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Deutsche Bahn wants to test hydrogen as a diesel substitute in regional transport (symbol image)
Photo: Manngold / imago images
Hydrogen trains could one day replace diesel trains at Deutsche Bahn and thus improve the climate balance.
A trial run in the Tübingen area is planned for 2024, as the company announced.
The Siemens train used for this should have a range of 600 kilometers.
"The climate-friendly traffic turnaround is possible," said DB board member Sabina Jeschke.
The railway wants to be climate neutral in 30 years.
Among other things, 1,300 diesel multiple units have to be replaced for this, because 13,000 kilometers of rail have no overhead lines, which is 39 percent of the network.
Electrification is progressing very slowly, and at the same time the routes without a power connection are often not very busy.
Several technologies are intended to replace diesel
For such sections, Deutsche Bahn is also testing hybrid locomotives with diesel and batteries.
There should also be pure battery trains.
Experiments are also being carried out with so-called eco-diesel made from waste fats.
Because even with electricity the trains have not yet run cleanly.
The share of green electricity in traction current is 60 percent.
The aim is 100 percent for 2038.
For the Tübingen hydrogen train, Deutsche Bahn is converting the Ulm maintenance facility and developing a mobile hydrogen filling station.
In a new process, this should enable refueling in 15 minutes - so filling up should not take longer than that of a diesel multiple unit.
This will make the fuel cell competitive in day-to-day operations, explained Deutsche Bahn.
The hydrogen should be produced in Tübingen with green electricity.
The Siemens Mireo Plus H train will replace a diesel multiple unit between Tübingen, Horb and Pforzheim for a year, it said.
This makes it possible to save 330 tons of carbon dioxide a year.
The choice of the region around Tübingen is obviously no coincidence.
It is particularly suitable because of the frequency that is typical for regional traffic and the varied topography, explained the railway.
However, the fuel cell celebrated its rail premiere in northern Germany.
A hydrogen train between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehude started operating as early as 2018.
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ene / dpa
