The Netherlands Abandons Hydrogen Train Plans and Switches to Battery Units

The Netherlands is abandoning plans for hydrogen trains and transitioning to battery units. They offer lower costs, simpler infrastructure, and a better outlook for zero-emission transport.

The regional government of the northern Dutch province of Groningen has cancelled its plans to procure hydrogen trains and has instead decided to purchase battery-powered trains. At a time of global climate activism and alarmism, the regional government voluntarily committed to making its regional public transport zero-emission by 2035. Due to this ideological conviction, the province of Groningen had long been a strong supporter of hydrogen propulsion, which theoretically can be the only fully zero-emission technology. The province therefore also supported plans to build a green hydrogen production plant, to be powered by electricity generated from wind turbines located on the North Sea coast in Groningen.

Dutch Plans for Ecological Transport

The decision to test Alstom’s iLint hydrogen train prototype was made already in 2020, and the project has since tested its operation. The project involved the state-owned Dutch rail infrastructure manager ProRail, operator Arriva, the company Engie as supplier of "green" ecological hydrogen and tank installation, train manufacturer Alstom, and DEKRA as an independent testing organisation. Promotion of the project focused not only on environmental and climate benefits but also on the fact that no overhead lines would have to be built in the province.

The results of the testing convinced the public authorities. They then became very optimistic supporters of the technology. They incorporated it into operational concepts for all railway lines in the province and tested this operational concept in a simulation model. They also began preparing a financial model in parallel. They succeeded in securing the European Investment Bank as a partner, which was to cover roughly one-third of the acquisition costs for the trains. The first line to enter operation was to be the Veendam–Stadskanaal route.

Hydrogen Train Tests Appeared Promising

The test report, still available on the website of train manufacturer Alstom, is highly optimistic: refuelling hydrogen into the iLint train can be performed safely; there were no safety incidents and no environmentally dangerous situations. The test of the refuelling process showed that filling the train’s tanks using a mobile tank was possible without the use of a compressor, using only the pressure difference between the hydrogen tanker and the train. The train was partially refuelled up to 170 bar instead of the maximum 350 bar, which was sufficient for the test.

During the test, the train covered approximately 225 km per night. After refuelling to 170 bar, the remaining daily pressure after the test remained well above 10 bar, which had been defined as the minimum lower limit of tank content. The report states that with a longer preparation time for refuelling, it would be possible to use another device that would allow higher refuelling pressure and probably a shorter refuelling time. Alstom stated that the fuel-filling process was carried out using a portable hydrogen refuelling station (THRS), but in real operation, Coradia iLint trains were expected to be filled via a stationary refuelling station. Refuelling was expected to take only 15 minutes, enabling the train to travel up to 1,000 km.

Real-World Operation Decided by Economics and Budget

Now, however, the province of Groningen has found that despite subsidies, the commercial viability of operating hydrogen trains would be impossible. In the tender for four hydrogen trains, no bid was submitted that would allow the province, the operator, or the regional budget to economically justify the project. The economic barrier also included the costs of hydrogen infrastructure.

Groningen has therefore ended its hydrogen experiment and, according to Dutch media, will follow the neighbouring province of Friesland, which recently decided on electric hybrid battery-powered trains (BEMU). At the same time, at least on disconnected sections of the mostly single-track regional lines, electrification will be necessary, with batteries to be recharged during station stops via short charging sections of overhead lines.

The province considers battery technology more commercially viable than hydrogen, because battery-powered trains can, with minimal modifications, be more easily integrated into the existing infrastructure. Battery-powered trains are also more energy efficient and can be easily recharged during station stops, reducing the need for complex and costly refuelling infrastructure.

9️⃣ 🚉🇳🇱 2019: Trial runs of Alstom’s Coradia iLint in the Netherlands 💧#Alstom #MobilityByNature #iLint #HydrogenTrain pic.twitter.com/pHbm6ziTbc

— Antoine Belleguie (@ABelleguie) August 1, 2023

Groningen’s Plans for the Transition to Battery Trains

Regional transport is currently operated by Arriva, which runs a fleet of Stadler GTW diesel multiple units. The province of Groningen is considering applying to the Dutch government and the European Union for financial support for its new fleet of battery trains.

The Netherlands was, after Germany, the second EU member state to begin testing hydrogen trains from 2020. The experience is also relevant for the Czech Republic. The Czech rail infrastructure manager has an electrification plan for rail lines, but experience from hydrogen testing and from the operation of battery units that recharge at selected stops should form the basis of any discussion about the future of rail in the Czech Republic—not only for infrastructure managers and operators, but also for the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which decide on subsidy programmes for the development of hydrogen infrastructure.