Alstom confirms orders for hydrogen-powered train

ALSTOM has confirmed that the hydrogen fuel cell technology incorporated into its European regional Coradia platform could be developed into a standard gauge version for use in the UK.

Speaking at a press event in Salzgitter on November 10, Alstom’s vice president for regional and intercity trains Wolfram Schwab said that there could also be the potential to retrofit the technology into existing trains, creating added options for UK train operators and rolling stock owners.

“We have taken an existing train and integrated this new technology,” said Schwab.

“We think this is the right time to get this done as the first generation of trains was steam, the second was diesel, and now we are at the starting point of a migration to zero-emissions trains.

“We have definite interest from lots of countries and we are promoting it to many operators, but it will take time for dialogue to turn into contracts. It is not impossible for the UK, but we need to study integration of these systems. It is an engineering test but, by definition, we know it is scalable to other products.”

Alstom and the Local Transport Authority of Lower Saxony (LNVG) have signed a contract for the delivery of 14 hydrogen fuel cellpowered Coradia iLint trains.

They will replace diesel trains in the region from December 2021, using hydrogen supplied by Linde from a new hydrogen filling station in Bremervorde, and to be funded by a 10 million euro (£8.9 million) investment from federal government.

LNVG will lease the trains to a regional operator, while the deal also includes 30 years of maintenance at the Bremervorde depot.

The 14 trains will be manufactured at Alstom’s Salzgitter site in Germany, where two two-car prototypes are undergoing final testing before beginning a two-year pilot on the Germany network in spring 2018.

The principle behind the technology is to combine hydrogen with air to produce electricity that is stored in on-board lithium ion batteries. Each Coradia iLint can travel for approximately 1,000km with one full tank of hydrogen at speeds of up to 140kph (87mph). Schwab said the deal represents a major breakthrough in providing a zero emissions alternative to diesel traction on non-electrified lines.

For more information on the Coradia iLint and its potential in the UK, see Alstom’s special report on pages 44-47 of this issue.

PAUL STEPHEN. Alstom’s prototype two-car Coradia iLint 654601 waits to depart on a test run for journalists on the test track at Alstom’s Salzgitter plant on November 10.

PAUL STEPHEN. Alstom’s hydrogen fuel cell technology can be seen on the roof on 654601, with the lithium ion batteries located in the centre of the picture and a hydrogen tank visible towards the rear of the train. To the left is an HVAC unit.