Jay no need to be rude on here! I was stating as my opinion that hybrid would be better if a power outage were to occur so it would have backup power to keep moving. It's to prevent trains from getting stuck without power such as the amtraks for example. That's all I was saying. If the electricity were like the subways as third rail, then I see it as a benefit. For the catenary wires, it's not good for that reason.
doepack wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:21 am I don't know what the local political climate is like there, but I think you'd have a better chance on selling the NIMBY's the environmental and quieter advantages of electric operation. From what I've seen, NIMBY opposition to proposed expansion of diesel operations is usually a lot louder...The local political environment would not be favorable to it. They would rather see rail eliminated altogether than install canary poles and wires.
A year or two back when they were proposing adding wifi too commuter rail there was vast opposition and communities seeking to block it. They put the project on hold indefinitely. Why? Wifi would have required installing cell towers along the rail to provide service. The concerns were the towers would be an eye sore and reduce their property values. The rails go right through some very affluent neighborhoods full of mansions. The same argument will for sure be brought against canary poles and wires. I have heard complaints about the poles added when they installed PTC. Of course these complaints are all by the very affluent people who own mansions who don't ever use the commuter rail. Those of us who are not affluent and part of the working class who use the commuter rail to commute into Boston would be all for it.