7 ms·

>electric transport is almost workable (but not quite yet for anything more than short distances) You mean in use in every single country for trains since the

>electric transport is almost workable (but not quite yet for anything more than short distances) You mean in use in every single country for trains since the 60s ?

craigds 10y ago
Auckland NZ was using diesel trains until 2015
- knz 10y ago
  Wellington has been electric for decades hasn't it? I think they even used to have electric buses running on overhead wires.
  - billforsternz 10y ago
    In Wellington our commuter trains have always been electric. Auckland has finally caught up :) We still have electric trolley buses, but sadly their days are numbered. Apparently keeping up the overhead electric infrastructure is too expensive.
- lostlogin 10y ago
  Pretty sure we still are as I recently saw some down at at the port. We love to point out that Auckland is actually ahead as we have the most x per capita. A Reddit thread on this phenomenon recently concluded that Auckland has the most per capita per capita.
K0nserv 10y ago
As a Swede I was shocked when I moved to Scotland and found out that they have a lot of diesel trains.
- snaily 10y ago
  Sweden has a whole bunch of not-yet-electrified lines - just not where most people are: http://www.jarnvag.net/component/customproperties/tag?cp[omrade][0]=gotaland&cp[omrade][1]=svealand&cp[omrade][2]=norrland&cp[omrade][3]=&cp[sparvidd][0]=1435_mm&cp[sparvidd][1]=891_mm&cp[sparvidd][2]=600_mm&cp[sparvidd][3]=&cp[trafik][0]=persontrafik&cp[trafik][1]=godstrafik&cp[trafik][2]=&cp[elektrifierad][0]=oelektrifierad&cp[elektrifierad][1]=&cp[bind_to_category]=content:26,content:31,content:36 http://www.jarnvag.net/component/customproperties/tag?cp[omr...
  - K0nserv 10y ago
    Yeah I probably have some confirmation bias having travelled mainly inside the Stockholm/Sörmland region and from Stockholm to Gothenburg. I was very surprised to see that Edinburgh to Glasgow is not electrified for example.
    - Reason077 10y ago
      Work to electrify Edinburgh to Glasgow is already in progress. Electric trains will be running by 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_to_Glasgow_Improvement_Programme https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_to_Glasgow_Improveme...
- kwhitefoot 10y ago
  You have diesel trains in Sweden too. On small lines like Kristinahamn to Ludvika and in the north. Various places where there is too little traffic to make it economic to electrify. Same here in Norway in the north.
  - vidarh 10y ago
    The difference in the UK is that significant, high traffic lines are still diesel as well. The Great Western [1] line from London to the west of England and South Wales is a good example that is finally being electrified, but is still years behind schedule. The UK is still catching up after decades of underinvestment in rail infrastructure. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Western_Main_Line https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Western_Main_Line
    - kwhitefoot 10y ago
      I know. And I find it personally very dispiriting as I come from Swindon and my grandfather worked a steam hammer in the forge when the railway works was still the biggest employer in the town. The old GWR had some world leading ideas at times and the modern organizations that bear the name don't compare.
david-given 10y ago
Sorry, my bad: I mean road transport. Electric trains work really well, and there should be more of them. (I live in Zurich now. Every time I go back to Britain I look at a diesel train and think 'how quaint.') But there's an awful lot of bulk transport that still goes by road.
doikor 10y ago
We (Finns) still use diesel engines for the more remote/less used lines. Mostly for industry or seasonal routes (think lapland during the winter etc.). Just not economically feasible to electrify all the less used routes.

>electric transport is almost workable (but not quite yet for anything more than short distances) You mean in use in every single country for trains since the 60s ?

craigds 10y ago

Auckland NZ was using diesel trains until 2015

knz 10y ago
Wellington has been electric for decades hasn't it? I think they even used to have electric buses running on overhead wires.
- billforsternz 10y ago
  In Wellington our commuter trains have always been electric. Auckland has finally caught up :) We still have electric trolley buses, but sadly their days are numbered. Apparently keeping up the overhead electric infrastructure is too expensive.
lostlogin 10y ago
Pretty sure we still are as I recently saw some down at at the port. We love to point out that Auckland is actually ahead as we have the most x per capita. A Reddit thread on this phenomenon recently concluded that Auckland has the most per capita per capita.

K0nserv 10y ago

As a Swede I was shocked when I moved to Scotland and found out that they have a lot of diesel trains.

snaily 10y ago
Sweden has a whole bunch of not-yet-electrified lines - just not where most people are: http://www.jarnvag.net/component/customproperties/tag?cp[omrade][0]=gotaland&cp[omrade][1]=svealand&cp[omrade][2]=norrland&cp[omrade][3]=&cp[sparvidd][0]=1435_mm&cp[sparvidd][1]=891_mm&cp[sparvidd][2]=600_mm&cp[sparvidd][3]=&cp[trafik][0]=persontrafik&cp[trafik][1]=godstrafik&cp[trafik][2]=&cp[elektrifierad][0]=oelektrifierad&cp[elektrifierad][1]=&cp[bind_to_category]=content:26,content:31,content:36 http://www.jarnvag.net/component/customproperties/tag?cp[omr...
- K0nserv 10y ago
  Yeah I probably have some confirmation bias having travelled mainly inside the Stockholm/Sörmland region and from Stockholm to Gothenburg. I was very surprised to see that Edinburgh to Glasgow is not electrified for example.
  - Reason077 10y ago
    Work to electrify Edinburgh to Glasgow is already in progress. Electric trains will be running by 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_to_Glasgow_Improvement_Programme https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_to_Glasgow_Improveme...
kwhitefoot 10y ago
You have diesel trains in Sweden too. On small lines like Kristinahamn to Ludvika and in the north. Various places where there is too little traffic to make it economic to electrify. Same here in Norway in the north.
- vidarh 10y ago
  The difference in the UK is that significant, high traffic lines are still diesel as well. The Great Western [1] line from London to the west of England and South Wales is a good example that is finally being electrified, but is still years behind schedule. The UK is still catching up after decades of underinvestment in rail infrastructure. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Western_Main_Line https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Western_Main_Line
  - kwhitefoot 10y ago
    I know. And I find it personally very dispiriting as I come from Swindon and my grandfather worked a steam hammer in the forge when the railway works was still the biggest employer in the town. The old GWR had some world leading ideas at times and the modern organizations that bear the name don't compare.

david-given 10y ago

Sorry, my bad: I mean road transport. Electric trains work really well, and there should be more of them. (I live in Zurich now. Every time I go back to Britain I look at a diesel train and think 'how quaint.') But there's an awful lot of bulk transport that still goes by road.

doikor 10y ago

We (Finns) still use diesel engines for the more remote/less used lines. Mostly for industry or seasonal routes (think lapland during the winter etc.). Just not economically feasible to electrify all the less used routes.