Germany’s first 100pc hydrogen-powered train route has begun operation in Lower Saxony.

The 15 incumbent diesel trains on the route are to be replaced with 14 hydrogen-powered Coradia iLint passenger trains, each able to run for 1,000 km on a single refuel. The trains belong to public transport authority LNVG and were designed by technology firm Alstom.

“We are very proud to bring this technology into series operation as part of a world premiere, together with our great partners,” says Henri Poupart-Lafarge, CEO of Alstom.

The technology uses a hydrogen fuel cell to produce electrical power for traction, allowing the trains to run on non- or partially-electrified lines.

“Linde is committed to making a significant contribution towards decarbonising transport in Europe” Slenders, Linde

Industrial gases firm Linde designed and operates the trains’ refueling system. The system has the capacity to deliver 1,600 kg/d of hydrogen and has been designed to enable the production of on-site green hydrogen in the future.

“Linde is committed to making a significant contribution towards decarbonising transport in Europe,” says Veerle Slenders, president of western Europe at Linde.

The Elbe-Weser railway network operator Evb is also a project partner. The project partners ran a two-year trial with two trains from 2018-20.

Further rollout

Five of the new trains are currently operating, with the remaining nine due to arrive by the end of the year. When fully operational the new system will replace 1.6mn litres/yr of diesel which would emit 4,400 t/yr CO₂.

LNVG is eventually looking to replace a further 126 diesel trains with either battery- or hydrogen-powered trains. Hydrogen-powered trains are particularly suited to low speeds and long distances in rural areas, currently serviced by diesel-powered trains, according to the Global Hydrogen Report from thinktank the Energy Transitions Commission.

The €93mn ($93mn) project was partially funded by the German federal government as part of the National Innovation Program for hydrogen and fuel-cell technology.

“With the promotion of the world first fleet of hydrogen trains…the federal government can claim to make Germany a pioneer in the use of climate-neutral technologies in passenger traffic,” says Stefan Wenzel, parliamentary state secretary to the federal minister for economics and climate protection.

The Coradia iLint trains have also been successfully trialled in Austria, France, the Netherlands and Sweden.

In related news, the world's first hydrogen water taxi partly developed by Shell was unveiled today. The taxi will be tested throughout this year and enter operation in Rotterdam, Netherlands from 2023.

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Author: Tom Young