Groundbreaking ceremony with State Secretary Deutschendorf: Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund, Alstom and Infraserv Höchst continue to develop hydrogen infrastructure in the Rhine-Main area
When a State Secretary of the Hessian Ministry of Economics, Energy, Transport and Housing personally lends a hand in building a petrol station, then it must be a very special project. In fact, the filling station that will be built in the Höchst Industrial Park in the next few months is anything but ordinary: It is the first hydrogen filling station for passenger trains in Hesse, and from December 2022 the world’s largest passenger fleet of fuel cell trains with hydrogen should be supplied.
State Secretary Jens Deutschendorf kicked off this project on Monday, October 26th, together with RMV managing director Prof. Knut Ringat, Dr. Jörg Nikutta, Managing Director Alstom Germany and Austria and Dr. Joachim Kreysing, Managing Director of the industrial park operating company Infraserv Höchst. Alstom is supplying the fuel cell trains that RMV will use, and the industrial park operator Infraserv Höchst is building and operating the petrol station.
Hessen as a pioneer in environmentally friendly mobility concepts
“Hessen is setting the pace on the way to climate-friendly and environmentally friendly mobility, as the Taunusnetz project shows,” said State Secretary Deutschendorf , which can also be an interesting alternative for other regions. I would like to thank the RMV and Industriepark Höchst for their courage in realizing this innovative project. ”
Infraserv managing director Dr. Joachim Kreysing, Dr. Jörg Nikutta, managing director of Alstom Germany and Austria, RMV managing director Prof. Knut Ringat and state secretary Jens Deutschendorf (from left) broke ground together for the construction of the hydrogen filling station in the Höchst industrial park. © Infraserv Höchst, 2020
RMV: World record with the fuel cell fleet
The project has a very special significance for the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund. “With the fuel cell trains from Alstom we are opening a new chapter in emission-free mobility at RMV”, said RMV managing director Prof. Knut Ringat at the groundbreaking event. “With the 27 vehicles we set a world record: Nowhere else is there such a large fuel cell fleet in local passenger transport.” Prof. Ringat praised the excellent cooperation with the rail vehicle manufacturer Alstom and Infraserv Höchst: “I am delighted that we have this Complete the mammoth project on schedule and on budget. ”The total order volume is 500 million euros.
Alstom trains: Emission-free and quiet through the Taunus
“With today’s groundbreaking ceremony, we are ringing in a new era in emission-free rail transport in the Rhine-Main region. We are delighted that Infraserv Höchst is taking on the refueling of our series trains for the RMV, ”said Dr. Jörg Nikutta. The Alstom fuel cell trains of the “Coradia iLint” type, which thanks to a range of up to 1,000 kilometers can travel for a whole day in the RMV network, will be used by diesel-powered locomotives on the lines (RB 11 Frankfurt-Höchst – Bad Soden) , RB12 (Frankfurt-Königstein), RB15 (Frankfurt – Bad Homburg – Brandoberndorf) and RB16 (Friedrichsdorf – Friedberg). The world’s first passenger train to be operated with a hydrogen fuel cell runs completely emission-free, is quiet and only emits water vapor and condensation.
Infraserv Höchst: Committed to hydrogen and fuel cell technology
When it comes to hydrogen and fuel cell technology, Infraserv Höchst, the operating company of the 4.6 square kilometer Höchst industrial park, has been active for many years. The first hydrogen filling station for cars was put into operation at the industrial park in 2006. “We are very proud that Infraserv Höchst and Industriepark Höchst can make a contribution to the further development of this future technology,” said Dr. Joachim Kreysing, Managing Director of Infraserv Höchst. Chemistry has traditionally been one of the branches of industry in Germany that produces innovative technologies. “The pressing questions about energy supply and future mobility concepts can only be answered with the chemical industry,” said Dr. Kreysing.
The Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) is one of the largest German transport associations. It coordinates and organizes regional bus and rail traffic over an area of around 14,000 square kilometers. This is around two thirds of the area of the state of Hesse. Around 5 million people live in the area covered by the network. If the inhabitants of the transition tariff zones are included, the figure rises to 6.7 million. The network was launched in 1995 and since then, more and more people have chosen RMV: 805 million passengers travelled on it last year.
In this way, RMV makes a significant contribution to the development of the Rhine-Main area as a vibrant metropolitan region. www.rmv.de
Coradia iLint is the first passenger train in the world to be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, which generates electrical energy for propulsion. This completely emission-free train is quiet and emits only water vapor and condensation water.
The train features several different innovations: clean energy conversion, flexible energy storage in batteries and intelligent management of motive power and available energy. Designed specifically for use on non-electrified lines, it enables clean, sustainable train operations. www.alstom.com
Infraserv Höchst is the leading partner for chemical and pharmaceutical companies in the development of research and production sites. The company’s services include energy supply, waste management, network operation, site services, occupational health and safety, environmental protection and facility management. Together with its subsidiaries, the Infraserv Höchst Group also covers logistics, education and process technology. The Infraserv Höchst Group
has some 2,700 employees and 193 trainees. In 2019, Infraserv Höchst, including its subsidiaries Infraserv Logistics, Infraserv Höchst Process Technology, Provadis Partner for Education and Consulting and Thermal Conversion Compound, generated revenues of more than 1 billion euros.
Infraserv Höchst is the operator of Industriepark Höchst, a 460-hectare park that is home to some 90 companies from the pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, basic and specialty chemicals, crop protection, food additives and services sectors. Some 22,000 people work here. Total investment since 2000 has amounted to approximately 8 billion euros. www.infraserv.com
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