The French group Alstom, which supplied fourteen trains to Germany, also signed four contracts for several dozen trains, in Germany, France and Italy.
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Towards the end of diesel locomotives in Germany? The country inaugurated, on Wednesday August 24, the world’s first railway line running entirely on hydrogen, a major step forward for the decarbonization of rail, despite the supply challenges posed by this innovative technology. “We are very proud to be able to bring this technology to commercial exploitation, as part of a world first”welcomed Wednesday the CEO of Alstom, Henri Poupart-Lafarge.
The fleet of fourteen trains, supplied by the French group Alstom to the region of Lower Saxony (North), now runs on the hundred kilometers of the line connecting the cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehude, not far from Hamburg. Designed in France, in Tarbes (South-West), and assembled in Salzgitter, in central Germany, Alstom’s hydrogen trains – called Coradia iLint – are pioneers in the field. This technology is the preferred way to reduce CO2 emissions and replace diesel, which still powers 20% of rail journeys in Germany. The new fleet, which cost “93 million euros”will avoid generating “4,400 tonnes of CO2 each year”according to the LNVG, the regional operator of the network.
Commercial trials have been carried out since 2018 on this line with the regular circulation of two hydrogen trains. Other rail links will follow: Alstom has signed four contracts for several dozen trains, in Germany, France and Italy, and does not see demand weakening.
Only in Germany “between 2,500 and 3,000 diesel trains could be replaced by hydrogen”told AFP, Stefan Schrank, project manager at Alstom. “By 2035, around 15 to 20% of the regional European market could run on hydrogen”, also told AFP Alexandre Charpentier, rail expert at Roland Berger. Alstom’s competitors have also entered the race. The German Siemens unveiled a prototype train with Deutsche Bahn last May, with a view to commissioning from 2024.