USA: On 13 September, the vehicle started carrying passengers on the 14 km line from San Bernardino to Redlands. The route is also served by a pair of Stadler’s FLIRT DMUs.
The two-car hydrogen train can accommodate 220 passengers, 116 of them seated. Adapted for a hot Californian climate, it is designed to operate at temperatures of up to +49 °C with a maximum speed of 130 km/h. In contrast to similar trains having fuel cells and hydrogen tanks on the roof, Stadler’s FLIRT H2 has its hydrogen PowerPack stored onboard in a separate section of the train.
Following its debut at InnoTrans 2022, the innovative vehicle was sent for testing to the USA. During tests, the FLIRT H2 covered a distance of 2,803 km without refuelling, which has become the world record for hydrogen-powered trains.
The FLIRT H2 from Stadler for USA. Source: Everything Trains/youtube
The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, SBCTA, ordered the FLIRT H2 in 2019. In 2023 and 2024, another 10 Stadler hydrogen trains were procured by the California State Transportation Agency, CalSTA.
