The largest hydrogen train fleet in the world will soon be in Hesse. 27 trains powered by hydrogen and fuel cells are to run here in the future. The Federal Ministry of Transport is funding the project with 24 million euros.
In Hesse, 27 trains powered by hydrogen and fuel cells will soon be on the road, making them the largest fleet of hydrogen trains in the world. “Hydrogen is part of the solution for heavy commercial vehicles, ships and rail operations,” explains Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing at the presentation of the first train in Frankfurt am Main.
Most trains in Germany are electrically operated. Over 60 percent of the German rail network is already electrified. In Hesse, 75 percent of the trains are already electric. However, full electrification is not always feasible or economically worthwhile. For example, where you cannot lay overhead lines due to tunnels or other structures. Hydrogen trains are equipped with a fuel cell. This converts the energy stored in the hydrogen into electrical energy, which can accelerate the train to up to 140 kilometers per hour via the electric motor. No climate-damaging exhaust gases are produced – only heat and water vapor.
The fleet of hydrogen trains that will be on the road in Hesse from December is a pioneer. This should bring Germany one step closer to the goal of climate-neutral mobility. “That’s important, we need such pioneering projects in order to achieve our climate protection goals very quickly. That’s why the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport is funding this with 24 million euros and we hope that there will be many imitators very quickly,” said Wissing in the SAT.1 regional magazine for Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse.
The federal government is thus making an important contribution to the procurement of climate-friendly vehicles with alternative drives.
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