Agreement for UK’s first new hydrogen fleet
TIMED to coincide with COP26, train manufacturer Alstom and leasing firm Eversholt Rail announced a memorandum of understanding that will see them work towards designing, building and commissioning a fleet of 10 three-car hydrogen multiple units, which would be the UK’s first-ever brand new hydrogen train fleet.
The news comes just over three years since Alstom’s ‘Coradia iLint’, the world’s first hydrogen-powered train, entered service in Germany. It is expected that contracts for the UK trains, which will be part of the ‘Aventra’ family, will be signed in early 2022.
Emissions targets
Alstom’s UK & Ireland managing director Nick Crossfield said: “Rail is already the lowest emission transport mode, but we can do even more, and I am delighted that we have concluded this agreement with our friends at Eversholt Rail which will lead to Britain’s first ever fleet of new hydrogen trains.”
Explaining that she expected hydrogen propulsion to play an important role, Eversholt chief executive Mary Kenny added: “It is important that we start sooner rather than later to decarbonise UK Rail if we are to meet the 2050 ‘net-zero’ target.”
The companies say they will build on experience gained from working together on the ‘Breeze’ project, a proposal to convert existing Class 321 electric units into hydrogen-powered trains and believe there is now a market for a fleet of new trains to be used by operators across Britain.