German hydrogen train network runs dry

Because of delivery bottlenecks, the hydrogen train in the German state of Lower Saxony cannot operate as planned. Instead, five diesel trains currently service the line, while the hydrogen trains are shorter than usual to conserve fuel.

It is still unclear when the delivery of the much-needed hydrogen fuel will continue. The supplier currently hopes that he will be able to deliver in full again by midweek. Until now, the train has used hydrogen that is a waste product from the Dow Group’s chemical plant in Stade. It is then transported about 40 kilometres to Bremervörde by truck. In the future, the needed hydrogen will be produced in Bremervörde using green electricity.

Bremervörde is where the filling station for the trains was set up. It is operated by Linde and has a storage capacity of 1,800 kilograms of hydrogen, distributed over 64 500-bar high-pressure storage tanks. The trains have a range of 1,000 kilometres with one tank of hydrogen and can thus cover their daily mileage without a refuelling stop – at least when there is fuel available.

The 14 hydrogen-powered Coradia iLint regional trains replaced 15 diesel trains in 2022, servicing the routes between the cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehud. They are operated by the  Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser (evb) on behalf of the public transport operator Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LNVG). The operator says that it is the world’s first hydrogen train network.

spiegel.de (in German)