US & Canada commuter rail operations - Info needed

Can anyone add any existing or projected locomotive-operated long-distance passenger or commuter rail operations to this list? I am interested in any railroads that operate scheduled passenger trains on a regular basis (ie Daily, Monday to Friday, specific days of the week) all year round: -

Currently operating long-distance passenger or commuter operations: -

USA
Alaska Railroad
Amtrak
Altamont Commuter Express
Caltrain
Grand Canyon Railway
Long Island Rail Road
MARC
MBTA
Music City Star *Commences September 18th
Metra
Metrolink
Metro North
Napa Valley Wine Train
NCDOT Rail Division *Amtrak trains
NCTD Coaster
New Jersey Transit
New Mexico Rail Runner Express
SEPTA
Shore Line East
Sound Transit
Trinity Rail Express
Tri-Rail
Virginia Rail Express
White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad

Canada
Algoma Central Railway
AMT
GO Transit
Ontario Northland
VIA Rail
West Coast Express

Projected operations: -

USA
New Haven to Springfield Commuter Rail
UTA - Salt Lake City

I am interested in any railroads that operate scheduled passenger trains on a regular basis

You can take Alaska RR off the list, since all of their passenger operations are seasonal tourist runs. Same goes for Grand Canyon Railway, White Pass & Yukon, and Napa Valley Wine Train. (You weren't thinking of putting East Broad Top on there as well, were you?)

Shore Line East is operated by Amtrak.

Are you limiting yourself to locomotive-hauled trains? Commuter trains often are in multiple-unit format. The South Shore Line has to be part of the list (Chicago Randolph Street-South Bend IN). PATH is a FRA railroad.

Up in Canada, Hudson Bay Railway operates no passenger services of its own—although they run the trains, the scheduled operation to Churchill, Manitoba is a VIA Rail service. Algoma Central is a tourist operation.

Yes, locomotive hauled (or pushed) trains only, no DMU's or EMU's. I am interested in any tourist trains that operate on a regular basis, but not operations such as museums that have running days on a few weekends each year.

The SAM Shortline in Cordele, GA operates fairly regularly, at least once a week, between Cordele and Americus, sometimes going onto Plains and/or Archery. Here's a link to their schedule to see if it fits within your definition:

http://samshortline.com/net/content/pag ... 6.0.3.1144

It operates using Heart of Georgia locomotives and primarily old MARC conversions of Budd sleepers. It also has an observation car that was formerly the "Bay Biscayne" of Florida East Coast.

Irish Chieftan wrote:You can take Alaska RR off the list, since all of their passenger operations are seasonal tourist runs.

They still run the Anchorage-Fairbanks train once a week and the Hurricane turn once a month during the winter. The Hurricane turn looks like it isn't really a tourist run anyway, regardless of season.

Add TriMet's Washington County Commuter Rail to the projected operations list.
Does the Denver Ski Train count?

Sorry but TriMet's Washington County Commuter Rail isn't going to be loco-hauled so I have no interest in that system. Denver Ski Train jst about qualifies. Thanks for the tip!

For the record: This is the commuter and transit general discussion forum. The tourist/scenic train forum is here. (Tourist trains do not serve commuters.) EMUs and DMUs are germane for this forum; it's not about all forms of passenger haulage, not long distance either, which do not serve commuters per se (VIA and Amtrak also have their own forums). I'm still debating whether to let this topic stand.

Well, since no-one has come up with any other commuter operations then I think it is job done.

Don't forget to add the Denver area to your coming attractions. Our RTD is quickly moving ahead with its FasTracks plan. This will use DMUs for commuter rail on Denver-Boulder-Longmont, Denver-Thornton-Lafayette, and Denver- DIA Airport routes. The LRT system will open the new SE line out here to Lone Tree on 11/17/06. Two new LRT lines west to near Golden are in the works as well as one down the median of I-225 in Aurora.

I didn't see the Syracuse On Track in your list (not sure if it's still operating).

The NCTD folks will open their DMU Sprinter from Oceanside to Escondido late next year. It will connect with the Coaster / Metrolink / ATK in Oceanside.

I didn't see the Syracuse On Track in your list

The original poster has an aversion to multiple-unit self-propelled railcars, preferring locomotive-hauled trains.

I don't know the current status, but Modesto (California) has plans for ACE-like service.

BART has plans for conventional-rail commuter trains between Pittsburg and Brentwood. DMU's are an option, this service is still a bit fuzzy.

North Carolina (and a few neighboring states) have an Intermediate Speed rail proposal.