Regional & Commuter Rail
Passenger Services in the
United States of America
A Brightline inter-city train at Fort Lauderdale station, FL.
Locomotive 110 is a Siemens SCB-40 Charger 4000hp Bo-Bo diesel electric.
These pages deal with the contiguous
United States of America, namely 48 states and the District of
Columbia. For the remaining states, and other areas of particular
railway interest, see the Main Index.
The regional & commuter rail services in the United States
are characterised by their essentially local nature, usually centred
on one or two large cities. “Local” in this context can involve
considerable distances, but the type of service offered is essentially
different from the long distance services offered by Amtrak.
Most of the railways concerned receive state or municipal support.
Some have dedicated rail lines, though many share lines with freight
carriers. They are distinguished by their heavy rail nature from purely
urban forms of rail passenger transport; the latter are included under
the topic of Metros and Trams.
Northeast
- Hartford
Line commuter service between New Haven CT, Hartford CT and
Springfield MA. Connects with Metro-North and Shore Line
East at New Haven
- Housatonic Railroad proposed commuter service
between Pittsfield MA and Danbury CT, with possible running over
Metro-North to Stamford CT. Additional proposed service between
Danbury and Southeast NY, with possible through running over
Metro-North to New York.
- Long Island
Rail Road New York to destinations on Long Island
- Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Boston
to destinations in MA, also Providence RI
- Metro-North Railroad New York to Poughkeepsie NY,
Wassaic NY, New Canaan CT, Danbury CT, Waterbury CT, and New Haven CT.
Connects with Hartford Line and Shore Line East at New Haven
- NJ
Transit New York, Hoboken and Newark to destinations in New Jersey
and New York State; also Atlantic City to Philadelphia. Connects with
SEPTA at Trenton and Philadelphia
- SEPTA Philadelphia to destinations in southeast
Pennsylvania and northern Delaware, also Trenton NJ. Connects with
NJ Transit at Philadelphia and Trenton
- Shore Line
East New Haven CT to New London CT, connecting with Hartford
Line and Metro-North
Southeast
- Brightline Miami to Orlando; possible future
extensions to Jacksonville and Tampa
- Charlotte Red Line proposed commuter service
from Charlotte to Mount Mourne
- MARC Train Washington DC to destinations in
Maryland and West Virginia
- Sunrail
commuter services in the Orlando area
- Tri-Rail
Miami Airport via Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach to Mangonia
Park, Palm Beach
- Virginia Railway
Express Washington DC to Fredericksburg, Manassas and Broad Run
- WeGo Star Nashville to Lebanon
Mid West
West Coast
- Caltrain
San Francisco to San Jose and Tamien, extending to Gilroy at peak
commuter times
- San Diego
Railroad Coaster from San Diego to Oceanside and
Sprinter from Oceanside to Escondido. Connects with
Metrolink at Oceanside
- Dreamstar
Lines proposed night service between Los Angeles and the San
Francisco Bay area
- Gold Runner
Stockton to San Jose, Sacramento, and Bakersfield
- Metrolink
Los Angeles area. Connects with San Diego Railroad at Oceanside
- SMART Larkspur, connecting with ferries from San
Francisco, to Sonoma County Airport. Extension under construction
to Windsor and planned to Petaluma
- Sounder Train Seattle to Tacoma and Everett
- WES Commuter
Train Beaverton to Wilsonville, in northern Oregon
Mountain Region
Texas
- Austin
- A-Train Denton to Carrollton, connecting with the RTD
network of Denver
- Trinity
Metro TEXRail and Trinity Railway Express operations
in the Fort Worth area
© 2007-2026 Glyn Williams
Photo image by Patrickhamiltonbrightline from Wikimedia Commons