List of rail transport systems using third rail
{{short description|none}}
Third rail railways predominantly operates in urban areas. Notable exceptions are (or were) mainline electrics of the former Southern Region of British Railways and a few interurban railways in the US. In Europe top contact third rail tends to be limited to early electrified urban railways (the current conductor is normally left naked on top), contrary to North America where it usually has a protecting cover. Considered safe, the covered top contact conductor also appeared at most North American systems built relatively recently. Modern European systems predominantly make use of bottom or side contact power rails.
There are numerous urban rail systems, including these running mostly in tunnels, which do not use third rail at all. Such systems can be found in Asia, which may have been influenced by the overhead power supply formula followed by Tokyo Metro after 1960. All South Korean systems use overhead wires (or rigid conductors), as do most modern mainland Chinese metros. In Europe all significant Spanish systems now have overhead power supply. Modern Latin America urban rail also uses overhead wires, though with some important exceptions.
Special group of bottom power supplied railways are rubber-tyred systems. In fact, it may be difficult to classify them beyond any doubt. They may be trains but are they still railways? And do they still have 'third' rails? Despite doubts, such guided systems have been included in the list below.
The list does not include conduit system trams (trolleys), once quite popular in some countries, but none survive.
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%; text-align: left; " |
| ! Notes: |
|---|
| t/c
| top contact; others have bottom or side contact power rails (or rail type not known) |
| gr/c
| combined with guiding rail on rubber-tyred systems (including light metros such as VAL) |
| b/c
| b/c – bottom contact |
Europe
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%" | |
| style="width:15%" | Country
! style="width:15%" | Location ! style="width:30%" | Name of System ! style="width:25%" | Notes ! style="width:15%" | Link | |
|---|---|
| Armenia
| Yerevan | | | |
| Austria
| Vienna | (b/c) Except line U6 | | |
| Azerbaijan
| Baku | | | |
| Belarus
| Minsk | | | |
| Belgium
| Brussels | Brussels Métro/Metro (STIB-MIVB) | | [http://www.mivb.irisnet.be/ STIB-MIVB] | |
| Bulgaria
| Sofia | | | |
| Czech Republic
| Prague | (b/c) | | |
| Denmark
| | [https://web.archive.org/web/20070606223207/http://www.m.dk/en/welcome Metro] | |
| Finland
| Helsinki | | | |
| rowspan=11 | France
| rowspan=2 | Paris | (all lines on rails: t/c) (all lines on tyres: gr/c) | | |
| Orlyval
| (gr/c) | | |
|
| (gr/c) | 1925–1976 | |
| Lyon
| Line C is a rack railway and thus uses overhead wires | | |
| Marseille
| (gr/c) | | |
| Rennes
| (gr/c) | | |
| Toulouse
| (gr/c) | | |
| Lille
| (gr/c) | | |
| Bordeaux
| (partly) | | |
| Villefranche-de-Conflent
| (t/c) | | |
| Haute-Savoie
| Ligne de Saint Gervais - Vallorcine | (t/c, covered occasionally) | | |
| Georgia
| Tbilisi | | | |
| rowspan=7 | Germany
| rowspan=2 | Berlin | | | |
| Berlin U-Bahn | (small profile lines: t/c)
| |
| rowspan=2 | Hamburg
| (side contact) | | |
| Hamburg U-Bahn
| | | |
| Munich
| | | |
| Nuremberg
| | | |
| Frankfurt
| Frankfurt/Main Airport :de:SkyLine PM | (gr/c) | | |
| Greece
| Athens | | | |
| Hungary
| Budapest | (t/c) except 'Földalatti' (now Line M1) | | |
| rowspan=7 | Italy
| Brescia | AnsaldoBreda Driverless Metro | | |
| rowspan=3 | Milan
| 4 rails | | |
| Milan metro line 5
| AnsaldoBreda Driverless Metro | | |
| Ferrovie Varesine
| Former System (1901–1951), t/c) | | |
| rowspan = 2 | Turin
| (gr/c) | | |
| Superga Rack Railway
| | | |
| Naples
| Former system (1925–1935), t/c | | |
| rowspan=2 | Netherlands
| (b/c) Except Sneltram alignments | | |
| Rotterdam
| (b/c) Except Sneltram alignments | | |
| Norway
| Oslo | | [https://web.archive.org/web/20070517094811/http://www.tbane.no/ T-bane] | |
| Poland
| Warsaw | (b/c) | | |
| Portugal
| Lisbon | (t/c) | | |
| Romania
| (b/c), except sidings where overhead wire is used | | |
| rowspan=8 | Russia
| Moscow | | | |
| Saint Petersburg
| | | |
| Novosibirsk
| | | |
|
| | | |
|
| | | |
|
| | | |
|
| | | |
|
| | | |
| rowspan=2 | Spain
| Madrid | Madrid Barajas International Airport PM | (gr/c) | | |
| Barcelona
| Former System (until 2002): Line 1 (t/c, covered) and lines 3 and 4 (b/c) | | |
| Sweden
| (t/c, covered) | | |
| Switzerland
| | Chemin de Fer de Martigny au Châtelard | partly 3rd rail | | |
| rowspan=3 | Turkey
| İzmir | | | |
| Ankara
| | | |
| Istanbul
| | | |
| rowspan=3 | Ukraine
| Kyiv | | | |
| Kharkiv
| | | |
| Dnipro
| | | |
| rowspan=10 | United Kingdom
| Brighton | (t/c) | | |
| Glasgow
| (t/c) | | |
| Hythe
| | | |
| rowspan=4 | London
| (b/c) | | |
| London Underground
| (four-rail, t/c) | | |
| LNWR suburban electrification
| (four-rail, t/c at inception, but now three-rail, t-c between Harrow & Wealdstone and Watford Junction, three-rail, t-c between Acton Central and Gunnersbury, third-rail, t-c between Shoreditch and Highbury & Islington, and overhead electrified between Dalston and Acton Central. Adjacent sections of overhead and third rail, t-c between Dalston and Highbury & Islington. Still four-rail, t-c on sections shared with London Underground (Gunnersbury-Richmond, Queens Park-Harrow & Wealdstone). Shoreditch to Broad Street section now closed) | | |
| Northern City Line
| (t/c) | | |
| Liverpool
| (t/c) | | |
| Southern England
| (t/c), (large area covering most of the current South Western, Island Line, Southern and Southeastern TOCs ) | | |
| Stansted Airport
| Airport people mover | Transfer between terminals | |
United Kingdom
Former:
- Giant's Causeway Tramway (elevated third rail; later replaced by overhead wire)
- Bessbrook and Newry Tramway (t/c)
- Liverpool Overhead Railway (t/c)
- Manchester Victoria - Bury (by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) (side contact)
- Tyneside Electrics (t/c)
Former:
- Chemin de fer Fribourg–Morat–Anet (1903–1947)
Asia
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%" | |||
| style="width:15%" | Country
! style="width:15%" | Location ! style="width:35%" | Name of System ! style="width:35%" | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan=4| China | Beijing Subway | ||
| Tianjin Metro | t/c, covered | ||
| Wuhan Metro | |||
| Guangzhou Metro Line 4&5 | |||
| rowspan=6| India | Kolkata Metro | t/c | |
| Kanpur Metro | b/c | ||
| Namma Metro | b/c | ||
| Kochi Metro | b/c | ||
| Rapid Metro Gurgaon | b/c | ||
| Ahmedabad Metro | b/c | ||
| rowspan=2 |Indonesia | Palembang | Palembang LRT | |
| Jakarta | Jakarta LRT | ||
| rowspan=1 |Iran | Tehran Metro | ||
| rowspan=16 | Japan
| Hiroshima | (gr/c) | |||
| rowspan=2 | Kobe
| (gr/c) | |||
| Rokkoliner
| (gr/c) | |||
| Nagoya
| Higashiyama, Meijō and Meikō lines | |||
| rowspan=4| Osaka
|Midōsuji, Tanimachi, Yotsubashi, Chūō and Sennichimae lines | |||
| Kita-Osaka Kyūkō Railway
|reciprocal service with Midōsuji Line | |||
| Keihanna Line
|reciprocal service with Chūō Line | |||
| New Tram
| (gr/c) | |||
| Sapporo
| Namboku Line | |||
| rowspan=5 | Tokyo
| (gr/c) | |||
| Tokyo Metro
| Ginza and Marunouchi Lines (t/c, covered) | |||
| Yurikamome Line
| (gr/c) | |||
| Seibu Yamaguchi Line
| (gr/c) | |||
| Saitama New Shuttle
| (gr/c) | |||
| rowspan=2 | Yokohama
| Blue Line | |||
| Kanazawa Seaside Line
| (gr/c) | |||
| rowspan=2 | Malaysia
| rowspan=2 | Kuala Lumpur | | |||
| Kelana Jaya Line
| | |||
| North Korea
| | |||
| Philippines
| MRT-7 | Under construction;; | |||
| rowspan=2 | Singapore
| rowspan=2 | Singapore | Three separate systems | |||
| Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)
| Except North East Line | |||
| rowspan=4 | South Korea
|Busan-Gimhae Light Rail Transit | (b/c) | |||
| Seoul | (b/c) | ||
| Uijeongbu | (gr/c) | ||
| Yongin
| (t/c) | |||
| rowspan=2 | Taiwan
| Taipei | (VAL Line: gr/c) | |||
| Kaohsiung
| | |||
| rowspan=2 | Thailand
| rowspan=2 | Bangkok | MRT | | |||
| BTS skytrain
| | |||
| United Arab Emirates
| Dubai | | |||
| Uzbekistan
| Tashkent | |
Japan
- Sapporo Chikatetsu - Namboku Line: rubber-tyred with central guiding/return rail and a flat power rail (t/c) which is also one of the rollways for the rubber tyres; Tōzai and Tōhō Lines: rubber-tyred with o/h power supply, a flat return rail which is also one of the rollways for the rubber tyres and a central guiding rail
- Nagoya Chikatetsu - Higashiyama, Meijō, Meikō Lines (t/c, covered)
- Osaka Chikatetsu - except Sakaisuji, Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi and Imazatosuji Lines (t/c, covered)
- Kinki Nippon Tetsudō - Keihanna Line (t/c, covered)
- Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway (t/c, covered)
Former:
- Shin'etsu Line at Usui Pass (Yokokawa-Karuizawa) - mainline system
- Komaki Peachliner (rubber-tyred, but power supply separate from guiding rail; closed in 2006)
Africa
North America
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%" |
| style="width:15%" | Country
! style="width:15%" | Location ! style="width:35%" | Name of System ! style="width:35%" | Notes |
|---|
| rowspan=3 | Canada
| Montreal | (gr/c) |
| Toronto
| (t/c, covered) |
| Vancouver
| (t/c, covered) |
| Mexico
| Mexico City | All lines (gr/c), except Line A (overhead) |
| rowspan=27 | United States
| Chicago | Chicago 'L' and Subway, (t/c) |
| rowspan=7 | New York City
| |
| Amtrak
| Penn Station complex, north and east river tunnels on Northeast Corridor, Empire tunnel and Sunnyside Yard for diesel/electric engines and LIRR service to Penn Station (t/c, covered) |
| Long Island Rail Road
| NYC commuter system (t/c, covered); (Portions run on diesel & diesel/electric hybrid) |
| Metro-North Railroad
| NYC commuter system (b/c); (Portions run on diesel & diesel/electric hybrid); (New Haven Line trains switch between third rail and overhead catenary power between Mount Vernon East and Pelham, at speed) |
| New York City Subway
| (t/c, covered) |
| PATH
| (t/c, covered) |
| Staten Island Railway
| (t/c, covered) |
| rowspan=2 | San Francisco
| BART | (t/c, covered) |
| AirTrain SFO
| (gr/c) |
| Washington DC
| (t/c, covered) |
| Boston
| Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) | Red, Orange and Blue (partly) Lines (t/c) |
| rowspan=2 | Philadelphia
| Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) | Market-Frankford Line: (b/c, covered), Broad St Line, Route 100 to Norristown: (t/c, covered) |
| PATCO
| (t/c, covered) |
| rowspan=2 | Atlanta
| MARTA | (t/c, covered) |
| Atlanta International Airport PM
| (gr/c) |
| Los Angeles
| Red Line (t/c, covered) |
| rowspan=2 |Miami
| (t/c, covered) |
| Miami Metromover
| (gr/c) |
| Baltimore
| (t/c, covered) |
| Detroit
| |
| Chicago
| O'Hare International Airport | Transit System (gr/c) |
| Tampa
| Tampa International Airport PM | (gr/c) |
| Denver
| Denver International Airport PM | (gr/c) |
| Seattle
| Satellite Transit System PM in Airport | (gr/c) |
| Dallas
| Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport PM | (gr/c) |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico
| Semi-suspended inverted collector rail[http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/sanjuan/ San Juan Tren Urbano Light Rail System, Puerto Rico] (b/c?) |
United States
Former:
- World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago, 1893) railway (t/c)
- Pennsylvania Railroad, suburban network New York - New Jersey (t/c, covered)
- Albany & Hudson Railroad (t/c)
- Baltimore Belt Line, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
- Scioto Valley Traction Co. (Ohio) (t/c?)
- Oneida Railway (NY Central RR) (b/c)
- Detroit River Tunnel (Detroit - Windsor), Michigan Central Railroad
- Michigan Rly.: Grand Rapids - Kalamazoo and branch lines
- Central California Traction Co., Sacramento – Stockton (b/c)
- Sacramento Northern Railway (t/c)
- Laurel Line (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA)
- Aurora Elgin & Chicago Railroad (t/c)
- Key System - on San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge (t/c, covered)
- Jacksonville VAL (gr/c)
- Nantasket Beach Branch; Greenbush Line Braintree-Cohasset, suburban New Haven Railroad, (t/c, center of track)
South America
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%" | |||
| style="width:15%" | Country
! style="width:15%" | Location ! style="width:35%" | Name of System ! style="width:35%" | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan=2| Argentina | Trenes de Buenos Aires | Mitre and Sarmiento railways | |
| Buenos Aires | Metrovías | Urquiza railway, Buenos Aires subway line B (t/c, covered) | |
| rowspan=3| Brazil | São Paulo Metro | (b/c), except Line 5 (overhead) and 15 (monorail) | |
| Rio de Janeiro Metro | (t/c, partly covered) | ||
| Federal District Metro | (b/c) | ||
| Chile | Santiago Metro | Line 1, Line 2 and Line 5 (gr/c), Line 4 and Line 4A (t/c) | |
| Venezuela
| Caracas | |
References
{{reflist}}