ENGIE, a leader in the zero-carbon transition, successfully refuelled a hydrogen passenger train in a pilot test in the Northern Netherlands that took place between February 27 and March 11.
The testing of CoradiaiLint, the world’s first renewable hydrogen passenger train, is led by the Netherlands’ province of Groningen, and jointly conducted with Alstom, a French multi-national in rail transport, Arriva, a local train operator, ProRail, a Dutch railway infrastructure agency, and DEKRA, an independent testing organisation.
The train is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, which produces electrical power for traction. It emits only water and steam during operation, representing a clean alternative for the regional government looking to replace diesel fleets on non-electrified lines and meet their zero carbon emission objectives. In the Netherlands, the rail network is about 1,000 km of non-electrified railway lines. Around 100 diesel trains are currently running on these lines daily. With the common goal to develop zero-carbon transport, this joint project aims to demonstrate that the hydrogen fuel cell is an ideal technology to achieve clean rail transport.
The train tests without passengers were conducted on the 55-km railway between Leeuwarden and Groningen, at up to 140 km per hour. During the test, ENGIE supplied renewable hydrogen and operated the mobile refuelling station.
