It all comes down to efficiency; electric motors are far more efficient than internal combustion engines when it comes to creating mechanical energy, and this is particularly relevant with trains.
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Some locomotives collect electricity from overhead cables, while others take power from a third “live” rail on the track. It is very expensive to build the lines or rails that carry the electric current, but electric locomotives are cleaner, quieter, faster, and more reliable than steam or diesel engines.
Every battery locomotive that replaces a diesel will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3,000 tons per year, Wabtec estimates. But it is unlikely they can quickly replace diesel-powered trains.
Disadvantages of electric traction include: high capital costs that may be uneconomic on lightly trafficked routes, a relative lack of flexibility (since electric trains need third rails or overhead wires), and a vulnerability to power interruptions.
The Association of American Railroads claims 220000 km. Capital costs for electrifying something that large would be just a bit high, and with continuing subsidies for oil the cost savings simply aren't there. Additionally, the vast majority of the US rail network is privately owned and operated by dozens of railroads.
Electric trains are better for the environment than diesel trains, and they're quieter for both those on board the train and those living close to the railway.
The life expectancy of diesel-electric and electric locomotives is expected to be similar—about 25 years. Both types of motive power are subject to technological obsolescence.
Hydrogen trains. The advantages of hydrogen trains include zero CO2 emissions, virtually no noise, and higher efficiency than diesel. Hydrogen, however, is produced using non-renewable energy sources, so the carbon neutrality of such solutions is questionable.
The decision not to procure new diesel trains had already been made in 2020. As soon as trains have reached the end of their economic life, they are now to be replaced with battery trains. Trains that are theoretically still operational are to be used on non-electrified lines during the transition.
“When you take into account the production of railroad equipment and tracks, all of that is very carbon intensive as well,” says Hamilton. “Take the entire picture and trains are actually more polluting than the road buses, even though buses all run with dirty diesel fuel.”