Quote:
Originally Posted by pdxstreetcar
Electric Multiple Units are used extensively in Europe and Asia but are little used in the US outside the NE (for a variety of reasons). These are what we should be using a lot more. Denver was smart to go this approach for many corridors but too often light rail is the default option.
Much of Seattle's Link system really would have been better suited to EMUs instead of light rail (although generally using the current and proposed Link route) because of the long distances to Everett and Tacoma. (I am not referring to the Sounder corridor, although if built this way they could have been somewhat interchangeable). What this also would have been, had they used EMUs, is a second and passenger-only major rail corridor north and south that could have also been used for Amtrak Cascades.
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I’m going to strongly disagree with you that EMUs should be preferred over DMUs on rails owned by the freight railroad companies, and strongly disagree with you that electric commuter rail should be preferred over light rail.
The average retail price for diesel fuel in the USA is around $3 per gallon ($0.79 or E0.72 per liter), in France the retail price for diesel fuel is $6.10 per gallon (E1.46 per liter, E5.542 per gallon, $6.10 per gallon).
Railroads in America buy diesel fuel at wholesale prices by the truckload, I assume that also holds true in France. With diesel fuel costing twice as much in Europe than in America, that is going to effect the economics over using DMUs or EMUs, and even in Europe you are going to find DMUs running just about anywhere.
Light rail is not only cheaper to build than EMU commuter trains, they are also cheaper to operate and maintain. Most high speed commuter EMUs trains running significant distances use several thousand ac volts on the catenaries above the tracks, most light rail trains running shorter distances use 600-750 dc volts. Most commuter trains sharing tracks with heavy freight trains require 130+ pound tracks vs the 110 pound tracks required by light rail trains. So, building light rail systems is cheaper than building EMU systems.
Denver RTD uses a mix of light rail and EMU trains, depending mainly on sharing the tracks or not with freight trains, along with who owns the tracks. At a mile above sea level, it’s thinner air affected their decision on using DMUs or EMUs. Most American cities are not located a mile above sea level. New York City also discourages using DMU or diesel locomotives and it is located at sea level, but access to Manhattan using mostly tunnels resulted in a local law encouraging electric power over steam and diesel locomotives. Both Denver and New York City have different reasons why because of different physical conditions, conditions not found elsewhere in America.
Every train company and transit agency should look at its own needs and requirements over and beyond a national one size fits all mind set. if a one size fit all mind set overrules local requirements, many New Yorkers would be choking on diesel fumes at Penn Station and Grand Central.