France, Canada: The deal between the French manufacturer and the American engine producer includes the purchase of the engineering, product and support capabilities used for the production and maintenance of hydrogen-powered trains. The value of the acquisition is not disclosed.
It is worth noting that Cummins obtained the activities for producing hydrogen fuel cells after it took over Canadian Hydrogenics in 2019. The cost of that acquisition was $290 mln. “Bringing these hydrogen fuel cell activities into Alstom gives us the capabilities we need to support reliability growth and maintenance for our installed fleet,” said Danny Di Perna, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Alstom. He also emphasised that the purchase of these activities meets the company’s commitments to its customers in Germany, Italy, and France.
Alstom was Hydrogenics’ and Cummins’ main customer of hydrogen fuel cells for railway transport. In 2022, the plant in Herten, Germany, was launched to particularly implement orders from the French company. Alstom uses fuel cells supplied by Hydrogenics and Cummins in three models of hydrogen trains. Notably, Germany deploys a fleet of 41 hydrogen-powered Coradia iLint trains. Alstom is also fulfilling orders for 14 Coradia Stream H units for the Italian operator FNM and 12 Regiolis H2 trainsets to operate in French regions.
Meanwhile, the used fuel cells have been repeatedly exposed to public criticism. Last year, Alstom also had to halt the development of hydrogen rolling stock as it had lost government financial support. While European countries tend to opt for battery-powered trains, Alstom claims that hydrogen trains remain a sustainable alternative to diesel rolling stock.
