Hybrid rail

This article is about a transit mode classification used in the United States. For a locomotive, railcar, or train that uses an onboard rechargeable energy storage system, see Hybrid train.
Clockwise from top left:

Hybrid rail is a transit mode classification used in the United States for passenger rail services that operate on the national rail network but do not comply with Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Tier I crashworthiness standards. These systems operate under FRA waivers or through temporal separation from freight trains, allowing the use of lighter, non-compliant diesel multiple units (DMUs) similar to those used in light rail or commuter rail systems.

Hybrid rail differs from conventional commuter rail in that it offers frequent, all-day service, rather than being limited to peak-period operations. However, service frequencies are generally lower than those of urban light rail systems, which typically operate on dedicated or semi-exclusive rights-of-way. Hybrid rail offers all-day rail service without the high capital costs of electrification or fully dedicated infrastructure.

The first hybrid rail service in the United States was NJ Transit's River Line, which began service in 2004. Since then, similar systems have been introduced in other regions, with several expansions and new projects currently planned or under development.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.