In a world first, Germany has turned over a rail line entirely to a fleet of hydrogen-electric powered trains in a test of a technology that could not only help lower carbon emissions, but could also potentially do away with the need for third-rail or overhead power lines.
The 14 trains in the fleet, developed by French rail technology company Alstom, are running on a 100km route between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehude near Hamburg that has previously been operated with diesel locomotives, which still account for 20% of Germany’s rail traffic.
The trains operate with hydrogen cells on the roof that mix hydrogen with oxygen taken from the air to produce electricity to run the trains, leaving an exhaust that is only water. The first two of the trains have been running on a test basis since 2018.
Alstom has an upcoming competitor in the field; Germany’s giant Siemens company has a contract with national rail operator Deutsche Bahn for trains that will run in 2025. The potential is especially strong for shorter regional lines, now 50% diesel across Europe, because the hydrogen trains offer an alternative to the high cost of electrifying short lines where the revenue might not pay for the cost.
Alstom says there’s a potential market across Europe for 2,500 to 3,000 trains, but there’s also an obstacle—guaranteeing a supply of hydrogen, now in high demand for other purposes as well, and the need to produce the hydrogen itself by methods that do not themselves increase pollution.
