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Comment by beretguy | Hacker News Reader

How about electric train or something instead? Something electric, but more efficient? Is there something, anyone knows?

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There are lots of electric trains without battery and some with battery. All of Europe is running lots of electric trains without battery.

Here in Germany on some tracks some trains also run on battery. As a test case we had such a train for some month to replace a diesel train. They just had to return the test train.

https://thedriven.io/2023/04/18/australian-miner-to-trial-wo...

Already exists. 160 tonnes, swappable batteries, converted old diesel trucks. Australia has figured it out.

Aren't most trains electric anyway? Over here(in Poland) I don't think I've ever seen a train that doesn't run on electricity.

> The Polish railways network consists of around 18,510 kilometres (11,500 mi) of track as of 2019, of which 11,998 km (7,455 mi) is electrified. [1]

As only ~65% of the polish rail network are electrified, I'm sure there are still plenty of Diesel powered trains operating in Poland.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Poland

Technically I think diesel powered trains are just eletrical trains with a diesel generator.

Lots of danish trains are still diesel

This one is diesel even if it is under overhead lines: https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plik:SA132-008_Pozna%C5%84_RB8...

Some more: https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lista_spalinowych_zespo%C5%82%...

This view was common for me some years ago: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/SM42#/media/File:SM42-838...

That seems like a silly choice, since most diesel trains are diesel-electric... which is a design that can easily be modified to run dual-mode.

They probably mean diesel despite the picture chosen not making it obvious.

??? They said diesel.

Yes. They’re saying that it’s an example of a diesel locomotive, despite the picture suggesting it may be electric only.

I translated the polish language page it is on and it sounds like it is diesel with a mechanical drive.

If I understand correctly those are just somewhat cheaper per unit and some of them do run on lines that are not electrified. So it happens that a diesel train runs entirely (or often partially) on electrified lines like in the photo I gave.

I said "diesel" as a mental shortcut for diesel and diesel-electric, but certainly not for electro-diesel.

It's already there - https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2023/8/alstom-and...

Hydrogen is also already used for trains - https://www.alstom.com/solutions/rolling-stock/alstom-coradi...

Electric subways have been a thing for about 140 years now.

Hmm in the long run it's probably more efficient to install wires on train tracks. If you meant battery powered trains that is.

Guess it would work as a stopgap measure.

While every other country comes to that conclusion, somehow in the US we keep deciding that running wires is too expensive and we can save money with hydrogen fuel cells or fast charging batteries.

Probably because the cost numbers for systems that have never been demonstrated can get away with magical optimism, while existing technologies are constrained by historical data.

There should be pretty reliable data on electrification costs for a freight railway and how the operational costs add up. If it were a substantial business advantage over diesel-electric, why aren't the privately owned rail companies doing it already?

Running wires here, on a train network carrying a billion tonnes per annum, is a bit silly for various valid engineering reasons.

Battery trains make sense, they're on order ATM:

https://www.riotinto.com/news/releases/2022/Rio-Tinto-purcha...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-20/challenge...

    Rio Tinto purchased the four 7MWh FLXdrive battery-electric locomotives from Wabtec Corporation with production due to commence in the United States in 2023 ahead of initial trials in the Pilbara in early 2024.

    The locomotives, used to carry ore from the company’s mines to its ports, will be recharged at purpose-built charging stations at the port or mine. They will also be capable of generating additional energy while in transit through a regenerative braking system which takes energy from the train and uses it to recharge the onboard batteries.

> why aren't the privately owned rail companies doing it already

It prevents double stacking rail cars

"freight railway". Why only freight?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-67011369

Really touching on the third rail of EV politics here.

https://intramotev.com/

Seriously? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_multiple_unit

hmm, all diesel trains use electric track motors.

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