How efficient are diesel-electric trains?

The diesel-electric locomotive has a thermal efficiency (percent of useful work derived from a unit of fuel) of 20–25%. Since a gallon of fuel oil contains approximately 130,000 Btu of energy, only 20–25% of this would be available to produce work, that is, pull the train.



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The Evolution Locomotive is the most advanced, fuel-efficient, and environmentally clean diesel locomotive in history. It is a hybrid diesel-electric locomotive that captures braking energy and stores it in batteries and allows railroads to move a ton of freight nearly 500 miles on a single gallon of fuel.

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Diesels can still operate on electrified lines, they simply do not pull power from the overhead wires, instead burning diesel to generate power. There are no clearance problems for diesels to operate on electrified lines.

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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.

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Most countries have a freight decarbonization goal. These typically include shifting from road to rail and also electrifying rail (IEA, 2019; OECD/ITF, 2021). This model shows that the rail freight industry could expect to see a positive net present value and emissions reductions globally through electrification.

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Diesel trains are more versatile as they can work on the almost 60% of lines that aren't electrified and the portion that is. Diesel power can also transport exceptionally heavy loads and so is often used in the freight sector.

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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.

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General Electric Co. is the world's largest builder of diesel-electric locomotives. Its products are used by numerous railroads to haul freight and passengers. Thousands of GE machines are in operation every day throughout the world.

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