Which locomotives are better: electric or diesel?

While more costly, the electric locomotives are faster, mainly because they accelerate faster than diesel trains and have higher maximum speeds. read more

Electric locomotives are faster, more efficient and powerful compared to Diesel Locomotives which are more flexible to operate. But even then an all-out blanket electrification of all routes in the country is never feasible. read more

Electric Locomotive vs Diesel Locomotive The major advantage of the electric locomotive engine over diesel engine is that electric engine uses a rather simple and straightforward technology. The electric engine pulls power directly from the power grid and requires only a transformer and a regulator to bring down the power to acceptable levels. read more

In a diesel–electric locomotive, the diesel engine drives either an electrical DC generator (generally, less than 3,000 horsepower (2,200 kW) net for traction), or an electrical AC alternator-rectifier (generally 3,000 horsepower (2,200 kW) net or more for traction), the output of which provides power to the traction motors that drive the locomotive. read more