The CAF-led FCH2RAIL project, the first hydrogen train to be tested on the Spainsh and Portuguese rail networks, comes to a successful conclusion.

The wrap-up event of the FCH2RAIL project was held to coincide with the Rail Live! 2024 Conference, which took place on 26 and 27 November in the city of Zaragoza. Over the last four years, the project has developed a bi-mode hydrogen fuel cell demonstrator train, which has been tested on rail networks in Spain and Portugal.

The FCH2RAIL project was scheduled to run for 4 years with a budget of more than 14 million euros, of which around 70% was financed with European funds. The objective of the project, which started in January 2021 when the former FCH JU (now Clean Hydrogen Partnership), the agency of the European Commission to promote the development of hydrogen and fuel cells, originally selected the FCH2RAIL proposal, was to develop an innovative hydrogen-powered train prototype. This has been successfully achieved by the project partners CAF, DLR, RENFE, TOYOTA MOTOR EUROPE, ADIF, IP, CNH2 and Stemmann Technik.

The so-called Fuel Cell Hybrid PowerPack was developed and manufactured for an existing commuter train provided by Renfe. This innovative zero-emission power generation system uses electrical energy from hydrogen fuel cells and LTO batteries, a vehicle concept that can run both in electric mode on electrified infrastructure and in hybrid mode on catenary-free sections of the network. The demonstrator train is the first of its kind with hydrogen fuel cells on the Iberian peninsula.

All in all, the success of the project confirms and reinforces the commitment of the companies that make up the FCH2RAIL consortium to the development of environmentally friendly mobility solutions. In this context, mention should also be made of the growing interest in recent years of several public and private transport authorities, both in and outside the EU, in the use of hydrogen fuel cell technology in rail transport.

Source: CAF