Travel by train—already one of the most eco-friendly ways to get around—now has the potential to be even greener.
In August, the world’s first fleet of hydrogen-powered passenger trains debuted outside of Hamburg, Germany. Manufactured by French mobility company Alstom in a 93 million euro ($96.4 million) deal, the trains run on hydrogen fuel-cell technology that generates electrical energy propulsion for the engines, eliminating the need for fossil fuels.
By early 2023, this region of Germany will have a total of 14 zero-emission trains—six of which are already in service—all replacing former diesel trains. Instead of generating diesel pollution, the hydrogen-powered trains emit only steam and condensed water.
The trains, called Coradia iLint trains, can run for an entire day on a single tank of hydrogen. The trains will save more than 422,000 gallons of diesel fuel annually, according to an AP report, and prevent over 4,000 tons of CO2 emissions each year, as compared to diesel trains, according to Alstom estimates.
“The emergence of the hydrogen train is a true revolution in rail transport,” says Alstom VP Brahim Soua. He notes that a hydrogen fuel cell train carries its own power source and can cover the same distances as a diesel train, minus the emissions. “Replacing a large proportion of diesel trains with emission-free hydrogen trains would represent an extremely important step towards a more sustainable future.”
Germany’s new hydrogen trains will run along a 62-mile regional route in the Lower Saxony region, operated by German rail company Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LNVG). Commuters and travelers can hop aboard the 300-passenger trains to zip between the seaside town of Cuxhaven, with its beachy vibe and boardwalk; port city Bremerhaven, home to a sparkling new immigration museum; nature haven Bremervörde; and historic Buxtehude, a stop along the Grimm's-collection-inspired “German Fairy Tale Route.”
Faced with a worsening worldwide climate crisis, greener alternative energy solutions like hydrogen are being actively pursued by the largely fossil fuel-reliant global transportation sector. And while trains are generally viewed as an environmentally favorable transport choice, especially as compared to flying, rail travel is a contributor of 1% of global transport emissions. In the E.U., trains emitted 3.8 million metric tons of CO2 in 2019.
Globally, many railway companies have set up ambitious decarbonization targets for 2050 via the United Nations’ “Race to Zero” campaign, with urgency on these goals further bolstered by the grave health risks posed by air pollution. In the E.U. alone, more than 300,000 premature deaths were caused by air pollution in 2019.
“Rail pollution has significant and long-lasting negative impacts on public health, including increased rates of childhood asthma, lung disease, and premature death,” explains Cara Bottorff, managing senior analyst at environmental advocacy nonprofit Sierra Club. “Locomotive emissions are concentrated near ports and rail yards and pose significant health effects to neighboring communities.”
Germany, in particular, faces increased pressure to reduce emissions, as it responds to citizen lawsuits owed to its high levels of national air pollution. Meanwhile, the country—along with the rest of Europe—copes with spiked energy costs around Russian fuel disruptions as the Ukraine war rages on.
Worldwide, diesel trains are still commonplace. While more than half of trains in Europe today are electric, the investment for electrifying less-utilized and lower-revenue-generating routes (via overhead power lines or other infrastructure) can be cost-prohibitive. In these cases, hydrogen trains, which are compatible with non-electrified rail lines, can present a more viable, cost-effective alternative.
Apart from this ease of application and their overarching environmental benefits, hydrogen trains are additionally touted for their noise reduction. “Hydrogen trains offer significantly quieter operation for both passengers and those outside the trains,” Soua says.
Experts are projecting major growth for the hydrogen train market. Alstom states that around 6,000 passenger trains in Europe still run on diesel fuel, which will require replacement by 2035 in order to achieve climate targets. About a fifth of train journeys in Germany today are diesel-powered, with Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany’s international broadcaster, reporting that between 2,500 and 3,000 diesel trains in the country could be replaced with hydrogen-powered models. “We will not buy any more diesel trains, in order to do even more to combat climate change,” Carmen Schwable, a spokesperson for LNVG, told DW in August. “We [also] are convinced that diesel trains will no longer be economically viable in the future.”
German gas and engineering company Linde has established the world’s first hydrogen filling station for passenger trains along the new Lower Saxony route, where the trains can refuel daily. But environmentalists caution that Germany’s new fleet is currently being powered by the more common “grey” hydrogen—a less environmentally-friendly version of hydrogen that’s reliant on fossil-fuel-dependent infrastructure for its extraction. “Nearly all hydrogen is currently produced from fossil fuels,” explains Sierra Club’s Bottorff. “Hydrogen produced using fossil fuels continues to pollute our communities and environment.”
Bottorff says only “green” hydrogen, powered by renewable energy like wind and solar, is deemed eco-friendly, and that when it comes to rail, if electrification is possible, it should be the first choice. (Alstom says that a hydrogen production site for the train route that is powered by wind is now in the works.)
Indeed, the movement is expanding, with Europe poised to be a world leader in the transition to green rails. Further afield in Germany, the first of 27 Coradia iLint trains will begin servicing the Frankfurt metropolitan area in December. Alstom has also inked deals with destinations in Italy and France, and has additionally tested its Coradia iLint trains in Austria, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and beyond.
Other companies are developing hydrogen rail technology, too, including German tech giant Siemens, which is currently testing hydrogen trains for the European market. Estimates are that up to a fifth of European trains will run on hydrogen by 2035, with other international projects coming down the tracks—or already underway—in destinations like India, California, Canada, Japan, and the U.K.
“It should be noted that hydrogen has many potential applications beyond the rail industry,” says Soua. Indeed, travelers should look for hydrogen-powered airplanes and cruise ships to change the landscape of sustainable travel in the near future.
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