14 Coradia iLint Trains to Commence Passenger Service on First 100% Hydrogen Operated Route

Following a successful trial run of almost two years with two pre-series trains,.Alstom has announced that the world’s first hydrogen train, the Coradia iLint, has reached another historical milestone in Bremervörde, Lower Saxony, Germany. Fourteen vehicles are now used on the world premiere 100% hydrogen train route, in passenger operation. 

The train only emits steam and condensed water while operating with a low level of noise. The 14 vehicles with fuel cell propulsion belong to Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LNVG). 

LNVG had already started looking for alternatives to diesel trains in 2012 and thus provided momentum for the development of the trains in Germany.  

“The world’s first hydrogen train, the Coradia iLint, demonstrates our clear commitment to green mobility combined with state-of-the-art technology. We are very proud to bring this technology into series operation as part of a world premiere, together with our great partners,” says Henri Poupart-Lafarge, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Alstom.

On the route between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehude, 14 hydrogen-powered Alstom regional trains will be operated by evb on behalf of LNVG, gradually replacing 15 diesel trains. They will be fuelled daily and around the clock at the Linde hydrogen filling station. 

Thanks to a range of 1,000 kilometres (620 miles), the Alstom Coradia iLint multiple units can run all day on just one tank of hydrogen on the evb network. 

Since September 2018, there had been a successful trial run with two pre-series trains.