BREMERVORDE, Germany — Germany’s pioneering hydrogen-fuel-cell powered passenger trains have achieved the next step in their launch, fully handling service on their Cuxhaven-Bremervörde-Butexhude route as of today.
Alstom, manufacturer of the 14 Coradia iLint trainsets, called the 100% hydrogen operation of the route a “historical milestone” in a press release.
The trains had begun operation on a “preliminary” basis July 25 [see “World’s first hydrogen trains enter regular passenger service,” Trains News Wire, July 26, 2022]. Bremervörde is about 40 miles southwest of Hamburg.
“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 rail,” said Alstom CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge. “We are very proud to bring this technology into series operation as part of a world premiere, together with our great partners.”
The 14 hydrogen trainsets, which will replace 15 diesel multiple-unit trains, have a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) range that allows them to operate for a day on a single tank of hydrogen. Multinational chemical company Linde has built, owns, and operates the refueling system for the trains, located in Bremervörde. The company says the system’s capacity of about 1,600 kilograms (more than 3,500 pounds) makes it one of the largest hydrogen fueling systems ever built.
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