Siemens Mobility and the state of Bavaria have a signed a leasing contract for delivery of hydrogen trains to the German state.
Siemens announced that testing of its hydrogen-powered train will start in mid-2023 in routes between regional cities Augsburg and Füsse.
If successful this will then lead to commercial passenger services starting in January 2024.
The Mireo Plus model will be subject to these tests. It is a two-car train with fuel cells mounted on the roofs, working in tandem with batteries on the underside.
Siemens Mobility CEO Albrecht Neumann described the by saying it has “high driving power, excellent acceleration capability and a large operating range.”
Hydrogen Trains, Planes and Cars
The trains in Bavaria follow a number of other recent announcements for hydrogen’s application in transport.
Other rail companies have also been busy testing and working on their hydrogen-powered trains. European energy giant Alstom already have tested their trains in Austria and Germany, while East Japan Railway is working on its models.
Relevant: Hydrogen Combustion Cars Are Under The Spotlight
February saw several announcements from leading automakers Toyota, Yamaha and Renault who all have hydrogen-powered models, signaling a potential trend starting to form.
Airbus is also moving forward with plans to have hydrogen-fueled commercial aircraft by 2035. The company announced intentions to test the hydrogen fuel technology on a modified version of one of its A380 jetliners.
Read more: Airbus Will Test Hydrogen Engine On A380
