Why aren't electric trains more widely used? Most rail in the US is freight, and it needs multiple power units to move it - it would't be within the capability of overhead or rail-side power lines used by light rail and AMTRAK.
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Battery-Electric Freight Trains Could Happen Sooner Than You Think. New battery-electric freight trains are beginning to hit the rails, and they could soon be joined by electrified diesel locomotives, too.
Although commonly called diesels, the locomotives actually are electrically driven. The diesel engine drives an alternator, which produces electricity to run electric motors mounted on the locomotive's axles.
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.
Today's rail networks largely consist of electric trains 'tethered' to electric overhead and live rail systems. However, this is not feasible everywhere due to the high infrastructure cost/mile, remote geographic locations, and the practicality of building through tunnels and bridges.
Practically all road locomotives have a toilet. Older yard switchers do not. The toilet is in the nose and consists of .... a toilet. There are no other facilities such as running water and the like.
The number of route miles electrified in these years was answered to a written question in parliament. In November 2019 the annual statistics for route miles electrified was published by the DfT and shows that 38% of the UK network is now electrified.
The giant two-stroke, turbocharged engine and electrical generator provide the huge amount of power needed to pull heavy loads at high speeds. Cummins' locomotive engine weighs over 24,000 pounds (10,886 kilograms). The generator and electric motors add more mass on top of that.
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.
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.
Electric locomotives are typically 20% less expensive than diesel locomotives. Maintenance costs can be 25 to 35 percent lower and operating costs can be up to 50%.
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.
A train engine requires about a hundred litres of fuel to get it started. So it wouldn't be economical if the engine is stopped and started frequently. This apart, if the engine is stopped, the moving parts' lubrication will also come to a halt.
Thanks in part to these technologies, U.S. freight railroads can, on average, move one ton of freight nearly 500 miles per gallon of fuel, making rail the most fuel-efficient way to move freight over land.