Starting in Bremervöde, Lower Saxony, the train travelled through Hesse to Bavaria, finally coming to a stop in Munich. From there, H2 View understands the train will now head to the German capital, Berlin.

It is hoped the landmark run will solidify the case for using hydrogen to power trains of the future in an effort to decarbonise treansport. The first Coradia iLint train was launched in Germany in 2018. Since then, the train has been successfully tested in Austria, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden.

Watch the 1,175km journey:

Henri Poupart-Lafarge, CEO and Chairman of Alstom, said, “We are pleased to be leading innovation in this area as the first railway manufacturer in the world to offer a passenger train based on hydrogen technology.

“With this journey, we have provided further proof that our hydrogen trains have all the prerequisites to replace diesel vehicles. We are immensely proud of the pioneering work we have done in introducing hydrogen to rail transport.”

The vehicle used for the journey belongs to LNVG (Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen), the transport authority of Lower Saxony, which currently has a contract with Alstom for 14 of the hydrogen-powered trains. Cummins’ fuel cell systems are fitted to the Coradia iLint trains, offering emission-free travel with lower noise levels.

Read more: Cummins fuel cell technology powers new zero-emission rail era

Newsletters

At H2 View, we know just how much hydrogen news there is to keep on top of. That’s exactly why we’ve launched a brand new daily newsletter that will send you the top five stories every day, straight to your inbox.

Don’t forget we also have our weekly newsletter which includes a round-up of the past seven days’ hydrogen highlights, including not only news but also interviews, features and analysis.

Sign up for our newsletters.