London, Paris, Seoul Show Commuting Power of Fast Regional Rail

This article really needs to mention Japan, who pioneered and perfected the idea and its smooth integration into the subway network. It's common in Tokyo for a train to start as a limited express that travels long distances at speed, then transition into an all-stops subway, tunnel through Tokyo, and then morph back into an express for the long haul out. Some trains on the Toyoko Line do this twice: express, subway in Tokyo, express, subway again in Yokohama.

&gt; Trains arrive as often as every three minutes during peak hours along the central spines of both the Elizabeth Line and the RER Line A.<p>I&#x27;ve taken the RER A everyday for few years (both and after automation), and that frequency combined with its size still puts me in awe.<p>My usual connection with RER A, I arrive at the middle of the train platform, and my next connection is at the end of the train. Statistically I reach the end of the platform before the train arrives maybe 5% of the time?<p>The frequency is so high that it takes more time to get at the right place of the train than to wait.<p>It&#x27;s almost at the level of &quot;don&#x27;t think of the train, just your walking route&quot;.<p>(I&#x27;m saying almost because incidents still happen, and RER A can still suffer of &quot;trains are running slowly because they are overcrowded because trains are running slowly&quot; negative feedback loops, though it&#x27;s usually resolved within 15m)

This was a great read. As an American who is currently living in France, I&#x27;m always blown away by how easy it is for me to get just about anywhere via train.

Odd to see the Elizabeth Line (Crossrail) presented in such a positive light.<p>As an engineering project Crossrail became famous for being repeatedly delayed (eventually opening four years late) and many billions over budget.<p>Since opening the Elizabeth Line has been beset by high numbers of service cancellations and poor punctuality (usually blamed on having to share track outside the central tunnel section with other operators).

Toronto has some of the pieces in place to make this happen with the GO Train network, particularly the Lakeshore lines that stretch from Oshawa (60km east) to Hamilton (70km west). Unfortunately a lot of it hinges on electrification, which has been mired in administrative back and forth for decades and even the most ambitious plans still only call for 15 minute service:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.metrolinx.com&#x2F;en&#x2F;projects-and-programs&#x2F;go-expansion-studies&#x2F;go-electrification" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.metrolinx.com&#x2F;en&#x2F;projects-and-programs&#x2F;go-expans...</a><p>Fare integration is another important piece— being able to jump on the GO to get out to a far-flung subway station like Main or Dundas West and continue your trip from there is a really nice prospect, but having pay separately for it kind of kills the vibe.

FWIW, literally the first sentence on the page is wrong:<p>&gt; An Elizabeth Line train at the Shenfield station west of London.<p>Shenfield is east of London!

It feels odd to talk about the US without bringing up BART, which has comparable characteristics to the Elizabeth Line (the yellow line is over 60 miles long, for instance, and headway through the core area is under 5 minutes at peak).

This article&#x27;s sub-headline is a good example of Betteridge&#x27;s Law of Headlines. <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Betteridge&#x27;s_law_of_headlines" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Betteridge&#x27;s_law_of_headlines</a>

What commute? I seriously hope you guys didn&#x27;t return to the office...