Tuesday 22 November 2022

First company in Europe to use hydrogen-powered freight train

Nestlé Waters claims it will become the first business in Europe to use a hydrogen-powered freight train in France.

Powered by renewable energy, the fuel cell for rail has been developed by Alstom and ENGIE.

Nestlé has stated its carbon emissions could be reduced by up to 10,000 tonnes per year through use of the hydrogen train – the same impact as 30,000 trips from Paris to Nice by car.

The company expects the electrified train to be up and running by 2025 – taking its water from its factory in France to its distribution centres.

Sophie Dubois, CEO, said: “At Nestlé Waters, we favour rail freight whenever possible. We are constantly looking for efficient solutions to reduce the carbon impact of our supply chain.

“We are very proud of this project as it represents a significant investment by our railway team to find innovative solutions to answer to climate and environmental challenge.”

Nestlé Waters has committed to net zero by 2050 and has stated it has reduced its carbon emissions by 11% since 2020 so far.