The Letter of Intent was signed by the Bavarian ministers of economy and transport, the financial director of Siemens Mobility and the technical director of the Bayerische Regiobahn (BRB), a subsidiary of Transdev Germany.
The hydrogen train is being developed on the basis of Siemens Mobility's Mireo Plus H platform. It is designed to run on routes without overhead contact line and has a range of 800 km. The main components of the hydrogen traction are two fuel cells mounted on the roof; the system is completed by Saft's latest generation batteries, located in the floor. The train will be presented to the public in spring 2022. The first tests in Bavaria are scheduled for 2023, before the train officially enters passenger service in January 2024.
Press Release
DownloadI salute the visionary decision of the State of Bavaria, which has chosen to invest in this promising hydrogen technology for the energy transition of daily transportation, a solution that will complement biofuels, biogas and electric batteries, thus helping to reduce the carbon footprint of daily mobility.
Thierry Mallet, Chairman and CEO of the Transdev Group
Beyond this experiment, Transdev is already one of the pioneers in sustainable hydrogen mobility, with experiments and commercial operations (underway and to come) of hydrogen buses in France (Lens, Toulouse, Auxerre), the Netherlands, Sweden and New Zealand. This technology holds great promise for the future, especially for coaches and regional trains. The fuel cell is an on-board means of producing the electricity needed to power the electric motor. The fuel cell runs on hydrogen which, combined with oxygen from the air, produces the electricity needed for traction. The only emissions are water and water vapor… The result: zero pollution in the environment – zero pollutants, zero particles, zero CO2 and zero engine noise.
In the railway sector, where the electrification of a line is a costly operation, its use could become widespread, mainly on regional lines or small lines, which are often currently operated by diesel trains.
Transdev is convinced that hydrogen represents one of the clean energies of the future; it is a real priority to take the world leadership in this clean and sustainable technology.
As an operator and global integrator of mobility, Transdev – The mobility company – gives people the freedom to move whenever and however they choose. We are proud to provide 11 million passenger trips everyday on average thanks to efficient, easy to use and environmentally-friendly transportation services that connect people and communities. Our approach is rooted in long-term partnerships with businesses and public authorities, and in the relentless pursuit of the safest and most innovative mobility solutions. We are a team of people serving people, and mobility is what we do. Transdev is jointly held by Caisse des Dépôts Group (66%) and the RETHMANN Group (34%). In 2020, with 83,000 employees in 17 countries, the Group generated total revenues of 6.75 billion euros.
For more information: www.transdev.com or download the MY Transdev app from the App Store or Google Play.