Ballard Power Systems and Siemens signed a USD 9 million agreement for the development of zero-emission fuel cell engine to power Siemens’ Mireo train.
Under the agreement, Ballard will develop a 200 kilowatt fuel cell engine for integration into Siemens’ new Mireo train platform. Initial deployments of the fuel cell-powered Mireo train are planned for 2021. Mireo is a modular commuter train platform designed for speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour. Thanks to lightweight design, energy-efficient components and intelligent onboard network management, the Mireo will consume up to 25% less energy than trains with similar passenger capacity. Initial deployments of the fuel cell-powered Mireo train are planned for 2021.
“Our cooperation with Ballard is a decisive step towards replacing diesel-powered rail vehicles with emissions-free vehicles in the long term interests of sustainable and climate-friendly mobility. We want to be able to offer our customers flexible train solutions for various suburban routes, which vary according to regional conditions and technical possibilities,” Sabrina Soussan, CEO of the Mobility Division at Siemens said.
In August 2017, DB Regio AG ordered 57 Mireo trainsets that will operate as an S-Bahn on the future lines S5, S6, S8 and S9 in the Rhine-Neckar region. The trains will be built at the company’s factory in Krefeld, Germany.
Starting 2020, the 24 Mireo trains will operate regional rail services (Regionalbahn RB) on the Offenburg – Freiburg – Basel/Neuchâtel (Switzerland) line, and on Sundays in the Kaiserstuhl from Freiburg to Endingen/Breisach. They will cut travel time for this route by 30 minutes.
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