Not to mention that train engines burn diesel/biodiesel to make electricity to run the trains, so they are already hybrids. They could add an ultra-capacitor 'caboose' to the train to capture some of the immense braking energy.
It also seems to me that we could put Solar PV panels on the tops of passenger train cars to generate the electricity used on them, further reducing fuel used per passenger mile. Of course, these measures take capital, and Booshy won't even fund Amtrak properly. On 6/13/07, Dawie Coetzee <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
This from another group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/carfree_cities/message/10256 > Fuel-sipping trains > June 11, 2007 > > > With energy prices high and likely to go higher in the years ahead, > it would make sense for the nation to embrace a transportation > policy that puts a premium on energy efficiency. Transportation, > along with electrical power generation, is the country's biggest > consumer of fossil and renewable fuels. So what is the most fuel- > efficient form of transportation available in the U.S. today? > Believe it or not, it's Amtrak. According to a recent study > published by the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National > Laboratory, Amtrak uses less energy per passenger mile than cars, > airlines or even subways and commuter rail systems. In fact, the > relative disadvantage of commercial airlines and cars is > particularly pronounced - both use more than one-fifth more energy > per passenger mile than Amtrak's trains. > The study doesn't take into account rail's many additional > environmental benefits. Passenger trains tend to support > pedestrian- and transit-oriented development, for instance, while > emissions from aircraft have a far worse impact on global warming > because of the high altitude. > Yet Amtrak continues to be treated as little more than an > afterthought in national energy and environmental policy > discussions. President Bush has proposed spending just $800 million > on Amtrak in fiscal 2008. That's a half-billion dollars less than > was spent the year before. > The general public has been far more supportive. Ridership has > increased each of the last four years, and Amtrak officials note > that it's up again this year. The biggest gains were posted on > relatively short routes of 500 miles or less outside the Northeast, > where it's already popular. > In general, Amtrak recovers about 67 percent of its operating costs > through sales, but the rest requires a taxpayer subsidy - much in > the same way that highways, bridges, airports, transit buses and > other forms of transportation infrastructure are government > subsidized. > What passenger rail really needs is billions of dollars in > additional capital investment - to replace aging equipment and > upgrade track in order to provide faster, more efficient service > that would allow Amtrak to better compete with no-frills airlines. > From China to Germany, other countries are making that kind of > investment in the future while the U.S. sits on the sidelines. High- > speed rail has enormous potential, but it first requires government > support. > > > > > Copyright (c) 2007, The Baltimore Sun | Get Sun home delivery -D ------------------------------ Yahoo! Mail is the world's favourite email. Don't settle for less, sign up for your free account today<http://uk.rd.yahoo.com/evt=44106/*http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/mail/winter07.html> . _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
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