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An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit
Multiple unit

The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelling train unit capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one cab....
 train consisting of many carriages using electricity
Electricity

Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction....
 as the motive power.

Examples Some of the more famous electric multiple units in the world are high speed trains: the Shinkansen
Shinkansen

File:JR East Shinkansen lineup 200 E2 E4 E1 Niigata Depot 20071100.JPGThe is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies....
 in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 and ICE 3
Siemens Velaro

Siemens Velaro is a family of Germany high-speed rail multiple units. They are based on Deutsche Bahn's ICE 3 high-speed trains. Unlike the ICE 3, the Velaro is a full Siemens product....
 in Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
.






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An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit
Multiple unit

The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelling train unit capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one cab....
 train consisting of many carriages using electricity
Electricity

Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction....
 as the motive power.

Types


The cars that form a complete EMU set can usually be separated by function into four types: power car, motor car, driving car, and trailer car. Each car can have more than one function, such as a motor-driving car or power-driving car.

  • A power car carries the necessary equipment to draw power from the electrified infrastructure
    Railway electrification system

    A Railway electrification system supplies Electric potential energy to railway locomotives and multiple units so that they can operate without having an on-board Prime mover ....
    , such as pickup shoes for third rail systems
    Third rail

    A third rail is a method of providing electricity to power a rail transport through a continuous rigid conductor alongside the railway track or between the rails....
     and pantographs
    Pantograph (rail)

    A pantograph is a device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The term stems from the resemblance to Pantograph for copying writing and drawings....
     for over head systems
    Overhead lines

    Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point....
    , and transformers.
  • Motor cars carry the traction motor
    Traction motor

    A traction motor is a type of electric motor used to power the driving wheels of a vehicle such as a railroad locomotive, electrical Multiple unit train , a tram, or an automobile....
    s to move the train.
  • Driving cars are similar to a cab car
    Control car (rail)

    A control car is a generic term for a non-powered railroad vehicle that can control operation of a train from the end opposite to the position of the locomotive....
    , containing a driver's cab for controlling the train. An EMU will usually have two driving cars at its outer ends.
  • Trailer cars are any car that carry little or no traction or power related equipment, and are similar to passenger cars in a locomotive-hauled train. On third rail systems the outer vehicles usually carry the pick up shoes, with the motor vehicles receiving the current via intra-unit connections.


Insofar as they can be regarded as trains Maglev
Maglev

Maglev can refer to:* Magnetic levitation, a method by which an object is suspended using magnetic fields* Maglev , a form of rail transport that works using magnetic levitation...
 cars have characteristics similar to those of an EMU.

Examples

Some of the more famous electric multiple units in the world are high speed trains: the Shinkansen
Shinkansen

File:JR East Shinkansen lineup 200 E2 E4 E1 Niigata Depot 20071100.JPGThe is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies....
 in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 and ICE 3
Siemens Velaro

Siemens Velaro is a family of Germany high-speed rail multiple units. They are based on Deutsche Bahn's ICE 3 high-speed trains. Unlike the ICE 3, the Velaro is a full Siemens product....
 in Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
. Metro-North outside of New York
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 is also famous for its M1
M1

M1, M01 or M-1 may refer to:...
 Metropolitans, M2
M2 (railcar)

The M2 is a series of 244 Multiple unit cars produced for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Connecticut Department of Transportation for use on the New Haven Line ....
 Cosmopolitans, and its newer M7
M7

M7 or M-7 may refer to:In roads:* Westlink M7, an urban motorway in the Sydney, Australia area* Metroad 7 , another motorway in Sydney, Australia...
s and M8
M8

M8 or M-8 may refer to:In aviation:* Loening M-8, a 1910s American fighter monoplane* Miles M.8 Peregrine, a 1930s British twin-engined light transport monoplane...
s.

EMUs are also popular on commuter and suburban rail networks around the world due to their fast acceleration, pollution-free operation and quietness. Being quieter than DMU
Diesel multiple unit

A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines....
 and locomotive
Locomotive

A locomotive is a Rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin language loco - "from a place", Ablative case of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine,....
-drawn trains, EMUs can operate later at night and more frequently without disturbing residents living near the railway lines. In addition, tunnel design for EMU trains is simpler as provisions do not need to be made for diesel exhaust fumes.

Gallery



See also

  • Air brake
    Air brake (rail)

    An air brake is a conveyance brake applied by means of Gas compressor. Modern trains rely upon a fail-safe air brake system that is based upon a design patented by George Westinghouse on March 5, 1872....
  • Railway brakes
    Brake (railway)

    Brakes are used on the vehicles of Rail transport trains to slow them, or to keep them standing when parked. While the principle is familiar from road vehicle usage, operational features are more complex because of the need to control trains, i.e....
  • Diesel multiple unit
    Diesel multiple unit

    A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines....
  • Diesel locomotive
    Diesel locomotive

    A Diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a Diesel engine. Several types of Diesel locomotive have been developed, the principal distinction being in the means by which the prime mover's mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels ....
  • Multiple Units
  • Railways