Electric cars are specialized railway locomotives used for passenger service. They can save time and energy by being placed at each end of a train set. They are commonly used in high-speed passenger service and light rail, but lack versatility for freight transportation. Amtrak, British Rail, and shinkansen in Japan all use electric cars. Multiple units can consist of a single powered train car or virtually any other configuration.
Electric carriages are a highly specialized type of railway locomotive. The purpose of a typical locomotive is to move the attached train cars and provide electricity to any passenger compartment. A motorized car also performs these functions, but may have cargo or passenger compartments built into its body. Locomotives are often highly interchangeable, while electric cars are more integrated into the entire train unit. Electric cars are typically used for passenger service due to the general lack of versatility that stems from their configurations.
There are a number of advantages to using motor cars instead of traditional locomotives. Placing a powered car at each end of the train set can save time and energy compared to turning a traditional locomotive. The use of multiple power cars throughout the configuration can also create versatility, as a single train can be split into multiple smaller units at any time. These trains can also have a lighter axle load, allowing them to operate on track that conventional locomotives cannot.
Train sets using electric cars often give the visual impression of long, continuous units due to styling and lines. The most common application for electric cars is in high-speed passenger service. A typical configuration is to have a motorized car at each end and several passenger compartments in between. Electric cars also often contain space for passengers or cargo. These trains sometimes carry small amounts of cargo, although they generally cannot accept the containers commonly used in rail freight transportation.
In the United States, Amtrak operates a number of self-propelled locomotives on the East Coast. British Rail has also operated high-speed passenger trains using car configurations since the 1970s. In Japan, shinkansen, or bullet trains, use electric-powered cars to move passengers around the country at speeds in excess of 275 mph (443 mph).
Light rail often makes use of electric cars as well, particularly in multiple unit (MU) form. These self-propelled train cars are commonly powered by electricity or diesel and are marked by the inclusion of multiple sets of powered and non-powered passenger cars. Multiple units can consist of a single powered train car, one powered unit and multiple non-powered units, or virtually any other configuration. It is usually possible to couple two multiple units together to create a larger train consisting of various cars and passenger compartments.
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