Hydrogen trains – the future of a decarbonised railway?

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

Comments Section

If you are a Logistics UK member login to add comments.