CityRail - nothing else quite like it

["Bradley Torr" <btorr@bigpond.SPAMTRAP.com>]

CityRail. There's nothing else quite like it in the world.

I believe that CityRail is a unique system in the world (but am quite
willing to be corrected on this issue) - mainly due to its scope of
operations and network-wide integration.

Not only is it a downtown and inner-suburban subway system, but also a
suburban transit system, and also an inter-city limited-stops commuter
system.

And what's more, it's all one single system, with all services sharing
essentially the same tracks (along with freight as well!)

We can go around the world to all the great cities in the western world and
not find anything quite like it - go to Toronto - you have the TTC
city-owned subways, and that's all right, but then the commuter GO Train
system owned by the provincial government is completely different. New York?
Yes, metropolitan NYC is all controlled by the MTA, but even then, there's
three separate systems (two commuter systems, and the subway system).
London? Nothing more than a mish-mash of privately-owned commuter lines, and
London Transport's Underground. Closer to home, there's Melbourne - sort-of
similar, but not since the Kennett break-up into two different TOC's in
addition to V-Line inter-urban commuter services.

If any great city like Sydney has a similar system anywhere in the world
that combines into one single integrated system inner-city, suburban and
interurban travel, I'd be glad to hear of it.

Regards,
Bradley.