The Most Interesting North American Rail Networks: Runners Up

This post marks the first in a short series on the ten most interesting passenger rail networks in the United States and Canada (sorry, Mexico: haven't ridden any of your trains, so it would be unfair to include Mexico City, Monterrey or Guadalajara. Maybe someday, though...).

There's no objective criteria for what makes a network unique, but each post will attempt to explain some of the system's quirkiness and nuance that make it noteworthy from a passenger rail observer's perspective. Several selections will include metropolitan areas comprised of the individual city networks. Among the factors I'll consider will be the number of modes, number of unique routes, range of rail equipment, historical distinctiveness and impressive stations.

I'll start first with those communities that didn't make the cut:

San Diego

Providers: Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), North County Transit District (NCTD), Amtrak
Modes: light rail, streetcar, commuter rail, regional rail, intercity rail
Unique routes: 6 (3 MTS San Diego Trolley, 1 NCTD commuter rail, 1 NCTD regional rail, 1 Amtrak)
Distinctive stations: Union Station (Santa Fe Depot)
Equipment: San Diego Trolley light-rail vehicles; NCTD Coaster trainsets; NCTD Sprinter diesel multiple units (DMUs); Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trainsets

Leaving San Diego off the list is perhaps the toughest call. Its Trolley launched the light-rail era in the United States in 1981 and has since added two additional lines to form a robust network. It's solid red vehicles are iconic to any rail observer, even as they've modernized over the years. Watching the system in action at the 12th & Imperial Transit Center could keep any transit fan occupied for hours. It's also the only rail transit service in North America that extends to an international border.  

The Trolley also kicked off a wave of passenger rail resurgence in Southern California that ultimately caught on in Los Angeles (hint, hint for later in the Top 10) that spurred the revitalization of the classic 1915 Spanish Colonial Revival-style Union Station (known locally as the Santa Fe Depot). It also led to the creation of the Coaster commuter rail service to Oceanside by NCTD in 1995 from the Depot – where it connects with Metrolink commuter trains to Los Angeles – as well as the upgrade of Amtrak's Los Angeles - San Diego service to the Pacific Surfliner in 2000. Today, it's the nation's second-busiest intercity rail line after the Northeast Corridor. In 2008, NCTD initiated its Sprinter regional rail route between Oceanside and Escondido. To say it's more interesting to watch trains in Oceanside than in Phoenix, Columbus, Omaha or Milwaukee wouldn't be an understatement, let alone the joy in spending a day watching the Trolley, Coaster and Pacific Surfliner interact at Santa Fe Depot. 

The biggest knock on Santa Fe's rail network is there's now not much opportunity for it to expand further. Buttressed by mountains along the Mexican border and to its east and the Pacific Ocean to its west, the region is essentially constrained in its ability to expand. That's good for denser development and greater utilization of the existing network, but not many exciting projects on the horizon. Double-tracking of the Coaster/Pacific Surfliner line to Oceanside will allow for greater frequency, speed and reliability on both services. San Diego is ultimately planned as the southern terminus for California's high-speed rail network, but that's still decades away and high-speed trains will likely serve an intermodal facility – likely with Trolley access – near San Diego International Airport with few corridors available to get high-speed infrastructure downtown. 

Montreal

Providers: Société de Transport de Montréal (STM), Agence Métropolitaine de Transport (AMT), VIA Rail Canada, Amtrak
Modes: heavy rail metro; commuter rail, intercity rail
Unique routes: 18 (7 VIA Rail, 6 AMT Commuter Rail, 4 Montreal Metro, 1 Amtrak)
Distinctive stations: Gare Centrale, Lucien L'Allier
Equipment: Montreal Metro (rubber-tired); AMT diesel-hauled commuter rail; AMT electric multiple units (EMUs); VIA heavyweight trainsets; VIA LRC trainsets; VIA Renaissance trainsets; Amtrak Amfleet trainsets

Just barely missing the top 10 on account of Toronto's more expansive network and the uniformity of its Metro system (although it's rubber wheels get strong quirkiness points), Montreal possesses my favorite rail line in North America: the electrified Deux-Montagnes line. Cutting through the city's namesake Mont Royal via Canada's second-longest tunnel, the route (the only electrified railroad in Canada) offers frequent, all-day service and serves a mix of suburban towns and quaint villages along the Riviere des Prairies, including the stop in charming Île-Bigras. Montreal also holds a certain attachment, personally, as it was the subject of my first-ever full-length feature article for RAIL. 

Gare Centrale - opened in 1943 – is an impressive run-through facility with a tres Canadian mural at each corner of its main passenger hall. It serves not only AMT's Deux-Montagnes line but also the recently-opened Mascouche Line to the region's eastern suburbs and the southbound Mont-Saint-Hilaire line. 

Amtrak's Adirondack calls daily to New York City – with Vermont currently pushing for continuation of the Vermonter to Montreal – while VIA Rail Canada operates routes stretch east to Halifax, Gaspé, Quebec City, north to Senneterre and Jonquière and west to Ottawa and Toronto, making it the second-busiest passenger rail station in Canada after Toronto's Union Station.  

While lacking the historic panache of Gare Centrale, AMT's Lucien-L'Allier facility is functional for the three commuter route it serves north and west of town and, like Centrale, includes direct access to the Metro. 

AMT – the sixth-busiest in North America – finds much commonality with New Jersey Transit's commuter rail operations, as the agencies have joined on orders from Bombardier for dual-powered diesel - electric ALP-45DP locomotives (that can operate on both AMT's electrified and diesel-haul trackage) and an adaptation of the BiLevel commuter railcars.

Proposals for light-rail and streetcar routes in the region have not yet advanced beyond the planning stage (see here and here) and VIA Rail continues to promote dedicated, higher-speed infrastructure between Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. 

Seattle-Tacoma

Providers: Sound Transit; City of Seattle; Amtrak
Modes: light rail, streetcar, commuter rail, monorail, intercity rail
Unique routes: 7, 2 pending (3 Amtrak, 1 Sound Transit Link in Seattle, 1 Sound Transit Link in Tacoma, 1 Sound Transit Sounder commuter rail, 1 City of Seattle Monorail, 1 City of Seattle Streetcar; 1 Sound Transit Link extension pending, 1 City of Seattle Streetcar route pending)
Distinctive stations: King Street Station; Union Station; Tacoma Dome Station; Westlake Hub
Equipment: Sound Transit Link Seattle light-rail vehicles; Sound Transit Tacoma Link light-rail vehicles; Sound Transit Sounder trainsets; City of Seattle Monorail trainsets; City of Seattle streetcars; Amtrak Cascades trainsets; Amtrak Superliner trainsets)

Sea-Tac is another region that was very close to making the Top 10 because every one of its rail lines is operationally distinct from the others, producing a range of different routes and equipment to experience. Aside from Amtrak's long-distance Coast Starlight and Empire Builder lines as continuations of trains previously operated by private railroads until 1971, the oldest element of the region's passenger rail network is the only publicly-operated monorail service in North America: the Seattle Center Monorail. Opened in 1962 for the Seattle World's Fair, it remains in service to this day, connecting the Westlake Hub in downtown Seattle with the Seattle Center complex, which includes the iconic Space Needle, the Experience Music Project and other attractions. Beyond the monorail terminus, Westlake is noteworthy for passenger rail observers as it functions as the current northern terminus for Sound Transit's Central Link light-rail line – itself utilizing a former bus-only transit tunnel as the only shared bus-rail tunnel in the Western Hemisphere – and the southern end of the South Lake Union Streetcar.

The Central Link line will expand northward from Westlake in three different segments over the coming years, while construction on the East Link line from Seattle to Bellevue and Redmond will begin this year with completion expected in 2023. A southerly extension will ultimately connect the Seattle and Tacoma Link sections in various stages, also starting in 2023. Sound Transit has operated its Sounder commuter rail service between the two cities in 2000, which also compliments Amtrak's Cascades route. Cascades trains extend beyond Tacoma to Portland and Eugene, Ore., as well as north from Seattle to Bellingham and Vancouver. Also sharing the Seattle - Bellingham route is the Empire Builder from Chicago while the Coast Starlight travels south from Seattle past Eugene to Los Angeles. All Amtrak and Sounder trains utilize the refurbished 1908 King Street Station. In Tacoma, Amtrak trains call at a 1970s-style Amshack station in the city's rail yards, while Sounder trains connect with the Tacoma Link light-rail at the more welcoming Tacoma Dome Freighthouse Square station, a former Milwaukee Road freight depot. Seattle's grand Union Station still stands adjacent to King Street Station as Sound Transit's headquarters but is no longer used for rail activity.

The Cascades operation is among the best in the nation – after Amtrak's Acela/Northeast Corridor and Southern California's Pacific Surfliner – in terms of frequency and ridership (it grew from 94,000 in 1993 to 845,000 in 2012). The introduction of Talgo's low-slung, European-style trainsets in 1998 played no small part in the booming ridership and might be the nicest passenger rail coaches on the continent. The state of Washington is supporting a number of enhancements to the BNSF-owned corridor to increase speeds, frequency and reliability to reduce trip times, including the Port Defiance Bypass line south and west of Tacoma, which has already allowed Sounder trains to extend to South Tacoma and Lakewood. High-speed rail seems like a natural for the Vancouver-Seattle-Portland-Eugene corridor, although specific plans and funding have yet to materialize.

Meanwhile, in addition to the South Lake Union Streetcar which opened in 2007, the debut of service on the First Hill Streetcar is imminent. Although the two lines are currently unconnected, the First Hill line will connect with the Central Link's International District and Capitol Hill stations and plans for a Central District Streetcar to connect the two routes are moving forward. Additional routes are also possible.

Although the Seattle-Network is both varied and growing, it misses the Top 10 because of some general dis-connectivity between its modes. Moreover, the suspension of the Waterfront Streetcar and its historic vehicles from Melbourne line in 2005 was a setback (the city still stores the streetcars should they the line be restored in the future) and securing funding for additional routes is always a battle. If this post was being written in 2023, the region might just crack the Top 10 as the East Link, Central Link extensions, First Hill Streetcar and Cascades improvements will all be completed.

Vancouver

Providers: TransLink; VIA Rail Canada; Amtrak
Modes: heavy rail, commuter rail, intercity rail
Unique routes: 7, 1 pending (4 TransLink SkyTrain; 1 TransLink West Coast Express commuter rail; 1 VIA Rail; 1 Amtrak; 1 SkyTrain pending)
Distinctive stations: Waterfront Station; Pacific Central Station
Equipment: SkyTrain Expo/Millennium line trainsets; SkyTrain Canada Line trainsets; West Coast Express trainsets; VIA heavyweight trainsets; Amtrak Cascades trainsets)

Another tough choice to leave off the Top 10 is Vancouver. It's fully-automated SkyTrain is the most efficiently-operated and highest revenue-producing rail transit network in the Western Hemisphere. The fact that it's Expo/Millennium and Canada segments are distinct from each other should also pique the interest of any rail fan. And the glass, wood and metal stations on the Millennium Line are both modern and welcoming. With the addition of the 11-mile Evergreen Line next year, the SkyTrain network will surpass 53 miles.

Meanwhile, the city features two well-preserved, architecturally stunning terminals: the former 1914 Canadian Pacific Waterfront Station – the terminus for all SkyTrain lines as well as West Coast Express trains – and Canadian Nation's counterpart 1919 Pacific Central Station. The latter hosts Vancouver's VIA Rail and Amtrak intercity trains and sits adjacent to SkyTrain's Main Street-Science World station.   

And while the Rocky Mountaineer's luxury excursion train service doesn't merit inclusion in the stats above, it's the most full-fledged rail tour operation in North America and makes Vancouver it's home base.

Hampering Vancouver's bid for the Top 10 is a lack of daily, scheduled intercity rail service beyond Amtrak's Cascades, which earns points as the only international Amtrak route with more than one daily roundtrip. VIA Rail's transcontinental Canadian to Toronto could be the finest passenger rail journey in the Americas but only operates three days per week. Meanwhile, the BC Rail ended its passenger service from North Vancouver to Prince George in 2002, which has never returned. Additionally, the former Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway was shut down in 2011 following the 2010 Winter Olympics, during which modern Bombardier streetcars were borrowed from Brussels. Lastly, efforts to expand SkyTrain's Millennium line west along the Broadway corridor have seen plans languish.

Cleveland

Providers: Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA), Amtrak
Modes: heavy rail metro; light rail; intercity rail
Unique routes: 5 (2 GCRTA light rail, 2 Amtrak, 1 GCRTA heavy rail metro) 
Distinctive stations: Tower City Station
Equipment: GCRTA Breda light-rail vehicles; GCRTA Tokyu heavy rail trainsets; Amtrak Amfleet trainsets; Amtrak Superliner trainsets

What's most fascinating about Cleveland's passenger rail network is its historic legacy and the interoperability of it's heavy and light-rail modes (see photo above). Check out the Wikipedia histories of the GCRTA rail transit lines linked above for full details. The Green and Blue light-rail lines were development-oriented transit in the early 1900s, long before such phrases were ever put together. Today, their exclusive rights-of-way remain as a high-quality transit operation, while the Red Line is the continent's only catenary-powered heavy-rail operation. That overhead power supply allows the two modes to share infrastructure between the Tower City and East 55th stations, something achieved nowhere else in the U.S. or Canada. The multi-level platforms at Tower City, East 34th/Campus and East 55th are among the strangest rail stops you'll find. The Red Line also bears the distinction as North America's first direct access to an airport. 

Cleveland's 1930 art deco-style Tower City station is a fine piece of architecture and remains the central indoor public space downtown, thanks to the GCRTA's next of rail activity there. The reason Cleveland doesn't rank higher is because various proposals to expand the GCRTA's rail network have languished, Amtrak's embarrassing Lakefront Station only hosts the long-distance (and often-delayed) Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited during late-night hours and efforts to increase intercity rail service to places like Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Buffalo have wilted under political pressure.  

Pittsburgh

Providers: Port Authority of Allegheny County, Amtrak
Modes: light rail, inclined plane, intercity rail
Unique routes: 6 (2 Port Authority light rail, 2 Amtrak, 1 Port Authority inclined plane, 1 nonprofit inclined plane) 
Distinctive stations: Penn Station, Station Square
Equipment: Port Authority light-rail vehicles, Duquesne inclined plane vehicles, Monongahela inclined plane vehicles, Amtrak Amfleet trainsets; Amtrak Superliner trainsets

Pittsburgh's passenger rail network story plays out much like Cleveland's, except swap the inclines for the interlined heavy/light-rail infrastructure. Like its neighbor in Ohio, the region's remaining rail transit lines are holdovers from the streetcar era and survived on account of their dedicated rights-of-way. The system was upgraded in the early 1980s and a new subway extension opened to the North Shore in 2012. Sadly, the Brown Line through the Allentown neighborhood was discontinued in 2011 (which would have earned it massive quirkiness points were it still in service), although its rails and power lines still remain for times when the main route through the 1904 Mount Washington Transit Tunnel is closed for maintenance. 

The historic inclines are well-preserved and actually host regular commuters as well as tourists and are as synonymous with the city's identity as San Francisco's cable cars. 

While the former  Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Station still exists as Station Square adjacent to the light-rail stop of the same name and Pennsylvania Station (technically a Union Station) hosts Amtrak's Capitol Limited and Pennsylvanian routes, intercity service is infrequent and usually late. The Port Authority still maintains a short branch tunnel to Penn Station, but it's used only for occasional events. Neither facility could be considered a truly active passenger rail station. 

But, like Cleveland, expansion of the light-rail network has essentially stagnated beyond the North Shore Connector. The same paucity of enthusiasm exists for expanded intercity service, as well.

Minneapolis-St. Paul

Providers: Metro Transit, Amtrak
Modes: light rail, commuter rail, intercity rail
Unique routes: 4 (2 Metro Transit light rail, 1 Metro Transit commuter rail, 1 Amtrak)
Distinctive stations: St. Paul Union Depot, Target Field (see photo)
Equipment: Metro Transit light-rail vehicles; Metro Transit commuter rail trainsets; Amtrak Superliner trainsets

While the Twin Cities' transit network is not yet as substantial or historic as the other regions described above, few areas are moving faster to enhance their passenger rail networks. Metro Transit's Blue Line (previously known as the Hiawatha Line) got the ball rolling in 2004, connecting downtown Minneapolis with Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America. A decade later, the Green Line linked the Twin Cities together with frequent rail transit service for the first time in more than a half-century. Together, they're attracting more than 60,000 daily riders. The two routes' share a common path through downtown Minneapolis and rush hours are a flurry of activity on the line. The Green Line's stretch through the heart of the University of Minnesota is a hive of activity when classes are in session and serves as an excellent model for future rail lines through college campuses, such as the Purple Line through the University of Maryland.

Meanwhile, the launch of Northstar Commuter Rail  introduced a new mode to the region in 2009. Although it's a traditional commuter rail rush hours-only pattern, it offers direct connections to the light-rail network at Target Field station in downtown Minneapolis, which just recently completed upgrades to allow for expansion of both the Blue and Green lines to the north and southwest, respectively as well as additional Northstar routes in the future along with potential intercity service to destinations such as Duluth and Rochester.

The crowning gem in the Twin Cities' rail renaissance has been the revitalization of St. Paul's 1923 Union Depot to its original grandeur, even drawing President Obama for a speech in 2014. The Green Line ends its run at the station's front door and although Amtrak's Empire Builder only offers a single daily roundtrip, a second trip between Saint Paul and Chicago could be added in coming years, along with high-speed or new intercity rail lines.

At the same time, both Minneapolis and Saint Paul are considering additional light-rail, commuter rail and streetcar lines in the decades ahead to build out one of the fastest-growing rail networks in the nation.

Denver

Providers: Regional Transportation District (RTD), Amtrak
Modes: light rail, commuter rail (pending), intercity rail
Unique routes: 7 present, 4 pending (6 RTD light rail, 4 pending RTD commuter rail, 1 Amtrak)
Distinctive stations: Union Station (see photo)
Equipment: RTD light-rail vehicles; Amtrak Superliner trainsets

In discussing the Twin Cities above, I said few regions are expanding their network faster than Minneapolis-Saint Paul. This is one of them. It's light-rail network is both older and more extensive than the Twin Cities, with its first line opening in 1994. And, unlike most of its light-rail peer cities, it features two routes serving downtown. But the most exciting element for rail observers is the forthcoming addition of an EMU commuter rail network that will resemble a modern version of Philadelphia's SEPTA Regional Rail network. It will be the only electrified railroad west of Chicago until Caltrain electrifies its San Francisco - San Jose line in 2020. There's just something about a sprawling EMU network that really scratches me where I itch. I'm looking forward to attending the opening of the A Line to Denver International Airport next year. Meanwhile, the completion of Union Station's restoration and rejuvenation in 2014 readies Denver for the EMU system's arrival with a first-rate rail nexus that's facilitating massive rail-oriented development. My main issue with Denver's passenger rail options is the lack of meaningful intercity routes beyond the California Zephyr between Chicago and Emeryville, CA. Perhaps momentum established by the commuter rail network will lead to new service to Front Range destinations such as Cheyenne, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, as well as longer-range places like Albuquerque, Billings and Amarillo. 

Salt Lake City

Providers: Utah Transit Authority (UTA), Amtrak
Modes: light rail, commuter rail, streetcar, intercity rail
Unique routes: 6 (3 UTA light rail, 1 UTA commuter rail, 1 UTA streetcar, 1 Amtrak)
Distinctive stations: Salt Lake Central (see photo), Union Pacific Depot
Equipment: UTA light-rail vehicles; UTA FrontRunner trainsets; Amtrak Superliner trainsets

Perhaps Salt Lake City doesn't make my list because I haven't (yet) been able to ride of the network the UTA has steadily built-up over the past two decades. Rail system expansion has received broad public and political support in the conservative-leaning state since its original TRAX light-rail line opened in 1999 in advance of the 2012 Winter Olympics. Subsequent TRAX line have expanded the system to almost 45 miles and attracts more than 68,000 daily riders. UTA's 88-mile FrontRunner connects Utah's largest population centers (Salt Lake City, Ogden and Provo) with frequent, bi-directional service, including weekend options. And the S Line – which debuted in late 2013 – receives high quirkiness marks for its hybrid streetcar-light rail nature, although it has received criticism for low trip speeds and infrequent service leading to low ridership levels. Like Denver, its intercity options are limited to the California Zephyr, although FrontRunner fills a substantial gap for trips where passenger rail is most effective. And while the intermodal Salt Lake Central facility lacks the architectural flourish of the 1908 Union Pacific Depot (which is adjacent to the TRAX Blue and Green lines, but no longer is an active passenger rail station), it's activity level seems like a fun place to observe FrontRunner, TRAX and California Zephyr activity.  

Of course, there are others: New Orlean's fabled streetcar network is the stuff of legend (but little else besides that), Charlotte's rail network is quickly expanding, as too are those in Houston and Phoenix, but offer little regional or intercity routes. Nearby Tucson has a neat little streetcar operation, along with Kenosha, Wisc. St. Louis has a decent light-rail system, while modern streetcar routes are popping up in Detroit, Cincinnati and Kansas City, while a trio of historic-style streetcars primarily serve tourists in Tampa, Memphis and Little Rock. Both Calgary and Edmonton have light-rail networks that draw tremendous ridership, but there's no way to get between the two cities by train (yet). Ontario is betting big on rail transit, with Ottawa adding light rail to compliment its existing O-Train, while a similar network is under construction to connect Kitchener and Waterloo (you may hear more about Ontario in the Top 10).  The lack of expansion of Buffalo's Metro Rail is the source of unending frustration for your blogger (read my thoughts on that here). Atlanta and Miami have 70s-era heavy rail networks that have seen little improvement since their openings, although Atlanta recently opened its first streetcar line and is studying commuter rail service to Cobb County. Miami has Tri-Rail to supplement its Metro and Metro Mover and is eagerly awaiting All Aboard Florida's frequent trips to Orlando (here's my post on that). 

Speaking of Orlando, it's SunRail regional rail is off to a promising start, while New Mexico connects Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Belen with a similar service. A one-off commuter rail line links Nashville with its eastern suburbs. Austin operates a limited regional rail service that will increase its frequency next year, but has had little success supporting a broader network or regional service to San Antonio. California's Sonama-Marin Area Rail Transit service is scheduled to launch in 2016 along a 42-mile corridor, advancing the regional rail mode utilized in Austin, Camden-Trenton, N.J., Portland and Oceanside-Escondido, Calif. A new light-rail route between Durham and Chapel Hill, N.C. could spur greater rail activity in North Carolina's research triangle while places like the Tampa Bay region, Columbus, Ohio, Nashville and San Antonio – to name just a few – all have population levels necessary to justify passenger rail options.