Siemens Mobility has entered seven Mireo Plus H hydrogen-powered trains into service on the Heidekrautbahn line in Berlin-Brandenburg, Germany.
Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn Betriebsgesellschaft (NEB) will operate the trains, which will be powered by locally produced hydrogen and fuel cells, with a reported operating range of up to 1,200km.
With a power capacity of 1.7MW and a top speed of 160km/h, the trains are set to replace diesel units on NEB’s network for a trial period lasting at least two and a half years.
‘Freistaat Bayern’ will replace diesel trains on Bayrische Regiobahn (BRB) from today (December 16), initially operating in the East Agllgäu-Lechfeld network before expanding to the Ammersee-Altmühltal network.
“We offer electric, battery and hydrogen trains based on the ultra-modern Mireo platform and have completed the development of our innovative and environmentally friendly Mireo Plus H hydrogen trains right on schedule,” explained Andre Rodenbeck, CEO of Rolling Stock at Siemens Mobility.
“The first of these trains will now be entering passenger service and we are delighted to be a driving force behind the phasing out of diesel trains.”
Hydrogen-powered rail operations have encountered setbacks over the past year, highlighted by rail operator RMVs announcement last month (November) to revert to diesel operations until the end of 2025.
Read more: Alstom recalls hydrogen train fleet as RMV temporarily returns to diesel
The French train manufacturer Alstom recalled its iLint hydrogen units after two years of unreliable operations and will cover all the contract costs of the diesel train leases, which will run until the end of 2025.
How a tube trailer fire exposed Germany’s fragile hydrogen refuelling supply chain
On the morning of August 26, a fire broke out at the Leuna Chemical Complex – some 30km west of Leipzig. According to local news outlets, it became clear early on that a hydrogen explosion was responsible.
Despite the dramatic dark smoke billowing from the site after around 8am local time, the fire had been extinguished by midday. Thankfully, no injuries or fatalities were reported. Operations at the complex were also unaffected.
The incident occurred on the premises of Linde, which operates several grey hydrogen production plants on the site. According to the complex’s infrastructure owner and operator, InfraLuena, a hydrogen tube trailer had exploded.
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