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Siemens Mobility has received its first order for Mireo Plus H hydrogen trains

22 February 2022
Reading time ~ 4 min
Mireo Plus H hybrid train render from Siemens Mobility
Mireo Plus H hybrid train render from Siemens Mobility. Source: siemens.com
Belov Sergey, Editor-in-Chief, ROLLINGSTOCK Agency
Reading time ~ 4 min
Litvintsova Olga, Editor of International Projects, ROLLINGSTOCK Agency

Germany: Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB) awarded Siemens Mobility a contract to supply and service 6 trains with hybrid traction of hydrogen fuel cells and batteries, writes Railway Gazette. It is planned to put this rolling stock in operation in the Berlin region.

The contract also provides for an option for 3 more trains. The trains should be delivered at the end of September 2024, maintenance services will be provided until December 2034. It is also reported that two-car trains should have a passenger capacity of about 140 people. The price of the contract was not disclosed, while NEB received 9 mln support from the Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMDV) for the purchase of the trains.

The project to launch the operation of hydrogen trains in the German capital region with a total cost of about €100 mln was started in May 2021. It also implies the creation of the necessary fueling infrastructure.

Siemens Mobility and the American fuel cell manufacturer Ballard has been working on hydrogen propulsion for rolling stock for several years now. However, it was only at the end of 2020 that Siemens and Deutsche Bahn announced the work on hydrogen train development. Siemens Mobility has committed to building hybrid multiple units based on its new Mireo platform, while Deutsche Bahn has committed to building a refueling infrastructure. In the summer of 2021, the manufacturer also reached an agreement with a regional operator BRB to start testing a hydrogen train in Bavaria in 2023. In a commentary to Reuters, the head of Siemens Mobility, Michael Peter, noted that the target for Mireo Plus H will be the orders for diesel trains replacement from regional operators, which traditionally place lots for purchases of 10-50 trains.

Mireo Plus H is going to use a new generation traction system: the wheels will be driven without the help of cardan shafts directly from asynchronous generators. The train will also be equipped with Saft’s Li-Ion batteries with the usage of regenerative braking. It is assumed that Mireo Plus H will be produced in two configurations: two-car with a cruising range of 600 km and three-car with 1,000 km. The maximum speed of the train will be 160 km/h.

Hydrogen and battery traction solutions based on the Mireo multiple unit platform Hydrogen and battery traction solutions based on the Mireo multiple unit platform. Source: siemens.com

It is worth noting that Siemens is also building a green hydrogen plant in Germany with a production capacity of 1,350 tons per year. The opening of the site in Bavaria is planned for this summer.

Siemens Mobility is the second rolling stock producer to receive a firm order for serial production of hydrogen-powered multiple units. Another player, Alstom, has also been working in this direction for several years, but already has orders for 40 Coradia iLint trains with hydrogen traction for various regions of Germany, 14 trains for the Italian operator FNM, and 12 4-car trains for the regions of France (plus an option for 2 more trains). The average price for one car of such a train for France is €3.4 mln EUR. According to Zdopravy.cz, this May Coradia iLint will arrive in the Czech Republic for a dynamic demonstration to potential customers.

CAF and Talgo are also working on hydrogen train projects in Spain. In Russia, the project to develop 7 hybrid trains (hydrogen + battery) is being implemented by TMH under an agreement with the Sakhalin Region, Rosatom and Russian Railways. The trains are planned to be put into operation by 2024. According to RBC, the average cost of one car can be at the level of almost 188 mln RUR ($2.5 mln USD).