Following a memorandum of understanding signed between the authorities of the German region of Basse-Saxe and Alstom, the latter will provide 14 fuel cell trains operating to hydrogen. It is a world first.
The appearance of these trains, called “Coradia Ilint” and manufactured in the Alstom factory in Salzgitter, in Basse-Saxe, on the German Ferré network is expected for 2021, after a series of tests carried out from spring 2018.
They will transport 300 people at a maximum speed of 140 km/h and will have a range of 1,000 km. But, above all, they will only reject water vapor to the exhaust: Coradia Ilint will be provided with two pressurized hydrogen tanks supplying a fuel cell which produces electricity thanks to the chemical reaction between hydrogen and the oxygen present in the ambient air. This electricity will feed the train engine and equipment on board.
In addition, because the German government will invest 8.4 million euros for the manufacture of hydrogen by electrolysis and by wind energy, these trains will be really 100 % ecological.
Alstom is the first manufacturer in the world offering clean rail transport alternatives. Its new blue trains will circulate on unlocked rail networks. From this point of view, France does not represent a buoyant market: so far, the French public authorities have bet on the electric car, which still requires a long recharge and offers only a fairly small autonomy.
