Germany launches world's first hydrogen-powered train

Germany has added two hydrogen-powered trains into its fleet of trains. Two bright blue Coradia iLint trains, built by French TGV-maker Alstom, on Monday began running a 62 mile (100km) route between the towns and cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and Buxtehude in northern Germany – a stretch normally plied by diesel trains.

“The world’s first hydrogen train is entering into commercial service and is ready for serial production,” Alstom CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarg said at the unveiling ceremony at Bremervoerde, the station where the trains will be refueled with hydrogen.

This is a big step from Germany towards becoming more eco-friendly. Germany has already thinking of buying more such trains. And according, to its contract with Alstom, about 14 more hydrogen trains will be manufactured by 2021.

These trains will be running on hydrogen fuel cell, which produces power by a reaction of hydrogen and oxygen. And the end products is water, as a result, it is being called zero pollution transportation. Only a part of energy generated will be required for running trains and excess energy is stored in ion lithium batteries on board the train.A single fuel cell is capable of generating enough energy for 600 miles trip, which is similar in capacity to a diesel powered train.

Other countries are also looking into hydrogen trains, Alstom said, including Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Italy and Canada. In France, the government has already said it wants the first hydrogen train to be on the rails by 2022.