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Comment by namdnay | Hacker News Reader

You still have diesel trains ?!

Caltrain in the Bay Area, the capital of world technology, is still a....diesel train. I can't help but chuckle whenever I see one.

Did you miss the wires strung above the tracks? They're working on it:

https://www.caltrain.com/about/MediaRelations/news/Caltrain_...

It's 2022 today and they estimate to complete the project in 2024. Italy had electrified lines in the 1930s, for comparison. There is really no excuse however you look at it. I guess better later than never.

However, it's moving to electric, with the first electric locomotive undergoing testing now, and the first electric fleet arriving this spring, with fully electric service expected to begin in two years.

Depends on the country. Most of the UK away from London and apart from a handful of main lines is diesel. Elsewhere in Europe, most rural lines still are. It's likely many of these will switch to either hydrogen or battery trains, the latter possibly with shorter stretches of overhead wire to recharge.

Wikipedia shows the percentage of electrified railway for all countries. It's 56% for the EU+UK.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_rail_tran...

A more interesting table would be the percent of electrified vs not passenger service miles delivered. The rail networks has a lot of quiet or disused track.

Most of the intercity trains in Ireland are powered by diesel.

I believe there's a long term electrification plan for the greater Dublin area, but I don't see a change from using DMU's for a while.

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