🕒 Article read time: 2 minutes
Hydrogen trains – the future of a decarbonised railway?
In what the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps MP hailed as a big step forward towards meeting the UK’s net zero targets, Britain’s first hydrogen-powered train was trialled on the UK rail network in the Midlands last week.
The trial of the train, known as HydroFLEX, were funded by a £750,000 grant from the Department for Transport, and follow two years of development and more than £1 million of investment by both British rail company Porterbrook and the University of Birmingham.
The HydroFLEX made a 25-mile round trip through Warwickshire and Worcestershire, reaching speeds of up to 50mph. While the hydrogen tanks, fuel cell and battery currently reside in a carriage, the next phase is to move them underneath the train.
It is expected that the cutting-edge technology will be available to retrofit current in-service trains by 2023. As hydrogen-powered trains do not emit harmful gases, it is hoped that they can help decarbonise the rail network.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “As we continue on our road to a green recovery, we know that to really harness the power of transport to improve our country – and to set a global gold standard – we must truly embed change.
“That’s why I’m delighted that, through our plans to build back better, we’re embracing the power of hydrogen and the more sustainable, greener forms of transport it will bring.”
The train trial is part of a £23 million Hydrogen for Transport Programme.
*https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-embraces-hydrogen-fuelled-future-as-transport-hub-and-train-announced
Published On: 08/10/2020 16:00:00
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LOGISTICS UK'S VIEW
Zoe McLernon, Logistics UK's Multimodal Policy Manager, said, "Rail freight will be vital in achieving environmental targets by 2050 and is already a green form of transport for freight across the UK.
While electrification of the rail network remains key for decarbonisation, the hydrogen train trial is a huge step forward and progress that needs to be welcomed. Logistics UK is keen to work with the industry to support hydrogen opportunities in rail freight.”
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