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How would you call an express/semi-fast train not just operating on mainlines in English?

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Roni

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Hi,

In German there is the expression "Heckeneilzug" or "Heckenschnellzug" literally meaning "semi-fast/express train through the hedge" (= province, backwater,...).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eilzug

Is there an English expression for a similar thing, I didn't find any as snappy until now.
 
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Bletchleyite

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We don't really have "Zuggattungen" (train categories) in the way Germany does, I think the term "express" or "semifast" would be used (as you say) if we had to find something.
 

eastwestdivide

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I'd agree with Bletchleyite.
Love the German term though, even it it's not an official category. Perhaps we should invent something suitable for English.
 

Calthrop

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Another delightful German word in this connection -- "Bummelzug": train that saunters along in a leisurely fashion -- slow local and, especially, country-branch-line train.
 

pemma

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I think the term "express" or "semifast" would be used (as you say) if we had to find something.

Express and semi-fast are strange ones.

The station announcers at Stockport can refer to Manchester bound trains which have called at every station up until Stockport as express services because they miss out Heaton Chapel and Levenshulme, so for anyone boarding at Stockport they are express to Manchester.

Then you have services like the CLC line between Liverpool and Manchester. If this is a stopper: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y26186/2018/09/17/advanced (calling at 10 stations between Oxford Rd and Warrington Ctl) and this is a semi-fast: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y23249/2018/09/17/advanced (calling at 1 station between Oxford Rd and Warrington Ctl) then what is this: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y26216/2018/09/17/advanced (calling at 4 stations between Oxford Rd and Warrington Ctl)?
 

whhistle

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There really isn't much to think about here.

It's local, semi-fast, or express.
 

Roni

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Hi,

There really isn't much to think about here.

It's local, semi-fast, or express.

It is about a special kind of express or semi-fast which uses secondary lines (which hardly exist anymore in Britain, I know) for at least part of the journey. It even could be an international express on a line which otherwise just features local trains.
 

Bletchleyite

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It is about a special kind of express or semi-fast which uses secondary lines (which hardly exist anymore in Britain, I know) for at least part of the journey. It even could be an international express on a line which otherwise just features local trains.

I think I know the kind of thing you mean - trains that run a couple of times a day over secondary lines that would otherwise have had no IC type service. I'm not convinced we really have any of those any more - our network is by and large fairly clearly split into InterCity type routes and regional express type routes and is mainly based around all-day clockface timetables with peak extras (as indeed is Deutsche Bahn these days).

Back in the 1990s the Manchester to Scotland IC service was only a couple of trains a day using "proper" LHCS - that probably had the kind of feel you're talking about between Manchester and Preston.

Maybe at a push the GWR HST/800/180 services north of Oxford?
 

pemma

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The German lettering on timetables can be confusing though. I've seen timetables showing RE, RB, RJ and ICE services between two cities and you can have tickets valid on regional but not Intercity services, so ICE excluded. The problem is RJ stands for RailJet (Intercity) but when RE and RB mean regional it's easy to think RJ is another type of regional train.
 

Giugiaro

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If we check in Portugal, there would be these options:

Commuter = Overground
Regional = Stoppers
InterRegional = Express
InterCity = Express Mainline
Alfa = Premium Express Mainline (Highspeed?)
 

Jonny

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Then again, there is an inner suburban/outer suburban concept that sees some trains missing stops near one end of the route but calling at all stops at the other end of the route. Mostly with the stop-missing end in London or another major conurbation.
 

Bletchleyite

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Then again, there is an inner suburban/outer suburban concept that sees some trains missing stops near one end of the route but calling at all stops at the other end of the route. Mostly with the stop-missing end in London or another major conurbation.

In Germany where there is an S-Bahn you would get this - the REs would only stop at the outer end of the S-Bahn then possibly all/most stations after that.
 

Groningen

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The difference between RB and RE is that RB is stopping everywhere and the RE only at selected major cities in Germany. Why not use the word "Sprinter" for stopping services in the Netherlands. In the past there were (and sometimes still) Spinters between Koeln - Hamburg and Berlin - Frankfurt am Main.
 
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