Why do trains use electric motors?

In the 1930s, the system was adapted for streamliners, the fastest trains of their day. Diesel–electric powerplants became popular because they greatly simplified the way motive power was transmitted to the wheels and because they were both more efficient and had greatly reduced maintenance requirements.



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Electric locomotives are ideal for commuter rail service with frequent stops. Electric locomotives are used on freight routes with consistently high traffic volumes, or in areas with advanced rail networks. Power plants, even if they burn fossil fuels, are far cleaner than mobile sources such as locomotive engines.

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Electric trains alleviate the need to use land for roads and highways and improve air quality by reducing fossil fuel combustion.

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Electric trains are superior to diesel trains for several reasons. They can accelerate and decelerate much more quickly, which reduces travel times between stations and allows more trains to be on the line at the same time. They are zero-emissions, so they're good for the climate and reduce local pollution.

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The majority of modern electrification systems take AC energy from a power grid that is delivered to a locomotive, and within the locomotive, transformed and rectified to a lower DC voltage in preparation for use by traction motors.

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When the electricity stopped, during the running on railway track, the all trains which is running with electric locomotives has stopped. The train will stopped until the power supply start.

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Now, battery power is coming to trains, in place of the diesel-fueled generators that have powered locomotives for more than a century. Last week, Union Pacific Railroad agreed to buy 20 battery electric freight locomotives from Wabtec and Progress Rail.

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The short answer is that railroad electrification costs much more then dieselization, and in most cases it would not allow significant improvement of operations. Consider the costs involved: You already need to maintain a set of tracks and diesel locomotives.

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Europe's first trains to use batteries as a main source of power have arrived. Hitachi Rail announced last week that 20 tribrid trains—nicknamed “Blues”—are now running on rail lines across Italy. The trains have the ability to switch between battery power, electricity and diesel.

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The Swiss rail network is the largest fully electrified network in the world and one of only eleven to achieve this. China has the 2nd largest electrified railway length with over 70% of the network, after India overtook china having almost 80% of its railway network electrified.

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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.

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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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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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