Changing track with hydrogen-powered trains

The race to net zero is certainly on, mounting the pressure on countries to decarbonise railways. Despite this, 20% of Europe’s rail traffic was still coming from diesel trains in 2016 (Railway Technology, 2016). Meanwhile, the UK, Estonia and Belgium, to name a few countries, are constantly finding loopholes within emissions regulations in the EU. Passengers are nine times more exposed to pollutants on diesel trains than on a busy city street (University of Toronto, 2017), prompting the question whether enough progress is being made towards decarbonisation and radical innovation. Diesel phase out plans may need to be accelerated, in order to mitigate its environmental impact. Governments must consider whether electrification is the best investment for the future, in order to speed up the diesel phase out.

When it comes to rail innovations, it is usually the fastest, longest and newest connections that draw the public’s attention. Germany definitely bucked that trend, constructing the world’s first hydrogen train, the Coradia iLint, in Cuxhaven in 2016. Hydrogen fuelled trains only release water vapour and therefore zero emissions, whilst making around seven to eight trips in the same time as a diesel train makes just one (Hirschlag, 2020). This is just the first of a growing new list of hydrogen trains globally. While the city may be rural and lesser known, it shares the same ambition of greener, scalable ideas in global cities, with significantly lower environmental damage than diesel trains. Of course, the transition requires substantial investment, but is a big step in reducing the carbon footprint of railways.

Hydrogen trains are equipped with fuel cells that produce electricity through a combination of hydrogen and oxygen, a process that leaves steam and water as the only emissions, meaning the excess energy is stored in lithium ions on board the train (Imperial College, 2020). Each Coradia ILint train has one tank which contains a significant amount of fuel; hence, the innovations are very competitive with the conventional diesel train. Such trains have already replaced more polluting diesel engines from Belhaven to Bremervorde. The trains can run for approximately 600 miles on a single tank of hydrogen, matching the capacity of diesel trains (Hirschlag, 2020). This change corresponds with Germany’s radical plans to combat air pollution. Producing nothing but steam as a by-product, the motor will run far more quietly and cleanly than a diesel engine.

“Despite the initial heavy cost, hydrogen trains are much cheaper to run and maintain than diesel trains” - Stefan Schrank: Project manager at Alstom, the manufacturer of Coradia iLint.

The biggest challenge to hydrogen rail transportation is financial feasibility. A recurring problem is the cost of constructing hydrogen filling stations. By 2021, a fixed filling station will have been built in Bremervorde, at an estimated cost of €10 million, to be financed by the German government (Dixon, 2016). If French manufacturers were to complete 14 of these trains by 2021, the cost to the German government would easily exceed €100 million. It appears that there is a trade-off to be made by governments when developing a greener rail network: invest in the future or implement a temporary fix.

A further barrier to the large-scale implementation of hydrogen rail transportation is the electrification of railways, which can often prove to be a stumbling block. With the UK being one of the notable countries looking to follow Germany’s lead, the hurdle here is that for hydrogen trains to work, railways must be electrified in order for the phase out to happen (Scott-Quinn, 2019). A recent study by McKinsey showed that 58% of the UK track is not yet electrified, so diesel trains are still needed to keep these areas connected by rail (Hein & Ott, 2018). With this currently costing per kilometre £750,000 (Business Insider, 2017), a decision has to be made between the environment and affordability.

Finally, it is important to consider whether this progress can incentivise governments to transform their rail networks. Plans that are both sustainable and realistic for the future have grown with the UK’s growing green response. For example, Former Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has talked of “retrofitting multiple diesel trains to facilitate the process” (Financial Times, 2018). In light of the UK’s 2040 target of eliminating diesel trains, will we soon see Hydrogen trains in big cities? Governments and organisations are still looking into whether this shift is truly environmentally beneficial and if the transition should be optional or compulsory for a sustainable green response.

By Tejas Hirani

References:

Alstom (2018), “Coradia iLint- the world’s first hydrogen powered train”, 1st September. <https://www.alstom.com/our-solutions/rolling-stock/coradia-ilint-worlds-1st-hydrogen-powered-train> [Accessed 4 July 2020]

Business Insider (2017), “Hydrogen powered trains to run on German rails by 2021”, 9th November. <https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-hydrogen-powered-trains-to-run-on-german-rails-from-2021-2017-11?r=US&IR=T> [Accessed 6 July 2020]

Dixon, S. (2016), “Transport in the Digital Age”, Deilotte Insights. <https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/business-and-professional-services/articles/transport-in-the-digital-age.html> [Accessed 6 July 2020]

Financial Times (2018), “Diesel trains in UK to be phased out by 2040” <https://www.ft.com/content/026e3bc6-0f4e-11e8-940e-08320fc2a277> [Accessed 9 July 2020]

Hein, A. & Ott, A. (2018) “How OEMS can succeed in digitized rail infrastructure”, Mckinsey Insights, 17th September. Downloaded from https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/how-oems-can-succeed-in-digitized-rail-infrastructure [Accessed 7 July 2020]

Hirschlag, A. (2020), “How hydrogen powered trains can tackle climate change”, BBC Future Planets, 27th February. <https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200227-how-hydrogen-powered-trains-can-tackle-climate-change> [Accessed 5 July 2020]

Imperial College London (2020), “Performance of lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells”, Science Daily. <https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200625080942.htm>

Railway Technology (2016), “The big stink: How much do trains really emit?”

<https://www.railway-technology.com/features/featurethe-big-stink-how-much-do-trains-really-emit-4807131/#:~:text=Pollution%20produced%20by%20trains%20is,according%20to%20the%20European%20Commission. > [Accessed 8 July 2020]

Scott-Quinn, B. (2019), “Hydrogen trains are coming- can they get rid of diesel for good?”, University of Reading, 1st February. <https://research.reading.ac.uk/research-blog/hydrogen-trains-are-coming-can-they-get-rid-of-diesel-for-good/> [Accessed 4 July 2020

University of Toronto (2017), “Diesel trains may expose passengers to exhaust”, Science Daily, 8th February. <https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170208111547.htm#:~:text=A%20new%20study%20finds%20that,on%20a%20busy%20city%20street. > [Accessed 7 July 2020]