Editing Inter-city rail

{{Short description|Inter-city passenger rail transport}}
{{About|express passenger train services in general||Intercity (disambiguation){{!}}Intercity}}
{{Redirect|Express passenger train|the train in New South Wales, Australia|New South Wales XPT|express trains in general|Express train}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
[[File:Acela old saybrook ct summer2011.jpg|thumb|An ''[[Acela|Acela Express]]'' high-speed train traveling on the busy [[Northeast Corridor]] between [[Boston]] and [[Washington, D.C.]] in July 2011]]
'''Inter-city rail''' services are [[Express train|express trains]] that run services that connect cities over longer distances than [[Commuter rail|commuter]] or [[Regional rail|regional]] trains. They include [[rail service]]s that are neither short-distance [[commuter rail]] trains within one city area nor slow [[regional rail]] trains stopping at all stations and covering local journeys only. An inter-city train is typically an [[express train]] with [[limited stop]]s and comfortable carriages to serve 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-kilometre (3,930,000-square-mile) area.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-high-speed-rail-development-worldwide |title=Fact Sheet: High Speed Rail Development Worldwide |last=Nunno |first=Richard |date=19 July 2018 |website=eesi.org |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |access-date=11 January 2024}}</ref> [[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 and relatively long-distance train services that meet certain criteria of speed and comfort. That use of the term appeared in the [[United Kingdom]] in the 1960s and has been widely imitated.

== Speed ==
{{Train topics}}
[[File:15 FS E402B 161 Milano Cle 110917.jpg|thumb|An Italian InterCity train at [[Milano Centrale railway station]]]]
The speeds of inter-city rail lines are quite diverse, ranging from {{convert|50|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} in a mountainous area or on undeveloped tracks to {{convert|200|–|350|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} on newly constructed or improved tracks. As a result, Inter-city rail may or may not fall into the category of [[higher-speed rail]] or [[high-speed rail]]. Ideally, the average speed of inter-city rail service would be faster than {{convert|100|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} in order to be competitive with car, bus and other methods of transport.

=== Distance of inter-city rail ===

* '''50–100&nbsp;km'''

The distance of an inter-city rail journey is usually at least {{convert|50|–|100|km|mi|sigfig=1|abbr=on}}, 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]], [[Netherlands|The Netherlands]], and [[Switzerland]].

* '''100–500&nbsp;km'''

A distance of {{convert|100|–|500|km|mi|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} 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 [[highway]]s and [[Flight length#Shortest commercial flight|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&nbsp;km'''

In journeys of {{convert|500|–|1000|km|mi|sigfig=1|abbr=on}}, the role of inter-city rail is often replaced by faster [[air travel]].  Development of high-speed rail in some countries increases the share of railway for such longer-distance journeys. The Paris-Marseille [[TGV]] ({{convert|750|km|mi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}} in 3 hours) and [[Tōhoku Shinkansen|Tokyo-Aomori]] [[Shinkansen]] ({{convert|675|km|mi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}} in 2 hours 59 minutes) are examples of this type of journey. In conventional non high-speed rail, [[Sleeping Car|overnight train]]s are common for this distance.

* '''1,000&nbsp;km or more'''

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. [[Amtrak]] long-distance services in the United States, [[Via Rail]]'s [[Canadian (train)|Canadian]] service in Canada, and the [[Indian Pacific]] in Australia are examples.

Faster high-speed rail of at least {{convert|250|km|mi|-1|abbr=on}} per hour, such as the [[Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway]] in China ({{convert|1300|km|mi|-1|abbr=on|disp=or}} in 5 hours) and Tokyo-Sapporo in the proposed [[Hokkaido Shinkansen]] in Japan ({{convert|1030|km|mi|-1|abbr=on|disp=or}} in 4 hours), may play a significant role in long-distance travel in the future.

==Inter-city rail by country ==
===Africa===
[[File:Train heading Fes at Rabat Train Station.jpg|thumb|A [[Morocco|Moroccan]] inter-city train at the [[Rabat]] station]]
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)
*South Africa: [[Shosholoza Meyl]]
*Tunisia: [[Tunisian Railways]] (SNCFT)

===Asia===
====East Asia====
====China====
{{See also|High-speed rail in China|K-series trains}}
{{Multiple image
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 | image1    = DF4D 0353 at Liucun (20210411172849).jpg
 | caption1  = [[China Railways DF4|DF4D]] with [[China Railways 25G rolling stock|25G]] passenger cars used for [[K-series trains]]
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 | caption2  =A [[China Railway High-speed]] trains
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Trains run by [[China Railway]] link almost every town and city in the [[China|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 {{convert|200|–|350|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} operation are constructed, and many conventional lines are also upgraded to {{convert|200|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} operation. Currently there are seven [[High-speed rail in China#High-speed intercity railways|High-Speed Inter-City lines in China]], with up to 21 planned. They are operated independently from the often parallel High-Speed-Rail-Lines.

====Japan====
{{See also|Rail transport in Japan}}
[[File:JR Hokkaido Kiha 283 series 002.JPG|thumb|A [[diesel multiple unit|DMU]] [[tilting train]] express [[Ōzora|Super Ōzora]] in [[Japan]]]]
[[Japan]] has six main regional passenger railway companies, known collectively as [[Japan Railways Group]] or simply as 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, Fukuoka|Fukuoka]] and many more.

Many other cities are covered by a network of JR's [[limited express]] inter-city trains on {{RailGauge|1067mm}} [[Narrow-gauge railway|narrow-gauge]] lines. 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 the [[Kintetsu Railway|Kintetsu]], [[Meitetsu]], [[Tobu Railway]] and [[Odakyu Electric Railway]] that operate "limited express" inter-city services.

====Hong Kong====
{{Main|Rail transport in Hong Kong}}
[[File:SS8 0192@KOT (20190313125921).jpg|thumb|[[Beijing–Kowloon through train]], hauled by a [[China Railways SS8|SS8]] [[electric locomotive]], passing through [[Kowloon Tong station]] in [[Hong Kong]]]]
Inter-city railway services crossing the Hong Kong-China border (often known as ''through trains'') are jointly operated by Hong Kong's [[MTR Corporation|MTR Corporation Limited]] and the [[Ministry of Railways (China)|Ministry of Railways of the People's Republic of China]]. Currently, [[Hung Hom station]] is 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:
* 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 has been opened in 2018 with a new station [[Hong Kong West Kowloon railway station|West Kowloon Terminus]] in the city centre.

====Taiwan====
{{See also|Taiwan High Speed Rail|Taiwan Railway Administration}}
[[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====
{{Main|Korea Train Express}}
[[File:ITX-Saemaeul.jpg|thumb|[[Korail]]'s [[ITX-Saemaeul]]]]
Almost every major town and city in [[South Korea]] is linked by railway, run by [[Korail]]. [[ITX-Saemaeul]] is operated in most [[Main line (railway)|Main railway lines]] like Japanese limited express or German [[Intercity (Deutsche Bahn)|Intercity]]. Also, [[Mugunghwa-ho]] is the most common and most popular type of intercity rail travel like German [[Regional-Express]]. In addition, [[Seoul]] and [[Busan]] are linked by a high-speed train line known as [[KTX]], which was built using French TGV technology.

====South Asia====
====Bangladesh====
{{Main|Bangladesh Railway}}

====India====
[[File:Rajendra B.Aklekar.jpg|thumb|The [[Tejas Express]] at [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus]]]]
[[India]]'s [[Intercity Express (Indian Railways)|inter-city trains]] are run by [[Indian Railways]]. With {{convert|68043|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} of rail routes and 7,308 stations,<ref>{{cite web |title=Indian Railways Year Book, 2021-22 |url=https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/stat_econ/2023/PDF%20Year%20Book%202021-22-English.pdf |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) |publisher=Indian Railways Statistical Publications |location=New Delhi |page=5}}</ref> 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. 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cntraveller.in/story/from-vande-bharat-express-to-rajdhani-indias-fastest-trains/ |title=From Vande Bharat Express to Rajdhani: India's fastest trains |last=Kumar |first=Sharanya |date=30 January 2023 |website=cntraveller.in |access-date=11 January 2024}}</ref> All long-distance journeys generally require a reservation, although unreserved travel is allowed in some trains.

====Pakistan====
{{Main|Pakistan Railways}}

====Sri Lanka====
{{Main|Sri Lanka Railways}}

====Southeast Asia====
====Burma====
{{Main|Myanmar Railways}}

====Cambodia====
There is only one train service in [[Cambodia]], from [[Phnom Penh]] to [[Sihanoukville (city)|Sihanoukville]], stopping at [[Doun Kaev (town)|Doun Kaev (Takeo)]] and [[Kampot (city)|Kampot]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://royal-railway.com/|title=Royal Railways (Cambodia)|website=royal-railway.com|access-date=4 May 2018|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323001727/http://royal-railway.com/|archive-date=23 March 2018}}</ref>

====Indonesia====
{{Main|Rail transport in 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 [[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, from [[Jakarta]] to [[Bandung]].{{cn|date=October 2024}}

====Laos====
[[File:2021-12-03 China-Laos-Eisenbahn.jpg|thumb|Laos–China Railway higher-speed EMU train]]
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. A fully electrified higher-speed railway line, it is 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====
{{See also|KTM Intercity|KTM ETS|MRL East Coast Rail Link}}
[[File:ETS at Ipoh.JPG|thumb|[[KTM ETS]] in [[Malaysia]]]]
[[Keretapi Tanah Melayu]] (Malayan Railways) operates loco-hauled express trains called [[KTM Intercity]] along [[Peninsular Malaysia]] and into [[Singapore]]. At the [[Malaysia]]&ndash;[[Thailand]] border, connections to [[State Railway of Thailand]] trains are available. KTM Intercity trains are diesel-powered and run on a [[single track (rail)|single-track]] {{RailGauge|1000mm|allk=on}} system. The rail track is gradually being duplicated and electrified. On the completed Central to Northern section (border), KTM runs the higher-speed [[KTM ETS|Electric Train Service]] (ETS).

====Philippines====
{{See also|Philippine National Railways}}
As of February 2020, the [[Philippine National Railways]] does 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 leaves [[Manila]] and passes through Manila, [[Pasay]], and [[Muntinlupa]] and the provinces of [[Laguna (province)|Laguna]], [[Quezon]], and [[Camarines Sur]] before arriving at [[Naga, Camarines Sur|Naga]]. The trip takes 10 hours, or 600 minutes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pnr.gov.ph/bicol_express.htm |title=Bicol Express - Philippine National Railways |publisher=Pnr.gov.ph |access-date=4 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529121056/http://www.pnr.gov.ph/bicol_express.htm |archive-date=29 May 2012 }}</ref> The Mayon Limited connects Minola and Ligao in {{frac|10|1|2}} hours.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pnr.gov.ph/mayon_limited.htm |title=Mayon Limited - Philippine National Railways |publisher=Pnr.gov.ph |access-date=4 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317135606/http://www.pnr.gov.ph/mayon_limited.htm |archive-date=17 March 2012 }}</ref> 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====
{{see also|State Railway of 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====
{{Main|Islamic Republic of Iran Railways}}

====Israel====
[[Israel Railways]] operates inter-city services between all the four major metropolitan areas of [[Israel]]: [[Tel Aviv Savidor Central Railway Station|Tel Aviv]], [[Jerusalem Malha Railway Station|Jerusalem]], [[Be'er Sheva Center Railway Station|Be'er Sheva]], and [[Haifa Center HaShmona Railway Station|Haifa]]. However, due to the small geography of Israel, most of the railway services have a more [[Suburban railway|suburban]] service pattern, with many short stops at stations between the major city centres.

===Europe===
====Western and Central Europe====
{{Main|High-speed rail in Europe|InterCity|EuroCity}}
[[File:43002 Ealing Broadway.jpg|thumb|An [[InterCity 125]] passes [[Ealing Broadway station]] in [[London]] on its way to [[Swansea]], Wales. This is the world's fastest [[Diesel locomotive|diesel]] train and was used on various intercity services in [[Great Britain]] until May 2021.]]
In Europe, many long-distance inter-city trains are operated under the [[InterCity]] (often simply IC) brand. ''InterCity'' (or, initially, "Inter-City" with a hyphen) was first conceived as a brand name by [[British Rail]] for the launch of its electrification of the major part of the [[West Coast Main Line]] in 1966, which brought new express services between London and the major cities of [[Manchester]], [[Birmingham]] and [[Liverpool]]. 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 following [[Privatisation of British Rail|privatisation]]. The introduction of the [[British Rail Class 43 (HST)]] helped InterCity become a familiar brand in the 1970s.

The principal network of international express trains in continental Europe is called [[EuroCity]], even though some InterCity trains also cross borders.

[[High-speed rail]]ways have relatively few stops. The [[Germany|German]] high-speed train service was named [[InterCityExpress]], indicating its evolution from older InterCity trains. Other high-speed lines include the [[TGV]] (France), [[AVE]] (Spain), [[Treno Alta Velocità]] (Italy), [[Eurostar]] (United Kingdom–France and Belgium), [[Thalys]] (Netherlands–Belgium–Germany and France), [[TGV Lyria|Lyria]] (France-Switzerland), and [[Railjet]] (Germany-Austria–Czechia/Hungary).

====Great Britain====
{{Main|High-speed rail in Europe|InterCity|EuroCity|Inter-city rail in the United Kingdom}}
In [[Great Britain]], the inter-city rail links are now operated by [[list of companies operating trains in the United Kingdom|a number of private companies as well as Continental State owned railways]] such as [[Avanti West Coast]], [[London North Eastern Railway|LNER]], [[East Midlands Railway|EMR]], [[CrossCountry]], [[TransPennine Express]], [[Greater Anglia (train operating company)|Greater Anglia]] and [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|GWR]]. [[Ireland]]'s [[InterCity (Irish Rail)|inter-city]] rail network is maintained by [[Iarnród Éireann]] and [[Northern Ireland]]'s is run by [[Northern Ireland Railways]].

====Italy====
{{main|Rail transport in Italy}}
[[File:Trains in Napoli Centrale-Garibaldi 18 55 44 221000.jpeg|thumb|An Italian InterCity train at [[Napoli Centrale railway station]]]]
[[File:Inter city train (Rome) in 2023.01.jpg|thumb|An Italian InterCity train at [[Roma Termini railway station]]]]
With the introduction of high-speed trains, intercity trains are limited to few services per day on mainline and regional tracks.

The daytime services (''[[InterCity]]'' IC), 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 are [[Trieste]] to [[Rome]] (stopping at [[Venice]], [[Bologna]], [[Prato]], [[Florence]] and [[Arezzo]]), [[Milan]] to Rome (stopping at [[Genoa]], [[La Spezia]], [[Pisa]] and [[Livorno]] / stopping at [[Parma]], [[Modena]], Bologna, Prato, Florence and Arezzo), Bologna to [[Lecce]] (stopping at [[Rimini]], [[Ancona]], [[Pescara]], [[Bari]] and [[Brindisi]]) and Rome to [[Reggio di Calabria]] (stopping at [[Latina, Lazio|Latina]] and [[Naples]]). In addition, the Intercity trains provide a more economical means of long-distance rail travel within Italy.

The night trains (''Intercity Notte'' ICN) have sleeper compartments and washrooms, but no showers on board. Main routes are Rome to [[Bolzano]]/Bozen (calling at Florence, Bologna, [[Verona]], [[Rovereto]] and [[Trento]]), Milan to [[Lecce]] (calling at Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, Faenza, Forlì, Cesena, Rimini, Ancona, Pescara, Bari and Brindisi), [[Turin]] to Lecce (calling at [[Alessandria]], [[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.

====Central and Eastern Europe====
[[File:Sibirjak-03.JPG|thumb|A [[Sibirjak]] passenger train travelling from [[Berlin]] to [[Novosibirsk]], Russia]]

====Poland====
{{main|Rail transport in Poland}}
The [[Polish State Railways]] (PKP), a state-owned corporate group, is the main provider of railway services. The PKP group holds an almost unrivaled [[monopoly]] over rail services in [[Poland]] since 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 and [[EuroNight]] trains operating between [[Western Europe|Western]] and [[Eastern Europe|Eastern]] European destinations, including by the EN 440/441 from [[Berlin]] via [[Warsaw]] to [[Moscow]] operated by Talgo train of Russian Railways company.

In 2019, new [[nightjet]] train from [[Vienna]] to Berlin via [[Ostrava]] (CZ) and [[Wrocław]] (PL) starts the service.{{cite web |title=source 1 |date=8 May 2018|url=https://traintracks.eu/nachtzug-berlin-wien/}} {{PD-notice}}.

====Russia====
[[Russia]] has a dense network of long-distance railways all over its vast territory, the longest and most famous being the [[Trans-Siberian Railway]] from [[Moscow]] to [[Vladivostok]]. Long-distance train routes of more than {{convert|1000|or|2000|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} are common, with many trips taking two or three days. Speed is relatively low: trains average {{convert|60|or|70|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}.

===North America===
{{See also|Higher-speed rail}}

====Canada====
{{Main|Rail transport in Canada}}
[[File:VIA Rail Train London Ontario.jpg|thumb|A [[Via Rail]] train at [[London station (Ontario)|London station]] in [[London, Ontario]]]]
[[Canada]]'s inter-city trains are mostly run by [[Via Rail]], a Canadian [[Crown corporations of Canada|crown corporation]] mandated 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 the [[Quebec City - Windsor Corridor]], straddling the provinces of [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]]. It also operates long-distance trains to [[western Canada]] and [[the Maritimes]] on the [[Canadian (train)|Canadian]] and [[Ocean (train)|Ocean]] lines and by smaller trains to more remote areas of Canada. Much like the [[United States]], Canada previously had a larger intercity rail network prior to the 1970s; certain major cities such as [[Calgary]] and [[Regina, Saskatchewan|Regina]] lack 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 by [[Amtrak]] and Via Rail, connect [[New York City]] with [[Maple Leaf (train)|Toronto]]. [[Amtrak]] also operates the [[Adirondack (train)|''Adirondack'']] between New York City and [[Montreal]], and the [[Amtrak Cascades]] service linking Vancouver and [[Seattle]]. In addition, the [[White Pass and Yukon Route]] links [[Skagway, Alaska|Skagway]] and [[Whitehorse]] on an isolated northern route.

Other inter-city passenger rail operators include the [[Ontario Northland Railway]], which operates passenger services between [[Cochrane, Ontario|Cochrane]] and [[Moosonee]] in rural [[northern Ontario]] and [[luxury train]] operators such as the [[Royal Canadian Pacific]] and [[Rocky Mountaineer]], which operate rail tours in [[Western Canada]].

====Mexico====
{{See also|Rail transport in Mexico}}
[[File:Chepe Divisadero.jpg|thumb|[[Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico]] (Chihuahua-Pacific Railway) in [[Mexico]]]]
In [[Mexico]], the federal government discontinued almost all scheduled inter-city passenger trains in June 2001. [[Ferromex]] operates trains on three routes: [[Chihuahua City]] to [[Los Mochis]], [[Torreón]] to [[Cañitas de Felipe Pescador Municipality|Felipe Pescador]], and [[Guadalajara]] to [[Amatitán]]. Mexican President [[Enrique Peña Nieto]] has proposed intercity trains, including from [[Mexico City]] to [[Toluca]] (construction began 7 July 2014), the Peninsular train from [[Yucatán]] to [[Riviera Maya]], and the Mexico-Querétaro high-speed train from [[Puebla]] to [[Tlaxcala]] and [[Mexico City]] with future expansion to Guadalajara. In recent years, passenger trains have seen a revival, with the construction of the tourist-oriented [[Tren Maya]] route traversing the Yucatan Peninsula.

====United States====
{{See also|High-speed rail in the United States}}
[[File:Amtrak California Zephyr Green River - Floy, Utah.jpg|thumb|The westbound ''[[California Zephyr]]'' in [[Book Cliffs]] in [[Utah]]]]
There was a dense system of inter-city railways in the [[United States]] in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After the decline of passenger railroads in [[North America]] in 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 the [[Northeastern United States]] on [[Amtrak]]'s [[Northeast Corridor]]. About one in every three users of mass transit in the United States and two-thirds of the nation's rail riders live in [[Transportation in New York City|New York City]]. The two busiest passenger rail stations in the United States are [[Pennsylvania Station (New York City)|Penn Station]] and [[Grand Central Terminal]], both in [[Manhattan]], New York City. Passenger rail outside the Northeast, [[Northwestern United States|Northwest]], [[California]], and the [[Chicago metropolitan area]] is infrequent and rarely used relative to networks in Europe and Japan.

Passenger lines in most of the United States are operated by the [[State-owned enterprise|quasi-public corporation]] Amtrak. The separate [[Alaska Railroad]], which is also government-owned, runs passenger trains in [[Alaska]], and the privately owned [[Brightline]] rail service operates in [[Florida]]. The [[California High-Speed Rail]] system began construction in 2015 and aims to connect major job centers in [[California]].

Multiple new rail corridors have been identified for private development throughout the country. These include the [[Brightline West]] corridor from [[Las Vegas]] to [[Los Angeles]], California, the [[Texas Central Railway]] between [[Dallas]] and [[Houston]] in [[Texas]], and others.

===Oceania===
====Australia====
{{Multiple image
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| caption1          = An [[New South Wales H set|H set]] on the [[South Coast Line]]
| image2            = Wyndham Vale Railway Station (cropped).jpg
| caption2          = A [[V/Line VLocity]] train running in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]
}}

In [[Australia]], the national interstate network operated by [[Journey Beyond]] connects all mainland Australian capital cities except [[Canberra]]. However, it is catered towards the luxury tourism market. [[NSW TrainLink]] operates interstate services from Sydney to Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane. Intrastate inter-city trains that traverse shorter distances are operated by [[V/Line]], NSW TrainLink, [[Sydney Trains]], [[Queensland Rail]] and [[Transwa]]. The fastest intercity trains in regular service have a top service speed of 160&nbsp;km/h.

In Australia, electrified interurban commuter railway systems are used to connect urban areas separated by long distances and use [[Heavy rail|heavy-rail]] equipment:

*In [[New South Wales]], Sydney Trains operates an extensive interurban network of four main routes from [[Sydney]]. These run to [[Newcastle, New South Wales|Newcastle]] and the [[Central Coast (New South Wales)|Central Coast]], the [[Blue Mountains (Australia)|Blue Mountains]], the [[Southern Highlands, New South Wales|Southern Highlands]] and the [[South Coast, New South Wales|South Coast]]. NSW TrainLink brand its interurban commuter services as "Intercity".
*In [[Brisbane]], [[Queensland Rail City network|QR's City network]] operates a smaller interurban commuter network of three lines which connect Brisbane to the [[Gold Coast railway line|Gold Coast]] in the south, [[Caboolture railway line|Caboolture]] and the [[Sunshine Coast railway line|Sunshine Coast]] in the north and [[Ipswich & Rosewood railway line|Rosewood]] in the west.
*In [[Perth]], an electric interurban rail line running down the middle of the [[Kwinana Freeway]] to serve [[Mandurah]] opened on 23 December 2007.

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 the [[Regional Fast Rail project|Regional Fast Rail]] is operational in [[Victoria, Australia|Victoria]]. 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.

==== New Zealand ====
In [[New Zealand]], there are currently three long-distance passenger services classed as inter-city: the [[Coastal Pacific]], the [[Northern Explorer]], and the [[TranzAlpine]]. Their slow average speed is limited by the rugged country traversed, particularly in the middle of the [[North Island, New Zealand|North Island]], where the [[North Island Main Trunk]] has many sharp curves and steep gradients. Given these speeds, as well as the prioritization of the [[rail transport in New Zealand]] towards freight, these passenger services primarily cater the tourist market, similar to long-distance routes in Australia.

Other current commuter passenger services include the [[Capital Connection]], [[Te Huia]] and the [[Wairarapa 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.

===South America===
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.

====Argentina====
[[Argentina]] has inter-city services on a number of routes, run by [[Operadora 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.

====Bolivia====
Inter-city train services in [[Bolivia]] are operated by two train companies: Eastern and Western.  The western network runs daily trains from [[Oruro, Bolivia|Oruro]] to [[Tupiza]], with both espresso (fast) and WaraWara (slow) trains. The eastern rail hub is [[Santa Cruz de la Sierra]], with connections to [[Puerto Suárez]] and [[Villamontes]], and international lines to [[Brazil]] and Argentina.

====Brazil====
[[Brazil]]'s inter-city services operate on two routes, one from [[Vitória, Espírito Santo|Vitória]] to [[Belo Horizonte]] ([[Vitória-Minas Railway]]) and another from [[Parauapebas]] to [[São Luís, Maranhão|São Luís]]. A [[Trens Intercidades|third service]] was proposed by [[São Paulo (state)|São Paulo]] state government to operate from [[São Paulo]] to [[Americana, São Paulo|Americana]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metrocptm.com.br/em-apresentacao-cptm-traz-mais-detalhes-sobre-o-trem-intercidades/|title=Em apresentação, CPTM traz mais detalhes sobre o Trem Intercidades|website=Metrô CPTM|language=pt|first=Ricardo|last=Meier|date=5 October 2019|access-date=8 January 2021|trans-title=In presentation, CPTM brings more details about Inter-city Train}}</ref>

====Chile====
[[File:TerraSur estacion Chillan.jpg|thumb|The TerraSur on Estación Chillán, [[Chile]]'s fastest inter-city rail service, reaching 150 kmh on the fastest section of its route]]
[[Chile]] has inter-city services connecting [[Santiago]] to [[Chillán]] and occasionally to [[Temuco]], run by [[Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado]]. The fastest in Chile (and South America{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}) is [[TerraSur]], reaching around {{convert|150|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}.

==See also==
*[[Express train]]
*[[Limited-stop]]
*[[Lists of named passenger trains]]
*[[Longest train journeys]]
*[[PKP Intercity]]
*[[Railway electrification system]]s
*[[Railway stations in the Netherlands#Categories]] (spelling: "intercity")
*[[Terminal station]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}
*''Overseas Timetable: Independent Traveller's Edition'', Winter 2008/9; Thomas Cook Publishing
*''[[Thomas Cook European Timetable|European Rail Timetable: Independent Traveller's Edition]]'', Winter 2008/9; Thomas Cook Publishing

==External links==
*[http://www.seat61.com/ The Man in Seat 61] Information on train travel worldwide
* {{Wikivoyage-inline|Tips for rail travel}}
{{Public transport}}

[[Category:Passenger rail transport]]