Trivia: worst-connected by rail large cities outside the UK?

[A S Leib]

Outside of the UK, which cities are the worst-connected by rail for their size? Las Vegas, Columbus, Nashville, Louisville, Tulsa and (more permanently) Honolulu are urban areas with over a million people without any long-distance passenger rail transport. Chemnitz has a quarter of a million people and I think the two trains per day to Warnemünde via Berlin are its only intercity services. Tallinn has around half a million people and I think Valga (~150 miles) is the furthest it's possible to get on direct trains from there.

 

[stuu]

Nearly everywhere in Sub-Saharan Africa and away from the North East Corridor in the Americas?

Bursa and Antalya in Turkey are both very large cities with no intercity links, although Bursa should get one soon and there are plans to get to Antalya

 

[dutchflyer]

In the countries-or even continents that are noted/known for their few&far trainservices: in Africa, South America, both having now cities grown outsized big (f.e. also Brasilia as new capital of Brasilia) and of course USA, Mexico.
Germany has several more what they call ´Grossstaedte´= having more as 100.000 inhabitants with just a sparse to near nil IC/E-ervice: f.e. Krefeld, Mönchen Gladbach, but these (I currently sit even in a train passing M-Gl, severely late and by Nat.Express) are still pretty well connected with regional trains to nearby larer IC/E-hubs. Most times when yet another new timetable plan is presented they howl protests at what they still see as their meagre connections.

 

[sh24]

Lagos is 15million+ population, 1.5 lines of mass transit and no intercity connectivity.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Lagos is 15million+ population, 1.5 lines of mass transit and no intercity connectivity.

That was true until recently, but Lagos has an intercity connection to Ibadan now (and eventually Kaduna + Kano).

 

[endecotp]

Mexico City - most populous city in North America, zero intercity rail.

 

[Acfb]

Calgary is an obvious one.

 

[J-2739]

There must be some in China? I know it's got a very extensive railway network as it is, but railway density seems to be rather low in comparison. Are there still any 1 million-sized cities that has no railways at all?

It was interesting to read that Wenzhou - now with a population of over 3 million - wasn't served by a single railway line until 1998.

 

[A S Leib]

Are there still any 1 million-sized cities that has no railways at all?

Only 700,000, but which side of the border is Zhuhai on? If it's on the PRC side, I think Macau just has light rail (which still isn't 'no railways at all').

 

[Halish Railway]

Indianapolis has to one of the more egregious examples given how it has a population of circa 1 million, is located in close proximity (by US standards) to other major population centres (Chicago, St Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati and Columbus), has favourable topography for building railways and is home to Amtrak’s main maintenance facility, yet receives just three trains per week (The Cardinal from New York to Chicago via Washington) and has no trams or commuter railways.

Amtrak at least seem to have ideas of how to fix the situation. They released a plan of long term aspirations a while ago that included daily Cardinal service and four trains a day from Chicago to Louisville and another four from Chicago to Cincinnati, with linespeed increases to 110mph between Chicago and Indianapolis.

Another study of long distance routes recommended the reintroduction of the National Limited from New York to Forth Worth via Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St Louis and Oklahoma City.

If all of that came about it’d go a long way to improve the city’s connectivity. It is a bit odd that St Louis, a city with less people than Indianapolis that is further away from Chicago can have a 110mph line to Chicago with multiple trains per day, yet Indianapolis is stuck with three trundling trains per week.

2022 Corridor ID study routes

Long distance route study. See p.71 onwards

 

[stuu]

Only 700,000, but which side of the border is Zhuhai on? If it's on the PRC side, I think Macau just has light rail (which still isn't 'no railways at all').

Zhuhai station is as close to the Macau border as possible without actually being in Macau

 

[Peter0124]

Does Perth, WA have any long distance services?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Does Perth, WA have any long distance services?

There's still the weekly Indian Pacific (Perth-Sydney).
It's arguable if it is an intercity or tourist service though.

 

[AdamWW]

There's still the weekly Indian Pacific (Perth-Sydney).
It's arguable if it is an intercity or tourist service though.

I don't think it's that arguable. I don't think it has many features of being anything other than a tourist service any more.

 

[sh24]

That was true until recently, but Lagos has an intercity connection to Ibadan now (and eventually Kaduna + Kano).

Oh that's interesting. thanks!

 

[stuu]

Does Perth, WA have any long distance services?

Several daily trains to Kalgoorlie, and also south to Bunbury. Definitely long distances, although intercity is probably stretching it

 

[AlastairFraser]

Oh that's interesting. thanks!

The Nigerian government have partnered with the Chinese to finally build an extensive standard-gauge network. There is still a Cape gauge network from colonial days I believe, but it's in very poor condition.

 

[778]

Nicosia, Valletta, Reykjavík and Heraklion. These cities are in countries that do not have any railways at all.

 

[signed]

Indianapolis has to one of the more egregious examples given how it has a population of circa 1 million, is located in close proximity (by US standards) to other major population centres (Chicago, St Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati and Columbus), has favourable topography for building railways and is home to Amtrak’s main maintenance facility, yet receives just three trains per week (The Cardinal from New York to Chicago via Washington) and has no trams or commuter railways.

Amtrak at least seem to have ideas of how to fix the situation. They released a plan of long term aspirations a while ago that included daily Cardinal service and four trains a day from Chicago to Louisville and another four from Chicago to Cincinnati, with linespeed increases to 110mph between Chicago and Indianapolis.

Another study of long distance routes recommended the reintroduction of the National Limited from New York to Forth Worth via Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St Louis and Oklahoma City.

If all of that came about it’d go a long way to improve the city’s connectivity. It is a bit odd that St Louis, a city with less people than Indianapolis that is further away from Chicago can have a 110mph line to Chicago with multiple trains per day, yet Indianapolis is stuck with three trundling trains per week.

2022 Corridor ID study routes

Long distance route study. See p.71 onwards

Isn't it Houston that only has like 2 or 3 trains a week?

 

[A S Leib]

These cities are in countries that do not have any railways at all.

Heraklion's in Greece, which does have railways. Heraklion, Nicosia and Reykjavik are all ~250,000 and, counting the island of Malta as one urban area, Valletta's ~400,000, so good suggestions.

 

[778]

Heraklion's in Greece, which does have railways. Heraklion, Nicosia and Reykjavik are all ~250,000 and, counting the island of Malta as one urban area, Valletta's ~400,000, so good suggestions.

Kabul could be the biggest city in the world without a railway station with a popuation of around 5 million.

 

[eldomtom2]

It is a bit odd that St Louis, a city with less people than Indianapolis that is further away from Chicago can have a 110mph line to Chicago with multiple trains per day, yet Indianapolis is stuck with three trundling trains per week.

Illinois is willing to subsidise service - Indiana isn't.

 

[miklcct]

Only 700,000, but which side of the border is Zhuhai on? If it's on the PRC side, I think Macau just has light rail (which still isn't 'no railways at all').

Zhuhai now has a very good higher-speed regional rail (200 km/h) which terminates right at the border, and Macau has a light metro system.

 

[renegademaster]

<city in America> or <City in Africa> is easy mode. What would be more interesting would be what city in Europe is worst connected. Sarejevo has a rail station but their network is pretty miserable with the main international line being 45mph speed limit. Tirana, Albania has no railway service currently , the only capital i can find with no service at all and the largest city

 

[A S Leib]

<city in America> or <City in Africa> is easy mode. What would be more interesting would be what city in Europe is worst connected. Sarejevo has a rail station but their network is pretty miserable with the main international line being 45mph speed limit. Tirana, Albania has no railway service currently , the only capital i can find with no service at all and the largest city

Or cases like Chemnitz or Derry~Londonderry, which are at least reasonably sized cities in countries with generally good coverage but a relatively limited or no intercity service themselves.

 

[stuu]

<city in America> or <City in Africa> is easy mode. What would be more interesting would be what city in Europe is worst connected. Sarejevo has a rail station but their network is pretty miserable with the main international line being 45mph speed limit. Tirana, Albania has no railway service currently , the only capital i can find with no service at all and the largest city

Marbella, ~160,000 people, no railway, and has never had one

 

[Taunton]

Isn't it Houston that only has like 2 or 3 trains a week?

Yes, Houston is probably the largest US city with only trivial service.

For nothing at all in the US I would guess the largest metro areas are Phoenix (5 million), Nashville and Las Vegas. They all have huge airports.

 

[eldomtom2]

Yes, Houston is probably the largest US city with only trivial service.

For nothing at all in the US I would guess the largest metro areas are Phoenix (5 million), Nashville and Las Vegas. They all have huge airports.

Wikipedia has a handy list of US cities without intercity rail service, divided into those with a station within 30 miles (Phoenix is one of these) and those without, with information on what the last passenger rail service was:

List of major cities in the United States lacking inter-city rail service - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

From that article, here are the US cities above 1 million population without intercity rail:

• Phoenix, Arizona (but is 26 miles from Maricopa station)
• Las Vegas, Nevada (has monorail along Strip, high-speed line to LA in pre-construction)
• Columbus, Ohio (largest US city with no passenger rail transport of any kind)
• Nashville, Tennessee (has 32-mile commuter line that operates during rush hours, but does not connect to any other rail services)
• Louisville, Kentucky
• Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Honolulu, Hawaii (obviously never had intercity rail to begin with, metro system partly opened)

 

[A S Leib]

Davao City in the Philippines is a metro area of close to two million people with, as far as I can tell, no current passenger rail services. I'm not sure what the largest in Indonesia with no passenger trains is.

 

[MatthewHutton]

Manila definitely is on the list. No intercity trains in the Philippines.