Alstom receives first order for hydrogen trains in France

The government of the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region, the French National Railways Society (SNCF) and Alstom have signed a € 51.9 million contract for the delivery of the first three hydrogen-fueled trains. In 2024 they will start servicing the route between Auxerre, Avallon and Corbigny in the Yonne department, reports Railway Supply magazine referring to Zdmira.

hydrogen trains
Picture: Alstom

The trains of the Coradia Polyvalent family are equipped with a hybrid power plant. On electrified sections (direct and alternating current) they will receive power from the contact network, and on non-electrified sections it is envisaged to use fuel cells.

The train with a capacity of 220 passengers will be able to travel from 400 to 600 km at a speed of up to 160 km/h on hydrogen fuel. Tests of this rolling stock will begin in 2023. Trains on the Coradia Polyvalent platform will have a larger capacity compared to the Coradia iLint already in operation in Germany.

East Japan Railway, Toyota and Hitachi will develop train with hydrogen-electric traction system

In parallel, in the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region, it is planned to create an infrastructure for generating hydrogen using electricity from wind and hydroelectric power plants. In general, the French government intends to allocate up to 7 billion euros for projects in the field of hydrogen energy in the period up to 2030.

Related:

Pesa wants to introduce a hydrogen locomotive this year

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