Siemens Mobility and Bayerische Regiobahn (BRB) signed a leasing contract for the innovative hydrogen train prototype in the presence of Bavaria’s Economic Affairs Minister Hubert Aiwanger and Bavaria’s Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter. The contract is a follow-up to the letter of intent signed in July 2021 by all the participants.
The two-car hydrogen trainset of the latest generation will be presented to the public in the spring of 2022. The train will be tested on the Augsburg – Füssen route, among others, beginning in mid-2023 and the pilot operations on the rail network of Bayerische Regiobahn (BRB) are initially planned for 30 months.
The train is expected to officially enter passenger service as of January 2024.
“I’m really pleased that we’ll soon be able to introduce this innovative technology in Bavaria and test it in regular operation. We’re working closely with our partners to get this lighthouse project under way because we’re convinced hydrogen propulsion can also contribute to attractive and even climate-neutral passenger rail transport. Our goal is to achieve this by 2040 at the latest,” Bavaria’s Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter said.
The hydrogen train prototype – the Mireo Plus H, is being developed on the basis of the Mireo Plus platform. The main component of the hydrogen traction drive are roof-mounted fuel cells. The system includes the latest generation of underfloor batteries supplied by the battery specialist Saft. The hydrogen-powered train adapts the successful Mireo regional train platform that is available as a battery-powered version as well as with a conventional electric drive.
“Notwithstanding all the effort associated with the project, we are very much looking forward to the test operations in our rail network and the know-how we gain for using hydrogen technology in the rail sector,” Arnulf Schuchmann, Managing Director of Bayerische Regiobahn explained.
The project will be implemented together with Transdev Group.
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