Germany has approved the use of hydrogen fuel cell trains

Original author: www.railway-technology.com
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The EBA has approved the use of a fuel cell train for passenger transport. Source: Alstom The

German Federal Railways Administration (German Eisenbahn-Bundesamt, EBA) gave the green light to Alstom's development of a hydrogen fuel cell composition, and therefore, it will soon start to run on German railways in normal mode.

The composition of the Coradia iLint is the first train in the world in which electric power for movement is generated by electrochemical cells and is specially designed for work on non-electrified lines. According to EBA, two prototypes will be used for some time in test mode on the Elbe-Weser section, and passenger flights will begin at the end of summer.
The issuance of this permit is an important event both in the fate of the Coradia iLint, and for transportation in general, a decisive step into the future, a clear and full perspective - Wolfram Schwab, Alstom.
A representative from the German federal government on railway transport issues, MP Enak Firlemann, said: “A world-class premiere will take place in our country: with the approval of EBA, we will soon send the first passengers on the train with fuel cell technology. Consider this event another sign of how the new generation of transport will look like. Using hydrogen as an alternative to diesel fuel, we will not only not lose in efficiency, but we will also be able to seriously reduce the emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere. Compared to diesel locomotives, such trains are an attractive option from the environmental point of view, especially in the auxiliary sections of the railway network where it is not possible or unprofitable to build an air contact network. Therefore, we want to continue to support and promote this technology

The fruit of the joint work of the Alstom teams from Salzgitter (Germany) and Tarbes (France), Coradia iLint also gained full support from the German Ministry of Economy and Transport. The company received eight million euros from the German government as a participant in the National Innovation Program (NIP) in the field of hydrogen and fuel cell applications.

Alstom's director of research and development, Wolfram Schwab, said: “The issuance of this permit is an important event both in the fate of the Coradia iLint and in transportation in general, a decisive step into the future, clean and full of prospects. Alstom is immensely proud of its creation, and we are incredibly pleased that it will finally go on regular flights with passengers, and the world will thus be one more step closer to being able to move without harming the environment. ”

In November last year, Alstom signed a contract with the transport administration of Lower Saxony (it. Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen, LNVG) for the supply of fourteen fuel cell trains. The contract also provides for maintenance and fuel supply for thirty years.

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