Why Germany first hydrogen train is partially switching back to diesel

Due to a shortage of hydrogen, there are restrictions on train traffic on the RB33 between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven and Buxtehude. A replacement fleet of five diesel trains has been in use since the weekend, announced the Elbe-Weser Railway and Transport Company (EVB). These cannot replace all journeys. The EVB says it operates the world’s first hydrogen train fleet on the route.

Anger with suppliers

Since the weekend, the hydrogen trains have no longer been running as pairs. Instead, they are only running individually and therefore with a lower capacity in order to save hydrogen. It is unclear how long the restrictions will last. The supplier hopes to be able to deliver fully again from the middle of the week, the EVB said.

In the future, the hydrogen for the fleet in Bremervörde will be produced using green electricity, EVB announced. Since this has not been possible so far, the company is dependent on suppliers. The managing director of the EVB Group, Christoph Grimm, criticized the fact that the supplier had been able to foresee the bottleneck for some time. “In a case like this, reliable alternative plans must be in place,” he said. Until now, EVB has sourced its hydrogen from the chemical company Dow Chemical, which has a plant in nearby Stade. The hydrogen is produced there as a waste product and is transported to Bremervörde by truck.

Competition from batteries

Hydrogen is considered a promising climate-neutral alternative to diesel locomotives on the rails, especially on routes without overhead lines for electric operation. However, the technology is still in its infancy, mainly because there is hardly any production capacity in Germany for “green” hydrogen, which is produced exclusively with renewable energies.

By 2030, the Federal Republic wants to have built up a production capacity of ten gigawatts, among other things; 0.1 gigawatts are currently in operation. Transport companies are then often dependent on a few suppliers who are not always able to meet their promised quantities. The federal government now wants to build up the necessary capacities: just in July, Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) distributed a series of funding notices totaling 4.5 billion euros.

But sometimes the technology itself is at fault: After the launch of the second network of hydrogen trains in December 2022, there were so many breakdowns and failures that the local transport company even offered its customers free rides and compensation this spring. This is also why the hydrogen train is facing increasing competition from battery-powered locomotives: These are already in use in Schleswig-Holstein, and several other federal states have ordered their own battery-powered locomotives.

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