Which is what all of US transport runs on (yes, almost all trains too because railroads decided that electrified overhead looks ugly and needs more maintenance), and is largely the main driver of everything getting more and more expensive.
For context for others, US is abnormally very low in train electrification compared to other developed countries. It’s not zero though, for instance there is the Northeast Corridor which is electrified and the most used passenger train routes in the US
Here’s a map of what’s electrified in the US
And here’s it with the rest of the rail network
Meanwhile here’s what it looks like in Europe
There are now some battery-electric train options if the US wanted to use a stop gap solution to allow partial electrification to more quickly be a line without any diesel needed. Though a fully electrified line would be more ideal for the longer-term
I did not make them, I just looked up train electrification map and found a site using Open Street Map data. The interface of said site is a bit annoying and I suspect probably AI generated, but if you really want to look at it https://railsmaps.com/usa/electrification
Meanwhile, with all the construction happening in the US, traffic keeps getting worse and more crowded, and most of us unfortunately are forced to drive. We dont have other options but to drive, cause are railway system is not feasible unless you live in the overcrowded, overpolluted cities. It may look expansive but its all very closed loop.
So many of us are even changing our jobs and even moving further out into the country just to get away from the traffic, its stupid.
Diesel
Which is what all of US transport runs on (yes, almost all trains too because railroads decided that electrified overhead looks ugly and needs more maintenance), and is largely the main driver of everything getting more and more expensive.
For context for others, US is abnormally very low in train electrification compared to other developed countries. It’s not zero though, for instance there is the Northeast Corridor which is electrified and the most used passenger train routes in the US
Here’s a map of what’s electrified in the US
And here’s it with the rest of the rail network
Meanwhile here’s what it looks like in Europe
There are now some battery-electric train options if the US wanted to use a stop gap solution to allow partial electrification to more quickly be a line without any diesel needed. Though a fully electrified line would be more ideal for the longer-term
Those maps are cool. How did you generate or get them?
I did not make them, I just looked up train electrification map and found a site using Open Street Map data. The interface of said site is a bit annoying and I suspect probably AI generated, but if you really want to look at it https://railsmaps.com/usa/electrification
You can view something similar on OpenRailwayMap
Meanwhile, with all the construction happening in the US, traffic keeps getting worse and more crowded, and most of us unfortunately are forced to drive. We dont have other options but to drive, cause are railway system is not feasible unless you live in the overcrowded, overpolluted cities. It may look expansive but its all very closed loop.
So many of us are even changing our jobs and even moving further out into the country just to get away from the traffic, its stupid.
the rail lines are already expensive and long, I can’t imagine the cost of electrifying them (in thr short term)
This. It’s approaching $7 in the Seattle area near me and that was last I saw a few days ago before the massive oil price rise we had today.
Diesel is hitting $6.
This article is bullshit.
I can tell you in Canada pumps now have bank card max charges up to $350 to fill up Brodozers.