World first as German passenger train route is serviced by hydrogen fuelled trains
The Coradia iLint is the world’s first passenger train to run on a hydrogen fuel cell that generates electrical energy for propulsion.
Global transport innovator, Alstom, has announced it is running the world's first 100% hydrogen train route in Lower Saxony, Germany.
The completely emission-free Coradia iLint train has a range of 1,000 kilometres, with multiple units able to run all day on just one tank of hydrogen. On the route between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehude, hydrogen-powered regional trains will gradually replace all the diesel trains.
The Coradia iLint is quiet and emits only water vapour and condensation. It features several innovations: clean energy conversion, flexible energy storage in batteries, and intelligent management of motive power and available energy. Specifically developed for use on non-electrified lines, it enables clean, sustainable train operation while maintaining high performance. The train travels at speeds of 80 to 120, with a maximum speed of 140 kilometres per hour.
Alstom currently has four contracts for hydrogen fuel cell powered regional trains. Two contracts are in Germany, the first for 14 Coradia iLint trains in the region of Lower Saxony, and the second for 27 Coradia iLint trains in the Frankfurt metropolitan area. The third contract comes from Italy where Alstom is building 6 Coradia Stream hydrogen trains in the region of Lombardy – with the option for 8 more, while the fourth is in France for 12 Coradia Polyvalent hydrogen trains shared across four different French regions.
