Home » Business » Deutsche Bahn and Siemens will test a hydrogen train in Baden-Württemberg in 2024

Deutsche Bahn and Siemens will test a hydrogen train in Baden-Württemberg in 2024

The hydrogen system is to replace diesels on German regional lines in the future.

Siemens Mobility has clarified its plans for hydrogen propulsion on railways. The newly developed regional unit Mireo Plus H, in cooperation with Deutsche Bahn (DB), should be tested during 2024 on the line between the cities of Tübingen, Horb and Pforzheim in Baden-Württemberg. Part of the joint project of the manufacturer and the carrier is the development of a new filling station.

“Siemens Mobility and Deutsche Bahn will jointly develop a new generation of hydrogen transport system. It is a complete system consisting of a hydrogen-powered vehicle and infrastructure. This includes a new innovative filling station that can refuel the vehicle in just 15 minutes, ” said Siemens Mobility CEO Michael Peter. DB will adapt one of its maintenance workshops in Ulm to service hydrogen-powered vehicles.

The hydrogen system is to replace diesels on German regional lines in the future. The project was financially supported by the Government of Baden-Württemberg and the Federal Ministry of Transport. The use of hydrogen is to be an alternative to the electrification of regional lines, on which Deutsche Bahn currently operates around 1,300 diesel vehicles.

“We need to reduce fossil fuel consumption to zero. Only in this way can DB be climate-neutral in 2050. Then we will not operate a single vehicle with conventional diesel propulsion, “ said Sabina Jeschkeová, a member of the DB Board of Directors.

However, Siemens is not a pioneer in hydrogen propulsion on railways. This is Alstom, whose Alstom Coradia iLint unit is the only real hydrogen train. Alstom’s hydrogen units are also used mainly in Germany, where they are also manufactured at the Salzgitter plant.

They run regularly in Lower Saxony, where they have ordered a total of 14 of these units; They are also being tested by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).

DETAILY PROJECT Siemens a Deutsche Bahn

Officially, the joint development project is called “H2goesRail”. The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) has announced its funding through the National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP 2). NIP 2 is coordinated by the national organization Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW) GmbH and implemented by the project management organization Jülich.

Hydrogen drive

The reaction of hydrogen with atmospheric oxygen in fuel cells produces electricity and water as a “waste product”. Electricity from renewable energy sources is used to produce ecological “green” hydrogen in electrolysers. DB Energie is responsible for its delivery.

Mireo Plus H

Siemens Mobility is developing a two-car regional traction unit with state-of-the-art hydrogen propulsion, which will be deployed in a one-year trial run. The power source for powering the electric traction drive consists of a hydrogen fuel cell and a lithium-ion buffer battery.

Mireo Plus H will be as powerful as comparable electric traction units for contact power supply. In the two-car version, it will have a range of 600 kilometers – depending on operating conditions, such as the season or the route route profile. The three-car version will have a range of 1000 kilometers. The advantage should also be low maintenance and repair costs. The maximum operating speed is 160 kilometers per hour.

Filling station

At the DB Energie mobile filling station, located at the DB Regio depot in Tübingen, hydrogen will be produced by electrolysis. In an electrolyser, water is broken down into hydrogen and oxygen by electricity from renewable sources. Hydrogen will be stored in compressed form in a mobile storage unit. Prior to the refueling process, the green fuel is prepared and cooled in an adjacent tanker trailer.

Quick refueling

It will take 15 minutes to add hydrogen to the vehicle, ie no longer than refueling a conventional diesel unit with diesel. This is an important factor due to the precisely timed timetables of DB trains in regional traffic. This means that hydrogen technology will be competitive compared to diesel-powered vehicles currently in operation.

Trial operation

The trial run between Tübingen, Horb and Pforzheim will start in 2024 and last one year. It is planned to cover approximately 120,000 kilometers as part of regular rail transport. The route was chosen due to the exemplary timing of the timetable and diverse topography. The new hydrogen Mireo Plus H from Siemens will replace the existing diesel car used on this route, saving approximately 330 tons of CO per year, according to the company.2.

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