The Pioneer Stage of Railroad Electrification

Condit, Carl W.

doi:10.2307/1006285

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…No railroad electrified a segment quite this short, although the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) electrified 3.6 mi, including a tunnel through central Baltimore, MD, in 1895 ( 16 ). Electric operation lasted until 1952, when diesels took over.…”

Section: Insufficient Ridershipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commuter Rail Electrifications That Never Were and What They Teach Us

Allen¹,

Newmark

2022

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation R

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North American commuter railroads have experienced two waves of electrification: 1905–1931, and (including renewal and expansion) since the 1980s. Electrification offers many benefits to railroads and society, but also entails considerable capital costs. Eleven proposed electrifications, both in the early 20th century, when private-sector railroads funded and operated services, and in the modern era with public-sector responsibility for financing infrastructure and operations, were never implemented. This research revisits these unrealized proposals to understand the factors that can derail electrification and, conversely, help planners identify promising projects. These examples are explored in their contemporaneous context and in relation to comparable situations where electrification did occur. Key findings include that necessary, if not sufficient, conditions for electrification, in both the private- and public-sector eras, include operating challenges best addressed through electric traction as well as adequate funding. Today, in the public-sector era, electrification also requires political will, an institutional champion, and control of the lines to be electrified. Environmental concerns have become important factors but have not justified electrifications on their own.

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Section: Insufficient Ridershipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commuter Rail Electrifications That Never Were and What They Teach Us

Allen¹,

Newmark

2022

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation R

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“…A year later the state legislature mandated, with few exceptions, that railroads operating in Manhattan be electrified. Several major electrifications followed, as railroads upgraded their operations for greater capacity and safety and inaugurated new stations: Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in 1905; NYC in 1906; NYC's tenant New York, New Haven & Hartford (NH) in 1907; and PRR in 1910 (15)(16)(17)(18).…”

Section: Tunnels and Underground Stationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reasons for Commuter Rail Electrification: Early 20th Century and Since 2000

Allen¹

2019

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation R

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Commuter rail electrification is a complex, capital-intensive matter requiring careful study. Between 1905 and 1931, North American railroads inaugurated electrifications for commuter trains that survive today in New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Chicago, Illinois; and Montréal, Québec, Canada, as well as for intercity passenger trains between New Haven, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C. A renaissance in electrification is taking hold once more. Since 2000, three new-start electrifications have been placed in service: one for intercity passenger trains (between Boston, Massachusetts, and New Haven, Connecticut), and two others for commuter rail (in Mexico City, Mexico, and Denver, Colorado). Two more are proceeding forward (in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and San Francisco, California). Despite the great changes caused throughout the railroad industry by the mid-20th century switch from steam to diesel, there is little change in the reasons for commuter railroad electrification in the two eras. Although the justification threshold is higher today than in the early 20th century, it has lowered somewhat as various considerations again converge in favor of electric traction. This is important, because electrification both requires and reinforces heavy ridership, and today’s resurgence of electrification is happening amid a sustained upswing in commuter rail ridership.

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“…First, some roads installed short tunnel electrifications where steam operation was not practicable, as with the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) beneath downtown Baltimore, Maryland ( 8 ), the Boston & Maine’s Hoosac Tunnel in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, or under rivers, as with the Michigan Central and the Grand Trunk Western, crossing the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers, respectively.…”

Section: Why Railroads Electrifiedmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Life and Death of North American Rail Freight Electrification

Allen¹,

Newmark

2018

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation R

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Although completely dieselized today aside from certain commuter and intercity passenger routes, U.S. railroads were world leaders in electrification in the early 20th century. The Pennsylvania Railroad and the Milwaukee Road had the most extensive electrifications, but several other railroads electrified largely for freight service. This paper explores the decisions to electrify freight railroads in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico (largely for short tunnels where steam locomotives were not practicable, mountain grades, and busy traffic districts), and why electrifications were discontinued (underpowered installations, aging electric infrastructure, and changes in ownership that made electrification geographically obsolete). Energy shortfalls and price spikes since the 1970s have provoked interest in electrification from freight railroads, but this interest has subsided whenever fuel prices decline. Although it is possible that environmental considerations may lead to electrification in some contexts, as long as fossil fuel prices remain low, electrification is unlikely to play a major role on North American railroads.

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The Pioneer Stage of Railroad Electrification

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

Commuter Rail Electrifications That Never Were and What They Teach Us

Commuter Rail Electrifications That Never Were and What They Teach Us

Reasons for Commuter Rail Electrification: Early 20th Century and Since 2000

The Life and Death of North American Rail Freight Electrification

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