The Alstom Group and Eversholt Rail today announced an agreement to develop Britain’s first fleet of hydrogen trains.
The two companies will work together, exchanging technical and commercial information needed, for Alstom to design, build and operate a fleet of ten hydrogen trains, with three cars each. The trains, which will be manufactured by Alstom in the UK, will be based on the latest development of the Alstom Aventra platform. The goal is to sign the final contract to acquire the fleet in early 2022.
Thus, Eversholt Rail and Alstom are committed to leading and advancing the goals of the Scottish and UK Governments in Decarbonization of the railway sector by 2035 and 2040, Straight.
“COP26 has reminded us of the urgent need to decarbonize our planet. Rail is already the lowest emitting mode of transportation, but we can do more. Signing this agreement with our Evershult Rail partners will lead to more to the construction of Britain’s first fleet of all-new hydrogen trains.”
Hydrogen in the rail sector: a push to decarbonize movement
On lines not yet electrified, railways could become one of the main users and drivers of hydrogen, achieving a dual goal on the path to decarbonization:
– Hydrogen accelerator as an energy vector, promoting infrastructure construction and favoring the generation of economies of scale around hydrogen.
– Replacing diesel traction systems on non-electrified lines. In Spain, there are still more than 4,000 kilometers of railways without electricity, powered by more than 250 diesel trains and locomotives, which must be replaced by hydrogen or electric trains (if electrified), to meet carbon neutrality goals.
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