World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Railway Begins Ferrying Passengers In Germany
Residents in Bremervörde, Lower Saxony, in Germany will now be able to hop on board the world’s first hydrogen train route, as sustainable mobility firm Alstom opens its 14 Coradia iLint trains to the public.
According to the company, the 100% hydrogen-powered trains only produce steam and condensed water, and are much quieter than traditional services. The vehicles will gradually replace the 15 existing diesel trains on the line.
Impressively, the trains only need to be fueled once a day, and can travel up to 1,000 km (621 miles) on just one tank of hydrogen. They feature several notable innovations, including clean energy conversion, flexible energy storage in batteries, and intelligent management of motive power and available energy.
Not only do these trains serve as a convenient replacement option for non-electrified railway lines, they also maintain a comparable performance to their regular counterparts, traveling at speeds of up to 140 km/h (87 mph).
“Emission free mobility is one of the most important goals for ensuring a sustainable future, and Alstom has a clear ambition to become the world leader in alternative propulsion systems for all,” said Henri Poupart-Lafarge, CEO of Alstom.
“The world’s first hydrogen train, the Coradia iLint, demonstrates our clear commitment to green mobility combined with state-of-the-art technology. We are very proud to bring this technology into series operation as part of a world premiere.”
Going forward, Alstom will be working on more hydrogen-powered trains for the city of Frankfurt in Germany, the region of Lombardy in Italy, and four different French regions.
