Tuesday 20 July 2021

State of Bavaria on track to pilot hydrogen-powered train

The State of Bavaria, Germany, has announced plans to pilot a hydrogen-powered train to support its ambitious climate goals in the transport sector.

The two-car train, developed by Siemens Mobility, will be tested on the Augsburg – Füssen route, among others, with the pilot operation in the rail network of Bayerische Regiobahn (BRB) initially planned for 30 months.

It is designed to operate on non-electrified rail lines and has a range of up to 800 kilometres, with two fuel cells mounted on the roof being the main components of the hydrogen traction drive and batteries installed beneath the floor.

The train will be presented to the public in the spring of 2022, with the first test runs in Bavaria planned for 2023 before it officially enters passenger service in January 2024.

Hubert Aiwanger, Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs said: “The train is another important component in Bavaria’s hydrogen strategy. My ministry is promoting research, development and applications in the field of hydrogen technology. We’re organising this rail project together with our partners because we’re convinced that hydrogen technology will make a significant contribution to decarbonising transport.

“We’ll prove in Bavaria that business and climate protection can be reconciled with green hydrogen.”