter rail is a rush hour service within a metro area.

No, that's not really what S-Bahn is. It's like GO Transit. The RER in the Paris region is also the same thing.

Not the same as intercity which is generally an entirely different system.

[esquire]

^ S-Bahn and RER seem way more frequent than GO Transit or most North American commuter rail services which tend to be rush-hour heavy. I remember popping into S-Bahn and RER stops in Berlin and Paris respectively and it functions almost like a subway... very frequent service throughout the day, at least on the routes I used.

Only time I remember taking commuter rail with that kind of frequency on this continent was using METRA to get to south side Chicago or NJ Transit to get from NYC to NJ. Service is frequent enough that you can just show up and be assured that a train will be leaving fairly soon... I don't think you can really do that with GO or whatever Montreal's service is called these days?

[eemy]

The Lakeshore line runs every half hour throughout the day not including rush hour express runs and GO has plans to significantly upgrade service on the other lines as well.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ S-Bahn and RER seem way more frequent than GO Transit or most North American commuter rail services which tend to be rush-hour heavy. I remember popping into S-Bahn and RER stops in Berlin and Paris respectively and it functions almost like a subway... very frequent service throughout the day, at least on the routes I used.

Only time I remember taking commuter rail with that kind of frequency on this continent was using METRA to get to south side Chicago or NJ Transit to get from NYC to NJ. Service is frequent enough that you can just show up and be assured that a train will be leaving fairly soon... I don't think you can really do that with GO or whatever Montreal's service is called these days?

AMT in Montreal but most people call it "train de banlieue".

As for the service levels, obviously you're right that it's generally better in Europe but the general idea behind the service is still the same.

That S-Bahn train in the photo is bound for Brandenburg Hauptbahnhof (main station), and Brandenberg is an Oshawa-type city (geographically anyway) in the wider Berlin area.

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by Acajack

AMT in Montreal but most people call it "train de banlieue".

As for the service levels, obviously you're right that it's generally better in Europe but the general idea behind the service is still the same.

That S-Bahn train in the photo is bound for Brandenburg Hauptbahnhof (main station), and Brandenberg is an Oshawa-type city (geographically anyway) in the wider Berlin area.

The S-bahn is the yellow and red train on the left. The train to Brandenburg is a Regional Express, which is probably the closest analogy to an AMT or GO service.

In North America, we don't really have S-bahn service, although BART and the Washington Metro kind of fulfill the same role.

FYI, here are the interiors:

Berlin U-bahn (subway/metro) - note room for standees and the presence of poles.



Berlin S-bahn - slightly more emphasis on comfort, but still very short trip oriented. Still accommodates standees.



Berlin Regional Express - much more comfortable. Is not intended for standees. Very similar to a GO train interior.



Finally, a German intercity rail car. Very similar to VIA. Note the overhead luggage racks and comfortable headrest.

[swimmer_spe]

Are we really getting back into semantics?

[esquire]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Are we really getting back into semantics?

Did we ever stop?

[ssiguy]

Commuter rail is exactly that...............built for commuters in and out of the city during rush hours. It is not meant, nor intended, for regular transit usage.

The RER/S-Bahn system is what is often referred to as suburban rail. This is much like what Sydney and Melbourne have. They run all day/each way with decent frequency but not near the level of a standard Metro, are primarily used for getting downtown but not exclusively, run DMU/EMU trains on traditional track, have more stops than commuter rail but fewer than subway, and are part of the standard transit network.

Suburban rail is what was often referred to ages ago as the "inter-urban".

[Ontario1]

Speaking from experience, the Berlin S-Bahn runs as frequently as the Toronto subway in central areas and like the subway, it has a third rail for electricity.

[The Chemist]

Originally Posted by Ontario1

Speaking from experience, the Berlin S-Bahn runs as frequently as the Toronto subway in central areas and like the subway, it has a third rail for electricity.

But once again third rail has nothing to do with whether or not something is a subway. Lots of subways use overhead electricity, and in England some commuter / regional trains use third rail.

[lrt's friend]

I rode the S-bahn from Berlin to Potsdam in April. It ran every 15 minutes, so not quite at subway frequency, but still service was quite good.

[Beedok]

How about we post a bunch of pictures of trains and buses and whatnot? Some of them have interesting interirors (and why does everyone but Ontario have those middle of the floor multi-pronged poles going on?)

[swimmer_spe]

What would the planned Smartrack be considered?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

The S-bahn is the yellow and red train on the left. The train to Brandenburg is a Regional Express, which is probably the closest analogy to an AMT or GO service.

In North America, we don't really have S-bahn service, although BART and the Washington Metro kind of fulfill the same role.

Thanks for the clarifications!

[SkahHigh]

The material used by the S-Bahn is a little heavier than the Washington Metro let's say, but it's a comparable service. It's definitely not commuter rail, which has actual trains and is often less frequent.

[Beedok]

^Montreal

^Edmonton

^Calgary

^Vancouver (sorry this one is blurry)

I've never seen those things in Ottawa or Toronto. Why doesn't Ontario use them?

[SkahHigh]

There could be a new commuter rail station to Kahnawake in the near future, according to the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake and the MTQ.

This would be another stop added to the Candiac Line, with the already U/C Du Canal Station and the possible extension to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

[wg_flamip]

Originally Posted by Beedok

How about we post a bunch of pictures of trains and buses and whatnot? Some of them have interesting interirors (and why does everyone but Ontario have those middle of the floor multi-pronged poles going on?)

I'm not entirely certain, but I would guess that Ontario's accessibility standards might have something to do with it. They could potentially obstruct a person in a mobility device in the event of an emergency. I vaguely recall that the subway used to have them in some cars; I'm not sure if the poles were removed or if those trains were just taken out of service.

[Beedok]

Originally Posted by wg_flamip

I'm not entirely certain, but I would guess that Ontario's accessibility standards might have something to do with it. They could potentially obstruct a person in a mobility device in the event of an emergency. I vaguely recall that the subway used to have them in some cars; I'm not sure if the poles were removed or if those trains were just taken out of service.

Okay, that makes sense.

[1overcosc]

Ontario has much more stringent accessibility standards for public transit than other provinces. Things like low-floor buses and automated stop announcement systems on buses were implemented a lot earlier here than in other places.