Powered rails not working

I'm trying to design a new super-smelter but the powered rail's not working. It wouldn't start a static minecart and it won't accelerate a moving minecart. I built an ultra basic minecart starter and when I attached the redstone torch, nothing happened. I created a brand new superflat world just in case a change in version effected my redstone test world and built the same minecart starter and the minecart wouldn't start, it just rocked back and forth as if being attacked.