The world’s first hydrogen fuel cell train, the Coradia iLint, made its debut this past weekend.

The train is equipped with fuel cells that convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, thereby eliminating pollutant emissions related to propulsion.

Two such trains will, from September 17, enter commercial service according to a fixed timetable in Lower Saxony, Germany, rail transport company Alstom said in a statement on Monday.

For the time being, travellers in transport authority Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser’s (EVB’s) Elbe-Weser network can look forward to a “world-first” journey on the low-noise, zero-emission train that reaches speeds of up to 140 km/h.

On behalf of transport authority Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LNVG), the Coradia iLint trains will be operated on nearly 100 km of line running between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehude, and will replace EVB’s existing diesel fleet.

Fuelled at a mobile hydrogen filling station, the gaseous hydrogen will be pumped into the trains from a 40-ft-high steel container next to the tracks at Bremervörde station and will be able to run throughout the network for the whole day.

A stationary filling station on the EVB premises is scheduled to go into operation in 2021, when Alstom will deliver a further 14 Coradia iLint trains to LNVG.

“This is a revolution for Alstom and for the future of mobility. The world’s first hydrogen fuel cell train is entering passenger service and is ready for serial production,” Alstom CEO and chairperson Henri Poupart-Lafarge enthused in a statement on Monday.

He added that the Coradia iLint “heralds a new era in emission-free rail transport”, noting that it is an “innovation that results from French–German teamwork and exemplifies successful cross-border cooperation”.

In addition, Lower Saxony Economy and Transport Minister Dr Bernd Althusmann added that with the test operation starting on Monday, Lower Saxony is performing “real pioneering work in local transport in cooperation with Alstom and EVB”.

The Minister’s department supported LNVG’s purchase of another 14 hydrogen trains worth more than €81-million.

“The emission-free drive technology of the Coradia iLint provides a climate-friendly alternative to conventional diesel trains, particularly on non-electrified lines,” he explained.

“In successfully proving the operability of the fuel cell technology in daily service, we will set the course for rail transport to be largely operated climate-friendly and emission-free in the future. The state government of Lower Saxony is proud of putting this trendsetting project on the track together with LNVG,” Althusmann elaborated.

According to federal government commissioner for rail transport and parliamentary state secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Enak Ferlemann, the federal government has actively supported the development and testing of the new drive technology in Lower Saxony by providing funds from the National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology.

Meanwhile, LNVG chief Carmen Schwabl, whose authority organises the rail passenger transport between the North Sea and the Harz mountains, noted that the entry to fuel cell technology is also a strategic decision.

She explained that, with the two Coradia iLint trains and with the use of another 14 hydrogen trains from the end of 2021, LNVG is the first passenger rail transport authority to replace existing diesel vehicles with emission-free vehicles, thereby contributing better to the fulfilment of the climate protection goals.

“We also do this because about 120 diesel trainsets in our vehicle pool will reach the end of their lifetime within the next 30 years, meaning we will have to replace them. The experience gained with this project helps us find a sustainable and practical solution,” LNVG’s MD commented.