Germany to operate hydrogen-powered trains by 2021
The world's first hydrogen-fuelled trains will be available on LNVG services on several German train lines by the end of 2021. French engineering firm Alstom is contracted to provide 14 Coradia iLint trains to the rail company. The trains have a range of up to 1,000 km and operate at a maximum speed of 140 km per hour. The only by-product of the trains' hydrogen fuel cells is water vapour, making them a clean replacement for diesel trains on non-electrified tracks.
In this Sept 20, 2016 file photo visitors look at an Alstom hydrogen-powered train at the InnoTrans international trade fair for transport technology in Berlin. Rail passengers in northern Germany will be able to travel on the world's first hydrogen-powered trains in four years' time. French engineering giant Alstom says it has signed an agreement to deliver 14 fuel cell trains to LNVG, a rail company in Germany's Lower Saxony state. (Serene Stache/dpa via AP)

Commuters in northern Germany will be able to travel on the world's first hydrogen-powered trains in four years' time.

French engineering giant Alstom says it has signed an agreement to deliver 14 fuel-cell trains to LNVG, a rail company in Germany's Lower Saxony state.

The trains will begin operating on routes between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and Buxtehude from December 2021.

Alstom said Thursday that the Coradia iLint trains will have a range of up to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) and a maximum speed of 140 kilometers per hour (87 mph).

Hydrogen engines emit only water vapor and are considered one of the cleanest forms of transportation. The trains will replace diesel vehicles on non-electrified tracks.

There are plans to produce the hydrogen using electricity from Lower Saxony's many wind turbines.

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