photo: Alstom/Alstom Coradia iLint hydrogen train runs in France for the first time
By the Alstom`s official press release: The Alstom Coradia iLint train, the world's first hydrogen-powered train, made the first turns in France on the rails of the Center d'Essais Ferroviaires in Valenciennes (in the north of France) in the presence of Jean-Baptiste Gebarri, French Minister Delegate to the Minister for Environmental Affairs, responsible for transport, and Jean-Baptiste Eymeud, President of Alstom France.
Alstom teams are launching and presenting Coradia iLint to various local stakeholders, including decision makers, transport authorities, engineering companies and operators, to highlight the potential of this train in the range of environmentally friendly transport solutions offered in France.
This presentation is part of the national energy transition ambition, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transport noise. This task was supported by the French government in its Hydrogen Plan, initiated in 2018. This presentation is also part of the French Recovery Plan and Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) launched by the European Union in 2020.
Alstom, a global leader in green and smart mobility, has been developing a portfolio of zero-emission mobility solutions for several years and has launched an ambitious battery and hydrogen innovation program. Alstom has been working on the launch of a regional train equipped with hydrogen fuel cells since 2013. The first two 100% H2 iLint trains entered commercial service in 2018 in Germany, and to date the two German states have ordered 41 trains, with successful trials in Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden and now in France. In Italy, operator FNM has confirmed an order for 14 hydrogen trains at the end of 2020.
The Coradia iLint is the world's first electrically powered hydrogen fuel cell passenger train. This zero-emission light train is as quiet as an electric train and emits only water vapor.
France plays a key role in the development of hydrogen mobility solutions. The traction units are designed and manufactured at the Alstom global center of excellence for sustainable traction, located in Tarbes (Southwest France). The recent acquisition of Helion Hydrogen Power, based in Aix-en-Provence (southern France), which spans the entire high-power fuel cell value chain, demonstrates Alstom's commitment to establishing a hydrogen center of excellence in France. This new venture will be involved in the development of high-performance hydrogen solutions for heavy vehicles, especially railways.
Trials of the Coradia iLint train on the French rail network will take place in 2022 on the Tour-Loches line, a small local line in the Center-Val-de-Loire region.