Whistle blows in Germany for world’s first hydrogen train fleet

Gulf Today Report

At a time when the world is getting battered by terribly adverse weather conditions, be it heavy rains, floods or heatwaves, many governments are harping on the clean energy theme. That means less dependence on fossil fuels like coal and more on such things as e-vehicles and solar power.

Even hydrogen is being touted as a credible renewable energy source. French energy giant TotalEnergies said recently that it would buy a stake in a firm owned by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani to develop the world's biggest green hydrogen ecosystem.

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Now, one of Europe’s major economic powerhouses, Germany, said it would launch a railway line powered entirely by hydrogen. This is being heralded as the first of its kind in the world and a thumbs-up for green transport.

A fleet of 14 trains have been provided by French industrial giant Alstom to the German state Lower Saxony.

These will replace the diesel locomotives on the 100 -kilometre track connecting the cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and Buxtehude near Hamburg. 

A driver steers the first hydrogen-powered train, by French train maker Alstom, near Bremervoerde. File/AFP

Hydrogen trains have become a very effective way to reduce the carbon footprint in the rail sector and do away with diesel, which still powers 20 per cent of journeys in Germany.

Billed as a "zero emission" mode of transport, the trains mix hydrogen on board with oxygen present in the ambient air, thanks to a fuel cell installed in the roof. This produces the electricity needed to pull the train.

The project saw investment to the tune of millions of euros and opened up jobs for 80 employees in the two nations.