Launched in Germany in 2018, the hydrogen train must finally start in France with the signing of a contract for 12 trainsets intended for 4 pioneer regions, including Auvergne Rhône-Alpes.
SNCF ordered the first models from Alstom on behalf of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Grand Est and Occitanie regions. Alstom France President Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud is considering “the first track tests at the end of 2023, and a priori commercial commissioning in 2025“.
The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region has already indicated that the new trains would run between Saint-Etienne and Clermont-Ferrand.
Zero CO2 emission trains
Alstom circulated its first prototypes in Germany in 2018 and has now entered an industrial phase there, with 41 orders to date. The French group also sold models in Italy. But where the German models are single-mode, running only on hydrogen, the French will be dual-mode, also able to run under catenaries in electric traction. They will have a range of up to 600 km on non-electrified lines. These trains mix the hydrogen on board and the oxygen present in the ambient air, thanks to a fuel cell installed in the roof which produces the electricity necessary for the traction of the train. They only release water vapor.
With AFP
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