Developed by the French company Alstom, the Coradia iLint trains run entirely on hydrogen and have recently entered service in Germany. While it is reported that the only mission in the trains is steam and condensed water, their extremely quiet operation is also among the important details.
Germany aims to replace hydrogen-based trains with existing diesel trains. Currently, five Coradia iLint trains are in operation in Lower Saxony, Germany this week. According to reports from the Lower Saxony Transport Authority (LNVG), 15 trains with hydrogen fuel cell propulsion produced by Alstom will replace existing diesel trains. The exchange is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Hydrogen trains can run all day
Alstom states that they have a range of 1,000 kilometers for Coradia iLint trains. In other words, with a single hydrogen tank, these trains will be able to run all day on existing lines. At the same time, hydrogen filling stations have started to be established on the train lines in the region. Existing hydrogen trains will save 1.6 million liters of diesel fuel and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 4,400 tons per year, according to those cited by the LNVG.
Change takes a long time
Alstom company started testing trains in 2018. After a long period of trouble-free testing, the trains, which were put into use, already have contracts for 27 trains for the Frankfurt region. On the other hand, there are also contracts for regions in Italy and France.
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But despite all these efforts, Europe’s rail network is not expected to quickly turn to hydrogen or similar clean-energy trains. It is stated that a long process is required for change in Europe, which has extensive train networks. Because there are 4000 diesel trains in Germany alone. While such initiatives and moves set a role model for the whole world, they are also extremely important for Germany’s goals to be climate neutral in 2045-2050.
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