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Alstom receives series approval for iLint and expands international hydrogen projects

Alstom has received the serial approval from the European Railway Agency for the 2-car iLint hydrogen train which will start operation in Lower Saxony this summer I © Alstom

On July 15th, the Federal Railway Authority in Germany (Eisenbahn-Bundesamt) has given its approval Alstom’ first series production hydrogen trains which will go in operation in Lower Saxony this summer. Alstom has delivered 14 iLint fuel cell trains to Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LNVG) which will be operated by Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser GmbH (evb).

With this step Alstom is the first rail vehicle manufacturer in the world to bring a hydrogen series fleet into the market. It is the first vehicle type approval of a hydrogen fuel call train under the new legal framework of the 4th railway package.

The trains are used in Lower Saxony in the evb network and are based in Bremervörde, where a hydrogen fuelling station was built by the gas and engineering company Linde near Bremervörde station on behalf of the Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LNVG).

The contract between LNVG and Alstom also includes 30 years of maintenance and energy supply for the trains. With the acquisition of the trains, Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser GmbH (EVB) can gradually take their old diesel-powered trains out of regular service.

One of the two pre-series Coradia iLint trains has performed test runs at the Petite-Forêt railway test centre in France in September 2021 I © Alstom 

Die Serienfahrzeuge unterscheiden sich in einigen Aspekten von den beiden iLint Vorserienfahrzeugen, die sich seit 2018 im Probebetrieb befinden. Die iLint Serienfahrzeugen für die evb als auch für Hessen (siehe unten) präsentieren sich nach einem Facelift deutlich moderner: u.a. neue Stirnleuchten und eine neue Fensteraufteilung an den Türen unterscheiden die Serienfahrzeuge von ihren Vorgängern. Neben weiteren Optimierungen konnte darüber hinaus die Reichweite von 800 km auf 1000 km erweitert werden.

The iLint Story

From September 2018 to the end of February 2020, two Coradia iLint pre-series trains successfully covered more than 200,000 kilometres in regular passenger service. 

After 530 days and more than 180,000 kilometres travelled, the trial operation of the world’s first two hydrogen trains on the Weser-Elbe network was successfully completed on schedule at the end of February. Two pre-series trains of the Coradia iLint model from rail vehicle manufacturer Alstom had been in passenger service since September 2018.

The innovative multiple-unit trains were developed as part of the NOW-funded development project, which ran from September 2013 to October 2016 and was handled by Alstom and the DLR Institute. The project advanced the research and development work required for the market launch of fuel cell-powered rail vehicles.

About the Coradia iLint

The Coradia iLint is the world’s first passenger train powered by a hydrogen fuel cell that generates electrical energy for propulsion. This completely emission-free train is quiet and emits only water vapour and condensation. The train features numerous innovations: clean energy conversion, flexible energy storage in batteries and intelligent management of motive power and available energy. Developed specifically for use on non-electrified lines, it enables clean, sustainable train operation.

Overview scheme of the iLint with the fuel cell and hydrogen tank system installed on the roof I © Alstom 

Further information about the way of working of fuel cell and hydrogen propulsion can be found here:

Operation from December 2022 also in Hesse

The wholly-owned DB subsidiary Regionalverkehre Start Deutschland GmbH (start) will operate the Taunus subnetwork of the Rhein-Main Verkehrsverbund (RMV) from 11 December 2022, on which the world’s largest hydrogen train fleet will be used. The company prevailed in a Europe-wide tender and replaces the previous operator, Hessische Landesbahn GmbH. The Taunus subnetwork consists of the lines RB11 (Bad Soden – Sulzbach – Frankfurt-Höchst (- Kelkheim)), RB12 (Königstein – Kelkheim – Frankfurt-Höchst – Frankfurt (Main) Hbf), RB15 (Brandoberndorf – Usingen (- Friedrichsdorf – Bad Homburg – Frankfurt Hbf)) and RB16 (Friedberg – Friedrichsdorf – Bad Homburg).

The Taunus rail network which will be operated by the hydrogen train fleet starting in December 2022 I © Alstom 

Fleet change in Hesse

The Hessian vehicle management company fahma, which is subordinate to RMV, has ordered the 2019 trains and will provide them to the operating company start for passenger transport services from December 2022. The new two-car multiple units will replace fahma’s Lint41/H trains, which will continue to operate on a different route. The VT/2E trains of the HLB and the Hochtaunus transport association will be phased out.

In addition to the procurement of the trains, fahma has also commissioned the secure supply of hydrogen, maintenance and the provision of reserve capacities for the next 25 years. The hydrogen supply is provided by Alstom in cooperation with Infraserv GmbH & Co. Höchst KG. The filling station is located on the premises of the Frankfurt-Höchst industrial park.

Artist’s impression of the iLint for the Taunus network, operated by Deutsche Bahn/ start and RMV I © Alstom 

The new iLints offer 160 seats per vehicle, which is about 30 per cent more than some of the vehicles currently in use. During rush hour, the trains run in double traction. Peak trains offer 320 seats.

The trains will be equipped with extensive passenger information systems, such as monitors with real-time information, have space for bicycles, wheelchairs and prams, and offer passengers free Wi-Fi during the journey.

International hydrogen projects

Besides the two orders in Germany, Alstom has also initiated projects in Italy and France for hydrogen technologies.

The third contract comes from Italy where we are building 6 five-car Coradia Stream hydrogen trains in the region of Lombardy – with the option for 8 more, while the fourth is in France for 12 Coradia Polyvalent hydrogen trains shared across four different French regions.

The five-car Coradia Stream for FNM in Italy incorporates a technical car in the centre for the propulsion equipment I © Alstom 

The dual mode electric-hydrogen Coradia Polyvalent train meets the requirements of France’s diverse rail network and has an autonomy of up to 600 km on sections of non-electrified railway. This four-car, 72m-long train has a total capacity of 218 seats and the same dynamic performance and level of comfort as the dual mode electric-diesel version.

At the same time, Alstom continues to bring our the iLint to different countries: it has been successfully tested in Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Sweden, France, Poland and the Czech Republic.

French footprint

France plays a key role in the development of hydrogen mobility solutions. The traction units are designed and manufactured in Alstom’s global green traction centre of excellence, based in Tarbes (in the South-West of France). The recent acquisition of Helion Hydrogen Power, based in Aix-en-Provence (in the South of France), which covers the entire high-power fuel cell value chain, demonstrates Alstom’s commitment to building a hydrogen centre of excellence in France. This new entity will participate in the development of very high-performance hydrogen solutions for heavy mobility, particularly railway.

A trial of the Coradia iLint train on the French rail network will be held in 2022 on the Tours-Loches line, a small local line in the Centre-Val de Loire region.

Artist’s impression of the Coradia Polyvalent dual-mode hydrogen train for SNCF in France I © Alstom 
17.07.2022
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