Germany unveils fully hydrogen-powered train line

Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Germany became the first country in the world to unveil a railway line powered entirely by hydrogen on Wednesday, marking a significant step forward for green train transportation.

The fleet of 14 trains was produced by the French company Alstom and will replace diesel locomotives on the 60 miles of track that connects the cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and Buxtehude near Hamburg.

"Emission free mobility is one of the most important goals for ensuring a sustainable future and Alstom has a clear ambition to become the world leader in alternative propulsion systems for rail," Henri Poupart-Lafarge, CEO and chairman of the board of Alstom, said in a press release.

"We are very proud to bring this technology into series operation as part of a world premiere, together with our great partners," Poupart-Lafarge said.

The railway line aims to save around 8 tons of CO2 emissions annually, according to Deutsche Welle.

Commercial trials of Alstom's trains, called Coradia iLint, have been carried out since 2018.

The company has also signed contracts for trains between Germany, France and Italy. One out of two regional trains in Europe runs on diesel, with many others being electric. However, that could soon be changing.

"By 2035, around 15 to 20 percent of the regional European market could run on hydrogen," Alexandre Charpentier, a rail expert at consultancy Roland Berger, told Al Jazeera.

Alstom has also begun to integrate its hydrogen trains into Britain's commuter services as well.