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HS2 railway

CliveS
We would all agree that an express link fro London to Birmingham and Manchester would be of great benefit BUT do we have to electrify the entire length of track or just the parts inside city boundaries. 

We can half the construction/infrastructure cost if we use diesel electric trains cross country and convert to electric only inside the city. 

This is environmentally friendly as power stations are only 60% efficient at best and mostly use gas at normal/peak times anyway; isn't it ??
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    I think that there are too many variables to give a definative answer. The electrification infrastructure has a high capital cost and a high maintenance cost. A disel locomotive has higher maintenance cost than an electric one. The maximum power per unit is generally limitted by the space for engine cooling radiators to around 4000kW requiring double heading for heavy loads/hilly routes.

    If the line is lightly used the costs of electrification are probably not offset by savings on operating costs and diesel will supply lower cost per mile. On a heavily used route the opposite will apply and electric traction will be cheaper. There is a lot more involved than just the cost of the energy. Long tunnels also favor electric traction.


    Best regards


    Roger
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  • 0
    I think that there are too many variables to give a definative answer. The electrification infrastructure has a high capital cost and a high maintenance cost. A disel locomotive has higher maintenance cost than an electric one. The maximum power per unit is generally limitted by the space for engine cooling radiators to around 4000kW requiring double heading for heavy loads/hilly routes.

    If the line is lightly used the costs of electrification are probably not offset by savings on operating costs and diesel will supply lower cost per mile. On a heavily used route the opposite will apply and electric traction will be cheaper. There is a lot more involved than just the cost of the energy. Long tunnels also favor electric traction.


    Best regards


    Roger
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