Hydrogen trains use a fuel cell electric powertrain to provide a zero emissions alternative to diesel trains in regions where railway electrification isn’t economically viable.
Electric trains are common in cities and on the mainlines of national networks, but elsewhere diesel trains are required and these cause very substantial atmospheric emissions.
Hydrogen trains offer a means for both eradicating these emissions and switching to a sustainable green fuel, without requiring the deployment of expensive and ugly electrification infrastructure along rail tracks. They can be refuelled at the main depot or depots serving a region, by employing large scale electrolysers and hydrogen refuelling facilities.