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by pm90 3258 days ago
What so you mean by electric engines? Electrification of rail lines is a pretty expensive undertaking, although I will admit I'm not certain of the specifics. I'm guessing that it makes sense only for shorter distances, which is why local trains/metros do use electrified tracks.

This seems like a good step in reducing costs of long distance train travel. Not to mention: a lot of experience would be gained in installing and operating solar panels, which could then be used elsewhere.
2 comments
ant6n 3258 days ago
Electrification becomes economical wherever there is a lot of _traffic_, independent of the length of the lines. The Transssibirian railway is electrified, and it hosts the longest passenger train-car (Moscow-Pyongyang, 9 days).
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kumarvvr 3258 days ago
Thinking in terms of long-term ROI is a better way to evaluate electrification of Rail lines, rather than the upfront cost. Govt's can bear such a cost and ROI on electrified rail lines should be pretty damn good.

It's not impossible. Also, there is a scope of making the whole system carbon neutral.

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Shivetya 3258 days ago
I always wondered why electrification of major rail lines is not accompanied by updating and implementation of a more modern and efficient power grip. The two can parallel each other due to right of ways and while you cannot directly power your train from those high voltage lines the substations along the way make for good connection points
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kumarvvr 3258 days ago
I don't know about other countries, but in India, the Rail power grid is completely isolated from the consumer grid.

Also, from a technical standpoint, especially for renewable energy systems, it's best to have isolated pockets of energy generation and consumption rather than a country wide grid.

Due to the intermittent nature of power available from renewable energy sources, it's best to have micro grids and micro storage systems.

In case of railway lines, the load on the network can be calculated to a very good accuracy, unlike the consumer grid. Hypothetically, this can mean that the rail grid can be isolated and be managed at a very high efficiency level.

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