World's first public transport network with hydrogen trains starts operating
In Lower Saxony, five hydrogen trains are now transporting passengers in regular service. By the end of 2022, there will be 14 trains.
A Coradia iLint stops at Bremervörde station.
(Bild: LNVG)
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In Lower Saxony, the first local transport network is now being operated with hydrogen trains. Five vehicles of the type Coradia iLint from the manufacturer Alstom transport passengers on the route between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehude, announces the Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LNVG). It is the first public transport network of its kind in the world.
By the end of the year, 14 trains will be powered by fuel cells. They are supposed to replace 15 diesel-powered ones and each will be able to travel 1000 kilometres on one tank of fuel. This corresponds to an annual quantity of 1.6 million litres of diesel, writes the LNVg , 4,400 tonnes of CO₂ will no longer be blown into the atmosphere.
Pre-series models of the hydrogen trains were initially tested for two years starting in September 2018. By the end of 2018, it had already become apparent to the project operators that the new trains work just as well as the old ones, only quieter. In addition to the LNVG and manufacturer Alstom, the Elbe-Weser railways and transport companies (evb) and the gas and engineering company Linde are involved in the project, which costs 93 million euros.
Hydrogen in high-pressure storage tanks
Linde produces the hydrogen that is stored in 64 high-pressure storage tanks in Bremervörde. The pressure of 500 bar ensures that each storage tank can hold 1800 kilograms of hydrogen. The trains are refuelled at two pumps. One kilogram of hydrogen replaces about 4.5 litres of diesel fuel, Linde explains. The company also plans to produce hydrogen in Bremervörde by electrolysis from renewable energy.
Alstom's zero-emission Coradia iLint train (7 Bilder)
(Bild: Alstom)
Alstom says it developed the Coradia iLint specifically for use on non-electrified lines. In Lower Saxony, the train travels between 80 and 120 km/h; it could also travel 140 km/h.
Lower Saxony is not the only state in Germany with hydrogen trains. Since last year, a train with fuel cell propulsion, also from Alstom, has been running on the Zollernalbbahn in Baden-Württemberg. In the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region, on the other hand, hydrogen trains from Siemens are scheduled to be in operation from the end of 2024. Recently, 7 Mireo Plus H trains were ordered.
(anw)
