Commuters in Germany now have a chance to ride the world's first
hydrogen train as the country moves to replace old diesel-powered
engines. Instead of exhaust fumes, hydrogen trains produce only water.
A French-made hydrogen train took its first scheduled trip from the
station of Bremervörde in Lower Saxony on Monday, marking a world first
for the new transport technology.
Two Coradia iLint engines will
replace diesel trains on the 100-kilometer (62-mile) route linking the
towns of Cuxhaven and Buxtehude, with 14 other hydrogen trains set to be
introduced across the state by 2021. The new-type engines are produced
by the French company Alstom.
"The world's first hydrogen train
is entering into commercial service and is ready for serial production,"
Alstom CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge said during the unveiling ceremony in
Bremervörde, which will
serve as a refueling site.
The
new trains carry a hydrogen tank and fuel cells on the roof, and
produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen. Excess energy is
stored in ion lithium batteries. The engines can run for around 1,000
kilometers without refueling and reach a maximum speed 140 kilometers
per hour (87 miles per hour), similar to diesel trains.
Read more: World′s first hydrogen train rolls out in Germany | News | DW |
