Germany to Debut World's First Hydrogen Trains in 2021

The world’s first hydrogen-powered passenger trains are set to debut in Germany in 2021. And while they won’t break any speed records – chugging along at a top speed of 140 kilometers per hour (87 mph) – they’ll set new standards for clean mass transit.

The Coradia iLint trains – a collaboration between French engineering firm Alstom and German rail company LNVG – went on a test run back in March, traversing the test track in Salzgitter, Lower Saxony in Germany at 80 km/h (49.7 mph). So … yeah, these vehicles might redefine energy efficiency, but they’re definitely not the most efficient mode of transportation. That’s not the goal, though.

The trains will run at a whisper on hydrogen fuel cells and emit only water vapor, a huge environmental improvement over the default diesel locomotives.

“This day represents a real breakthrough in rail transportation,” said Alstom’s senior vice president for Europe, Gian Luca Erbacci. “For the first time, worldwide, a hydrogen-fuelled passenger regional train will replace diesel trains.”

The iLint trains have a max range of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles), and will run between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde, and Buxtehude starting in December 2021.