superelevation
Active Member
And also many of the issues of batteries, should be kept to an absolute minimumI don't think battery-only trains are a good idea especially in such a huge commuter/RER network like GO. Batteries don't work as well or last as long in colder climates and as the batteries drain so does their performance on such things as de/acceleration. Battery-only trains also weigh a ton which offsets much of their advantage in terms of de/acceleration over DMUs and there is the big added cost of having to replace them all when they reach their end of lifecycle. Perhaps battery-only in 20 or 30 years when the technology is far more advanced but not now.
This is why I have always supported a battery-cantenary system. They allow the batteries to be recharged when on route. This is done by having overhead connections and recharging at just the stations themselves as well as regenerative braking. This allows the trains to always be fully charged so they are always operating at peak efficiency. They also require far fewer batteries greatly reducing the weight of the train and when replacement is eventually needed you are having to replace far fewer batteries. There is also no downtime required to recharge and time is money. This is very similar to many battery buses in Europe where the buses recharge only at key transit stops/stations so the buses are always fully charged allowing for top efficiency and being able to ply far longer routes than battery-only buses like what the TTC has.
All this at the same time you get all the advantages of battery-only..................less infrastructure to build and maintain, allowing for easy expansion of electrification without the time and cost of putting more catenary lines up, electric supply not being at the mercy of Mother Nature, and no visual pollution.