Inter-city rail services are express trains that run services that connect cities over longer distances than commuter or regional trains. They include rail services that are neither short-distance commuter rail trains within a single city area nor slow regional rail trains that stop at every station and serve only local journeys. An intercity train is typically an express train with limited stops and comfortable carriages for long-distance travel.
Inter-city rail sometimes provides international services. This is most prevalent in Europe because of the proximity of its 50 countries to a 10,180,000-square-kilometer (3,930,000-square-mile) area. Eurostar and EuroCity are examples. In many European countries, the word InterCity or Inter-City is an official brand name for a network of regular-interval, relatively long-distance train services that meet certain criteria for speed and comfort. That use of the term appeared in the United Kingdom in the 1960s and has been widely imitated.
Speed
The speeds of inter-city rail lines are quite diverse, ranging from in a mountainous area or on undeveloped tracks to on newly constructed or improved tracks. As a result, intercity rail may or may not fall into the category of higher-speed rail or high-speed rail. Ideally, the average speed of intercity rail service would exceed to be competitive with cars, buses, and other modes of transport.
Distance of inter-city rail
50–100 km
The distance of an inter-city rail journey is usually at least , 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 include Belgium, Israel, The Netherlands, and Switzerland.
100–500 km
A distance of 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 with highways and short-haul air 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.
500–1,000 km
In journeys of , the role of inter-city rail is often replaced by faster air travel. The development of high-speed rail in some countries increases the share of railway for such longer-distance journeys. The Paris-Marseille TGV ( in 3 hours) and Tokyo-Aomori Shinkansen ( in 2 hours 59 minutes) are examples of this type of journey. In conventional non-high-speed rail, overnight trains are common for this distance.
1,000 km or more
In some countries with dense rail networks, large territories, or limited air and car transport, such as China, India, and Russia, overnight long-distance train services are provided and widely used.
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. Amtrak long-distance services in the United States, Via Rail's Canadian service in Canada, and the Indian Pacific in Australia are examples.
Faster high-speed rail of at least per hour, such as the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway in China ( in 5 hours) and Tokyo-Sapporo in the proposed Hokkaido Shinkansen in Japan ( in 4 hours), may play a significant role in long-distance travel in the future.
List of inter-city rail by country Africa
Railways in Africa are still developing or not practically used for passenger purposes in many countries, but the following countries have inter-city services between major cities:
Algeria: SNTF Egypt: Egyptian National Railways Kenya: Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway Morocco: ONCF (in French - Office National des Chemins de Fer du Maroc, National Office for Railways of Morocco) Nigeria: Nigerian Railway Corporation South Africa: Shosholoza Meyl Tunisia: Tunisian Railways (SNCFT)
Asia East Asia China
Trains run by China Railway link almost every town and city in the People's Republic of China, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Xi'an, and onwards from Shenzhen across the border to Kowloon, in Hong Kong. New high-speed lines from operation are constructed, and many conventional lines are also upgraded to operation. Currently, there are seven High-Speed Inter-City lines in China, with up to 21 planned. They are operated independently of the often-parallel High-Speed Rail Lines.
Japan
Japan has six main regional passenger railway companies, collectively known as the Japan Railways Group (JR). Five JR companies operate the "bullet trains" on very fast and frequent Shinkansen lines that link all the larger cities, including Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and many more.
Many other cities are covered by a network of JR's limited express inter-city trains on narrow-gauge lines. Major cities are covered by convenient train services every hour or more frequently. In addition to the JR Group, Japan has major private rail operators such as the Kintetsu, Meitetsu, Tobu Railway, and Odakyu Electric Railway that operate "limited express" inter-city services.
Hong Kong
Inter-city railway services crossing the Hong Kong-China border (often known as through trains) were jointly operated by Hong Kong's MTR Corporation Limited and the Ministry of Railways of the People's Republic of China. Hung Hom station was the only station in the territory where passengers could 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 were three cross-border train services on the conventional line: Between Hong Kong and Beijing (Beijing–Kowloon through train) Between Hong Kong and Shanghai (Shanghai–Kowloon through train) Between Hong Kong and Guangzhou (Guangzhou–Kowloon through train)
A new border-crossing service, the Guangzhou–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 opened in 2018 with a new station, West Kowloon Terminus, in the city center. In response to the opening of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link, demand for the Through Train service dwindled, and such services have since been discontinued
Taiwan
Taiwan's coastline is connected by frequent inter-city train services by Taiwan 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) and Tze-chiang limited express (自強號).
South Korea
Almost every major town and city in South Korea is linked by railway, run by Korail. ITX-Saemaeul operates on most Main railway lines, such as Japanese limited express services and German Intercity. Also, Mugunghwa-ho is the most common and popular type of intercity rail travel, similar to the German Regional-Express. In addition, Seoul and Busan are connected by a high-speed train line known as KTX, built using French TGV technology.
South Asia Bangladesh
India
India's inter-city trains are run by Indian Railways. With 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. It connects almost every part of the country, linking major cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Kochi, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar, Surat, Vadodara, Agra and countless others. The Vande Bharat Express, Gatimaan Express, Tejas Express, Tejas-Rajdhani Express, Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express, Jan Shatabdi Express and Duronto Express are 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.
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Southeast Asia Burma
Cambodia There is only one train service in Cambodia, from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, stopping at Doun Kaev (Takeo) and Kampot.
Indonesia
In Indonesia, PT Kereta Api operates inter-city services between some of the country's major cities like Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Surakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Padang, and Palembang. In the Jakarta metropolitan area (or Jabodetabek), KRL Jabotabek operates inter-city and commuter services. Indonesia also currently operates Southeast Asia's first high-speed rail line between Jakarta and Bandung.
Laos
In recent years, construction has started on a China-funded higher-speed railway link, the Boten–Vientiane railway, commonly referred to as the China-Laos Railway. It is a fully electrified high-speed railway line, part of a long-term goal of connecting China with the rest of Southeast Asia. The line runs from Boten near the China-Laos border to Vientiane, the capital of Laos, using CRRC high/higher-speed EMU trains.
Malaysia
Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malayan Railways) operates loco-hauled express trains called KTM Intercity along Peninsular Malaysia and into Singapore. At the Malaysia–Thailand border, connections to State Railway of Thailand trains are available. KTM Intercity trains are diesel-powered and run on a single-track system. The rail track is gradually being duplicated and electrified. On the completed Central to Northern section (border), KTM runs the higher-speed Electric Train Service (ETS).
Philippines
As of February 2020, the Philippine National Railways does not have a regular intercity rail service, although the agency is planning to rebuild railway lines. Before the 1970s, the main island of Luzon had a relatively extensive narrow-gauge railway network. Still, 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 leaves Manila and passes through Manila, Pasay, and Muntinlupa and the provinces of Laguna, Quezon, and Camarines Sur before arriving at Naga. The trip takes 10 hours, or 600 minutes. The Mayon Limited connects Minola and Ligao in hours. The Philippine government is planning the revival of inter-city rail with projects such as the PNR South Long Haul, which aims to reconstruct the railway in Southern Luzon.
Thailand
Thailand has a sizable meter-gauge intercity rail network radiating outwards from Bangkok, transporting around 60 million passengers every year. Construction is underway to connect Bangkok with Nakhon Ratchasima using a dedicated high-speed rail line.
Vietnam Trains in Vietnam, run by Vietnam Railways, link Hanoi, Hué, Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Ho Chi Minh City.
Southwest Asia Iran
Israel Israel Railways operates inter-city services between all four major metropolitan areas of Israel: Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Be'er Sheva, and Haifa. However, due to Israel's small geography, most railway services follow a more suburban pattern, with many short stops between the major city centers.
Europe Western and Central Europe