Commuter Rail

Commuter Rail also known as Suburban Rail, is a type of railway line that operates from a city's downtown-area to the mid to outer suburbs of the city in question, beyond 10 miles (16 km). The term is derived from commuter-a person who travels to work or their occupation on a daily-basis. The length of a commuter-rail line is generally no less than 10 miles (16 km) but, no greater than 80 miles (129 km). Distances of lines exceeding 80 miles (129 km), but not exceeding 700 miles (1126 km) are generally agreed upon as being inter-city rail lines.

Modern-Day Characteristics
Almost all commuter rail lines handle more passengers on weekdays than weekends however, this is not always the case depending on whatever it may be. On some commuter rail lines some sections of a line m aay have limited or completely lack any service at all on weekdays or during other holidays/events. This practice is also shared with individual stations. On weekdays-only during rush-hour, some commuter rail lines such as Metro-North designate two "peak" travel periods during the day, with one lasting from early to mid-morning and the other lasting from mid to late-evening. Services and fares are usually increased during peak travel periods due to increased demand. Frequently used commuter lines usually have a type of electrification, such as third-rail or overhead centenary, but this is not always true depending on the operator and line. Many commuter rail lines often have "local" and "express" trains. Local trains usually originate at the larger city and terminate at a station on the line, but not always at the very end of the line, and make all station stops between the origin and termination points. Express trains, like local trains, usually originate at the larger city and usually terminate at the very end of the route. However, unlike local trains, express trains may travel between the origin point and another point on the line (usually not the end point) without making any station stops between the origin point and the other given point, before making all local stops between the given point and the end point of the route.

Present Operators
As of 2018 the following companies operate and maintain at least one commuter rail system in the Northeast:

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) - Boston Area Commuter Rail: 12 Lines

Connecticut Department of Transportation (CDOT) - State/Surrounding Area Commuter Rail: 2 Lines

Metro-North Railroad (MNRR) - New York City/Surrounding Area Commuter Rail: 3 Lines (Excluding NJ Transit West of Hudson Lines)

Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) - Long Island Area Commuter Rail: 11 Lines

New Jersey Transit (NJT) - State/Surrounding Area Commuter Rail: 13 Lines

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) - Philadelphia Area Commuter Rail: 13 Lines

Maryland Area Regional Commuter Rail (MARC) - Baltimore/Washington Area Commuter Rail: 3 Lines

Virginia Railway Express (VRE) - Northwestern Virginia/Washington Area Commuter Rail: 2 Lines