What fuel do electric trains use?

The power can also come from low-carbon or renewable sources, including geothermal power, hydroelectric power, biomass, solar power, nuclear power and wind turbines. Electric locomotives usually cost 20% less than diesel locomotives, their maintenance costs are 25-35% lower, and cost up to 50% less to run.



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Electric trains need not carry the weight of prime movers, transmission and fuel. This is partly offset by the weight of electrical equipment. Regenerative braking returns power to the electrification system so that it may be used elsewhere, by other trains on the same system or returned to the general power grid.

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High speed trains run on electricity instead of diesel fuel. Because much of the world's electricity is still generated at fossil fuel burning power plants, high speed trains do contribute to carbon emissions, however the climate impact of one train is significantly less than that of many personal vehicles.

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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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For a fuel cost of $0.84 per liter of diesel ($3.17 per gallon) (AAR (2012b)), this results in an average running fuel cost of $185 per locomotive-hour. If actual train and operation data are available, energy models or rail simulators may provide more accurate fuel use values for specific conditions.

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Electric trains have always had no direct carbon emissions because they are run entirely by internal electric motors. However, the means of generating the electricity used to power these motors was predominately by burning fossil fuels or coal, both of which produce a large amount of carbon emissions.

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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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No, trains have no gears, since these are unfeasible. That's why their fuel (if any) is converted to electric energy and then used to run motors.

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Most overhead railway cables carry a voltage of 25,000 volts (25kV) in order to power electric trains. This is roughly 100 times more powerful than the electricity used in your home.

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The reasons for this are varied: from the privatisation of the rail industry to the rising cost of infrastructure. The UK does not have fixed rates like other European countries such as France, which can result in flight tickets being cheaper than a regional train journey in the UK.

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In this new age of needing to find alternative modes of transport to encourage people away from buying cars, then the cost of a train ticket needs to be addressed. In January 2019, a report into the cost of train travel identified that people in the UK pay 54 pence per mile on train journeys.

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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.

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Train campaign. The third rail is probably one of the most difficult dangers to see. It looks just like an ordinary rail, but it carries 750 volts – easily enough to kill you. The DC current that flows through is three times as powerful as your home electricity.

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Across the rest of the UK, trains have a maximum operational speed of 125mph, although many are capable of speeds of up to 140mph.

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