French company Alstom has launched the "Coradia iLint," the world's first hydrogen-powered electric train based on innovative technology. The train conducted its inaugural journey in Valenciennes, northern France, on Monday, highlighting a technology that will help reduce reliance on diesel and operate on non-electrified lines.
The train model was assembled in Salzgitter, Germany, and is equipped with fuel cells that convert stored hydrogen on the surface into electricity, allowing it to operate without any harmful emissions. The new train is as quiet as an electric train and only emits steam and water, according to Euronews.
Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari stated in a press briefing from a railway testing center that the new train is "a solution for the future," adding that "45% of our railway network today is not electrified. We have two options: either to operate with electricity at the associated costs or to rely on hydrogen, which clearly represents the future in France and the European and global markets."
Jean-Baptiste Emond, CEO of Alstom France, which has invested tens of millions of euros to become "the global leader in clean trains," noted that "hydrogen technology is over 30% more expensive but is reliable and efficient."
The train, named "Coradia iLint," was successfully tested in Germany between 2018 and 2020, and last year in the Netherlands and Austria, and recently in Sweden. Alstom has already received confirmed orders for 41 trains in Germany, set to enter commercial service in early 2022.
The operational range of the "Coradia iLint" trains ranges from 800 to 1,000 kilometers between refueling, making it suitable for regional links. France plans to test the train in 2022 in the central region of Val de Loire between the cities of Tours and Loches.
Additionally, four other French regions—Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Grand Est, and Occitanie—are working with Alstom and the railway transport authority to develop a dual electric-hydrogen model. This contract resulted in an order for 12 trains, with initial track testing scheduled for late 2023 and commercial service starting in 2025.
Currently, these technologies utilize "grey hydrogen," derived from fossil fuels, rather than "green hydrogen," which is derived from renewable energy sources and is significantly more expensive; France is not yet ready to adopt it.
