Refuelling system inaugurated on hydrogen train line

The 100km route in Lower Saxony – connecting Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehude - will become the first in the world to operate a fleet of hydrogen-powered trains when they replace 15 diesel trains running there.

The trains – fuel cell variants of the diesel-powered Lint - are owned by Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LNVG) and will be operated on the Elbe-Weser railways and transport company’s (evb) network, where the trains will travel at speeds of 80 to 120km/h, with a maximum speed of 140km/h.

According to Linde, the Coradia iLint trains will be able to run for 1,000km on a single refuelling. The company’s hydrogen refuelling system - made up of 64 500-bar high-pressure storage tanks, six hydrogen compressors and two fuel pumps - has a total capacity of around 1,600kg of hydrogen per day, making it one of the largest hydrogen refuelling systems. According to Alstom, a further production facility will use electrolysis and regeneratively generated electricity to make hydrogen.

“Linde is committed to making a significant contribution towards decarbonising transport in Europe,” said Veerle Slenders, president Region Europe West, Linde. “We are proud that Linde’s innovative technology plays a key role in supporting this project and establishing a blueprint for cleaner public transport systems around the world.”

Hydrogen will be stored at 15^oC and 35Mpa on the roof of the fuel cell trains and be distributed at 1Mpa. According to Alstom, integrating the electrical propulsion system (hydrogen tank, fuel cell pack, battery pack, converter and electrical traction motor) conformed to the company’s design criteria that included no significant changes in weight/point of gravity, high energy efficiency, and the re-use of main components including bogies.

Alstom has contracts to supply hydrogen fuel cell powered regional trains throughout Europe, including 27 Coradia iLint trains for the Frankfurt metropolitan area, six Coradia Stream hydrogen trains, plus options, for Lombardy, Italy, and 12 Coradia Polyvalent hydrogen trains destined for four regions in France.

“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 Henri Poupart-Lafarge, CEO and chairman of Alstom. “The world’s first hydrogen train, the Coradia iLint, demonstrates our clear commitment to green mobility. We are very proud to bring this technology into series operation as part of a world premiere, together with our great partners.”