Comments on: Thoughts on Electification

By: Amir

Amir — Tue, 12 Oct 2004 10:39:52 +0000

I’m sorry but I do not understand the big ‘in’ thing with electrification. Diesels can easily go 100mph and are probably just as effcient. In Britain the electified the WCML and ECML. All the HST are diesels n e way. Because they use AC poer over top it blows down in the wind and you get all sorts of problems with it. Electric is only good for short distance tram systems or commuter services. Anything longer than 50 miles should be diesel. Also diesels can go anywhere. Electric trains cannot.

By: Mike Weyhrich

Mike Weyhrich — Tue, 07 Sep 2004 20:48:22 +0000

One main reason is cost. Electrifying is enormously expensive. The U.S. government has not been in any position to offer funding to freight railroads for electrifying. The private capital market has not been receptive at all to this because of their rather short sighted focus on quarterly returns, even on a obviously long term investment.If I recall correctly, the Santa Fe looked into electrifying their Chicago-LA main in the 1970′s and found out that the cost was greater than the book value of the entire railroad.