Although Alstom’s Coradia Lint DMUs are a great commercial success with over 1,000 units sold, the hydrogen version – the iLint – has so far only made it to the presentation and evaluation phase. But Alstom keeps pushing it. It has bagged one major order, the iLint successfully completed test operations on the Weser-Elbe-Netz and the train went to Austria and the Netherlands. The Breeze project for the UK is on the way and the Polyvalent HMU will come to France. Now there is a newly established cooperation with Italian company Snam, which could add Italy on the hydrogen trains map in Europe.
On 04.06.2020, Alstom and Snam, the energy infrastructure company, signed a five-year agreement aiming for the development of hydrogen multiple units (HMU) for Italy. Alstom has the technology ready, yet the hydrogen operation has several obstacles that Railcolor News wrote about earlier this year.
The new agreement should overcome the hydrogen hurdles related to infrastructure. Snam should take care of the infrastructure for production, transport of fuel, and the refueling itself.
“We believe in hydrogen. This is the reason why we have signed a partnership with Snam. Coradia iLint, the first hydrogen powered train, is already in passenger service between the towns of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehudehe in Germany. We hope that Coradia ILint hydrogen trains will soon become a reality in Italy, too. Thanks to a partner like Snam we will be able to respond to the market by offering a full-fledged solution” Michele Viale, Managing Director of Alstom Italy and Switzerland.
Such deals will not only enable decarbonization efforts in Europe. It could also decrease the dependency of Europe on current fossil fuels.
Hydrogen trains overview – the cooperation:
- An agreement on the development of hydrogen-fueled trains was signed at the end of 2019 between Polish rolling stock manufacturer Pesa and fuel and oil company PKN Orlen
- Siemens has partnered with Canadian fuel cells manufacturer in order to develop a hydrogen-powered Mireo platform train
Hydrogen trains overview – the operation:
- Alstom’s Coradia iLint tested in the Netherlands
- German Bavaria intends to eliminate all of its diesel trains, hydrogen in the spotlight
- Austrian ÖBB has signed an agreement with Alstom to hire two HMUs for the period of 12 months
- German Bavaria intends to eliminate all of its diesel trains, hydrogen in the spotlight
- French Occitanie and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions order Alstom Coradia Polyvalent HMUs
- Stadler develops a hydrogen train for the Austrial narrow-gauge Zillertalbahn
- Swiss Stadler also to deliver the first HMUs to the USA: Flirts H2 for California
- British rolling stock manufacturer Vivarail develops a hydrogen-powered class 230 unit
- Alstom partners with Eversholt rail in the UK, choosing class 321 to be rebuilt for an HMU
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