We See Great Potential in Hydrogen on Rail in the Moravian-Silesian Region

HYDROGEN

We See Great Potential in Hydrogen

on Rail in the Moravian-Silesian Region

Low-emission sustainable transport is a hot topic in the Czech Republic. Hydrogen is an alternative

to electric propulsion. Hydrogen-powered vehicles are gradually being tested and promoted in

passenger and public transport, both road and rail. The Moravian-Silesian region is the furthest

along in considering hydrogen trains in our country," says Dan Kurucz, CEO of the Czech office

of Alstom, a world leader in sustainable rail mobility.

Hydrogen in transport has been talked about for

several years but is relatively new on the railways.

Why do you think hydrogen trains should run in

the Czech Republic?

It's not just about hydrogen propulsion, but about

sustainable mobility in general. On the rails, it is

the combination of electric, battery and hydrogen

trains that can replace the "dirty" diesel power in

the future. At Alstom, we can do all three.

“

The Moravian-Silesian Region

is the furthest away from this today,

as it is considering building

a hydrogen terminal that would

serve trains, buses, and freight

transport at the same time.

”

Each line has different conditions - profile, load,

electrification possibilities. In principle, it is all

about the efficiency. Busy backbone lines can be

electrified, and this is the case here. On less busy

lines, electrification does not make economic sense

compared to building infrastructure for batterypowered or hydrogen trains. In some places it is

not even possible to electrify because of the profile

of the line.

It's also about distance. Shorter lines without

electrification are well served by battery trains,

longer lines are well served by hydrogen. In

the Czech Republic, we have identified 16 lines

where hydrogen propulsion could be implemented,

including several lines in the Moravian-Silesian

Region, such as the Olomouc - Krnov - Ostrava line.

It's also all about clean mobility! The emissions of

hydrogen trains consist only of pure water vapor in

small quantities.

Why is the length of the track important?

Current battery trains have an operating range

of around 80 kilometers and are therefore more

suitable for shorter sections without electrification

or combined lines that are partially electrified,

and trains can be recharged "under the wire". Our

Coradia iLint hydrogen trainset has a range of over

1,000 kilometers per fill. Moreover, only a few

refueling stations are needed to build a hydrogen

infrastructure in the Czech Republic.

But isn't building refueling stations expensive?

You're right, but compared to the cost of

electrifying, the investment for building filling

stations is much lower. Moreover, you can't just

look at it from a rail transport perspective. It

makes sense to consider conceptual solutions

where filling stations can also be used for buses.

The Moravian-Silesian Region is the furthest

away from this today, as it is considering building

a hydrogen terminal that would serve trains, buses,

and freight transport at the same time. This then

has a significant impact on the overall economics

of infrastructure construction. I should also point

out that the Moravian-Silesian Region is also ahead

of the rest in terms of potential manufacturers

of hydrogen filling stations, both stationary and

mobile. We are working with a company in Ostrava

on a joint idea to develop mobile rail refuellers.

“

We want to lend a helping hand to

the state and regions so that hydrogen

can become part of the Czech energy

mix and start to be promoted alongside