Are Electrification Projects Dead for NJT

[zerovanity59]

Plus electric power is just as dirty as fuel.

You realize that the NEC is mostly fed from hydroelectric, nuclear, renewable energy and other highly efficient "base load" sources, right?

You realize that aggregated electricity from the grid is cleaner than from a locomotive alternator/generator, right?

1. Wasn't aware they use Hydro.

2. If your going to say Electric is clean it's not, what do you think they use coal for...

Garbage in Garbage out.

Is electricity clean? It depends. Is it cleaner than internal combustion (IC) engines? Yes! Study after study shows that a transportation industry running on electricity is cleaner than an IC one. This is true for every major utility in America no matter what the electrical energy source is. This is because even the dirtiest fuels have heavy pollution controls when they are used in fixed locations for electrical generation, while engines in a vehicle must minimize weight and volume, which lead to lower efficiency and greater pollution.

Plus, most generators are in less populated areas and put the pollution higher in the air than vehicles.

[25Hz]

If you look on google earth, you can see both projects would not be that massive, and you would protect NJT from market shock on fuel prices.

They are never going to put a refueling pad back in at bay head. Even a substation there will need to be elevated..... why? New policies protecting infrastructure from storms like sandy.

They are laying out the transit grid project for the NEC. NJT could build all of that new with new wired territory vs retrofitting etc.

[Tadman]

Mod note: let's keep it civil here, please. This thread has been noted amongst the admins for special monitoring. Anybody causing a problem here will go straight to suspension status.

[FRN9]

I've heard that NJT commissioned a study (prior to the ALP45's) for electrification of the RVL. Does anyone know where this can be found?

[TrainPhotos]

The easy answer to this question is to move to IP EMU technology that is being tested now in the UK and Japan. They run under wires to charge up and can go for up to 30 miles independently. Seems perfect for NJT and for MetroNorth.

[url]http://www.networkrail.co.uk/news/2014/ ... ain-begin/[/url

I think we are at least 10 years from that being a viable alternative under serious consideration here. However, it might be before electric automobiles; because, unlike most electric cars they can charge while in motion.

It do not think they would be useful in the Main, Bergen, or Pascack Valley lines. They might be useful for North Jersey Coast Line for through trains to and from Bay Head, or the Montclair-Boonton Line, which has two sections of electrified and two sections of non-electrified territory.

If NJT does ever (in 20-30 years) want to completely electrify and have no diesels in revenue service, they could be used to bridge the few gaps in NJT/Amtrak ownership, i.e. Conrail ownership on the Raritan Valley Line from Aldene to Hunter and on the Atlantic City Line and Norfolk Southern on the Boonton line west of Netcong.

We all ready have large numbers of electric vehicles in use on the road every day, and the number grows every day. They also use a technique called "regenerative braking" which is in simplified terms "charging while in motion". Bad comparison.

As a taxpayer, I wouldn't mind seeing the whole system under wires, but then again I am not involved in government & have no real position to propose such a project.