Hydrogen Technology in the Railways

The railway industry has been studying various methods to replace the diesel combustion engine, which has been highlighted as one of the obstacles to achieving the target of emission-free transport. Many countries, especially in western Europe, have recently indicated their commitment to phasing out the use of those diesel engines on their railway networks that are still running on non-electrified lines.

Although the electrification of the entire railway network seems to be the best solution, there are still many things to consider, such as cost, economic feasibility and the characteristics of existing assets where Overhead Contact Lines (OCL) need to be installed.

Consequently, the operation of hydrogen trains is being considered as an alternative replacement for diesel engines. Within the industry, increasing efforts are being made to develop hydrogen technology for the rail sector to create zero-emission rail services.

In line with these efforts, UIC launched an opt-in project called Hydrogen Technology in the Railway (H2TR) to investigate the economic and technical feasability of adopting this hydrogen technology in the context of railway operation. This analysis has been produced as a deliverable from this project.