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Re: New Green Deal - Electrifying American Railroads
Author: it's only money
Date: 03-05-2019 - 22:29
We had heavy (for its time) freight behind electrics on several railroads until the 1950s-60s. By then, diesels had improved to where they could reliably haul as much, and were much less trouble than old electrics using isolated islands of wire. So they died, even on the NE Corridor (where remaining freight runs behind diesel, but there's not a lot of it).
Remember, European RRs are mostly government-owned even if operated by private organizations under contract (or through open access). They are run primarily for the benefit of passengers, and freight has to fit in. Just about the opposite of US RRs, which are private in most cases (a few commuters, and the Amtrak NE Corridor being the primary exceptions) and which are run for the benefit of freight, passengers have to fit in. Unless or until that changes, electrification on any scale remains unlikely, and as Bob has rightly pointed out there are far more cost-effective ways for the time being to make emission reductions.
Flatly stated, no private freight railroad is going to spend money on wiring its lines in the near future. The cost-effectiveness is simply missing, and buying a lot of new equipment to use those wires isn't going to happen for the same reason. Tier 4 diesels are good enough for now - if there's an incentive program needed, it's to get the remaining Tier none, 0, and 1 locomotives into the scrapyard (sorry, Alco, 567, and 645 lovers) to be replaced with Tier 3 and 4.
Perhaps if GE (now WABCO) could make a little progress on its electrodiesel and offer it for a reasonable price (instead of double or more the cost of an equivalent straight diesel), railroads might be more willing to talk about electrifying (with government money, of course) main lines in some terminal areas (like the LA Basin).
Remember, European RRs are mostly government-owned even if operated by private organizations under contract (or through open access). They are run primarily for the benefit of passengers, and freight has to fit in. Just about the opposite of US RRs, which are private in most cases (a few commuters, and the Amtrak NE Corridor being the primary exceptions) and which are run for the benefit of freight, passengers have to fit in. Unless or until that changes, electrification on any scale remains unlikely, and as Bob has rightly pointed out there are far more cost-effective ways for the time being to make emission reductions.
Flatly stated, no private freight railroad is going to spend money on wiring its lines in the near future. The cost-effectiveness is simply missing, and buying a lot of new equipment to use those wires isn't going to happen for the same reason. Tier 4 diesels are good enough for now - if there's an incentive program needed, it's to get the remaining Tier none, 0, and 1 locomotives into the scrapyard (sorry, Alco, 567, and 645 lovers) to be replaced with Tier 3 and 4.
Perhaps if GE (now WABCO) could make a little progress on its electrodiesel and offer it for a reasonable price (instead of double or more the cost of an equivalent straight diesel), railroads might be more willing to talk about electrifying (with government money, of course) main lines in some terminal areas (like the LA Basin).
