The French railway manufacturer Alstom announced on Friday that its hydrogen train, already tested for two years in Germany, will be tested in Austria for three months on regular passenger lines.
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"
Until the end of November, a hydrogen train will provide regular passenger service for ÖBB, the Austrian railway company for the very first time,
" Alstom said in a statement.
The Coradia iLint will be tested "
on regional lines in the south of the country, where it could replace diesel trains
," the company said.
Designed by Alstom in Salzgitter (Germany), the model is equipped with fuel cells which transform hydrogen into electricity and allow it to run without any polluting emissions.
It only releases steam and water.
Alstom has already been running hydrogen trains for two years in Germany, where the tests were deemed satisfactory.
The French group has received firm orders for 41 regional trains in the Hamburg and Frankfurt regions, which are due to enter commercial service from 2022.
Other countries such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France and Italy are interested in this technology, in particular as an alternative to diesel trains on non-electrified lines.
In France, where the government announced on Tuesday a plan of 7 billion euros for the development of the hydrogen sector, the objective is to run the first prototypes in 2023, before production trains in 2025.
