It's a world first. The first hydrogen-powered trains, the Coradia iLint regional train designed by Alstom, are now entering service in Germany. After two years of trials, this innovation is becoming a reality on the railway line linking Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehude in Lower Saxony. " We are very proud to be able to bring this technology into commercial use." said Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Chairman and CEO of Alstom.
Powered by hydrogen fuel cells, emitting only water vapour and condensed water, Alstom's Coradia iLint trains can operate a whole day on a single tank and travelling at between 80 and 120 km/h, with peaks of 140 km/h. With a range of 1,000 km, the trains will be recharged daily at Linde's recharging station in Bremervörde. This gas and engineering specialist's site includes 64 storage tanks, six hydrogen compressors and two fuel pumps.
With the gradual replacement of the 15 diesel trains With 14 trainsets built by Alstom, this regional line, operated by evb in partnership with the Lower Saxony regional transport company LNVG, will become the first 100 % hydrogen rail line in the world. " La zero-emission mobility is one of the most important objectives for ensuring a sustainable future and Alstom has a clear ambition to become the world leader in carbon-free propulsion systems for rail." said Henri Poupart-Lafarge at the launch.
Submit an eco-responsible alternative for all those lines not yet electrified is also behind the project for these first hydrogen trains. While 4,000 diesel trains are currently in service in Germany, Alstom notes that " despite the large number of electrification projects underway in various countries, a large part of the European rail network will not be electrified in the long term. "
In addition to Lower Saxony, other European regions have shown an interest in this project. Alstom has signed another contract in Germany, and 27 Coradia iLint trains should eventually be running in the Frankfurt metropolitan area. In Italy, the Lombardy region has bought six trains of another Alstom hydrogen model, the Coradia Stream. France is not immune to this trend, since four regions - Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Grand Est and Occitanie - will share the operation of 12 Coradia Polyvalent hydrogen trains by 2025. The Coradia iLint train has also been tested in other countries, including Austria, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.
