Bavaria's first hydrogen train: revolution started on rails!

Bavaria's first hydrogen train: revolution started on rails!

A milestone for Bavarian mobility: Bavaria's first hydrogen train, modeled after the Siemens Mireo Plus H, began its first passenger journey at Augsburg Central Station. At 3:23 p.m. sharp we set off towards Ostallgäu, with a planned route that led from Augsburg via Marktoberdorf and Kaufbeuren to Füssen. The train rolled smoothly and without delays, which pleased the Siemens Mobility development team on board, who monitored the functionality live, such as BR24 reported.

A pilot project for the future

The hydrogen train, which can offer a range of up to 1,000 kilometers on one tank of fuel, is being considered as part of a two-and-a-half-year pilot project. He is supposed to find out how suitable hydrogen is as a fuel for Bavaria's rail transport, since almost half of the 6,700 kilometers of rail in the Free State are not electrified. Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter announced that companies like Hydrogenius, as pioneers of hydrogen technology, are facing challenges and that the hydrogen economy in Germany is falling short of expectations sueddeutsche.de reported. Nevertheless, the Bavarian state government is showing interest in hydrogen as a possible replacement for diesel trains by 2040.

Despite the high costs and challenges in the hydrogen infrastructure, the smooth first trip is a positive sign. Commuters appreciate the quieter and smoother ride of the train compared to conventional diesel trains, while the government hopes the test drives will learn more about the economic and technical viability of hydrogen drives. Another parameter will be the availability of hydrogen from renewable energy sources, as switching to this technology could represent a step towards climate neutrality.