Regional rail

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Clockwise from top left:

• A Northern Trains Class 156 at Dewsbury station, England
• A V/Line VLocity at Albury station, Australia
• An SNCF TER Normandie Class B 82500 at Dieppe station, France
• A Deutsche Bahn DBpzfa double-decker carriage at Falkenberg (Elster) station, Germany
• An Indian Railways WAG-5P arrives at Odela station, India
• An Ichibata Electric Railway 5000 series passing Lake Shinji, Japan

Regional rail is a term used for passenger rail services that operate between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops than inter-city rail, and unlike commuter rail,^{[citation needed]} operate beyond the limits of urban areas, connecting smaller cities and towns.

In North America (e.g. the United States), "regional rail" is often used as a synonym for "commuter rail", often using "commuter rail" to refer to systems that primarily or only offer service during rush hour while using "regional rail" to refer to systems that offer all-day service.^[1][2] In Europe, regional trains have their own category, often abbreviated to R (RB in Germany) or L (for local train).