Ferrovie Nord Milano (FNM) has presented the hydrogen refuelling facility in Rovato, in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy as well as the first Italian hydrogen train at the facility.
The event, organised on February 13, was attended by the Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Alessandro Morelli, the President of the Lombardy Region, Attilio Fontana, the Councilor for Transport and Sustainable Mobility of the Lombardy Region, Franco Lucente, Councilor for Infrastructure and Public Works of the Lombardy Region Claudia, Maria Terzi, the President of FNM, Andrea Gibelli, the Managing Director of FNM, Fulvio Caradonna, the President of FerrovieNord, Pier Antonio Rossetti, the CEO of Trenord, Andrea Severini, the CEO of Alstom Italia, Michele Viale, the President of Sapio, Alberto Dossi.
The hydrogen-powered Coradia Stream arrived in the Brescia Region from the testing circuit of Alstom in Salzgitter, Germany. The Rovato plant, built by FerrovieNord, is equipped with cutting-edge equipment, and will be the first depot in Italy specifically designed and built for the maintenance of hydrogen trains as well as the first plant for hydrogen refuelling for trains.
In the three weeks since the train’s arrival, the system builder and hydrogen supplier Sapio carried out testing activities on the system and refuelling tests on the train. Once this first phase of testing is completed, the train will carry out other test runs, before entering testing on the Brescia – Iseo – Edolo line of FerrovieNord on which the rail service is operated by Trenord, as part of the H2iseO project, which aims to create Italy’s first Hydrogen Valley in the area of Brescia. The Coradia Stream hydrogen train is expected to enter commercial operation in the first half of 2026 after successful test runs and securing the relevant authorisations.
The arrival of the train “confirms Lombardy’s commitment to be a land of records and excellence, both with regard to the first Hydrogen Valley and the commissioning of the first Italian hydrogen train. The modernisation process in transport and infrastructure continues in the name of sustainability. We are experiencing first-hand a new service offered to citizens that helps improve the efficiency of rail transport, in an area where a serious decarbonisation process is beginning,” the President of the Lombardy Region said. In recent years, Lombardy Region invested EUR 1.7 billion for 214 new trains to modernise the train fleet operating the network and to reduce emissions emitted by diesel trains. The new trains will “will give a strong boost to the sector and by next year, Lombardy will be able to count on a completely renewed fleet. For this reason, the modernisation of the railway network will be fundamental,” he said.
The first Italian hydrogen train was unveiled in 2023 at EXPO Ferroviaria and arrived in January 2025 at FNM’s new maintenance and refueling plant. In November 2020, FNM awarded Alstom a EUR 160 million contract for the supply of six hydrogen fuel cell trains, with the option for eight more. The Italian operator has exercised the option bringing the entire hydrogen train fleet to 14 units, which are financed by Lombardy Region and PNRR.
The deployment of hydrogen trains will transform the Brescia – Iseo – Edolo railway line “into the first hydrogen line in Italy, thus opening up new prospects for the railway sector at a national level,” the Councilor Claudia Maria Terzi said, adding that “we believed in the quality of the project from the very beginning, and we are also investing in the infrastructure to support the operation of the new trains.
Rovato fuelling facility
The new hydrogen train depot and refuelling plant in Rovato is the most modern and advanced facility of its kind, designed with cutting-edge technology to ensure the highest levels of efficiency, sustainability, and safety. EUR 30 million is the total investment in this facility, of which EUR 1 million was needed for the hydrogen refuelling facility, financed through the PNRR. Trenord and FNM Power will progressively commission the new site with the test runs of the hydrogen train along the Brescia – Iseo – Edolo line and, subsequently, with the start of commercial service.
The site features:
- Five outdoor train parking platforms;
- A train maintenance facility with two indoor maintenance platforms;
- A covered outdoor platform for washing trains, overhead cranes, trolley lowerers, warehouses, cabinets for storing spare train batteries, columns for connecting trains to the electricity grid and an office and service area for staff;
- A hydrogen train refueling facility, equipped with a dispenser for dispensing hydrogen at a pressure of 350 bar and a bay for storing the tank wagon, as well as a flushing and inertization system, which is useful for emptying the train’s hydrogen tanks when maintenance is required. Safety devices include, among others, sensors for detecting hydrogen leaks, a fire prevention system, and automatic ventilation systems to improve safety.
“The Rovato site, still under completion, is equipped with particularly advanced equipment and will be essential for the efficiency of the train fleet. I would also like to underline how our action has as its main objectives efficiency and sustainability in addition of course to the maximum attention to safety issues,” the President of FerrovieNord said.
Refuelling system
The refuelling system developed by Sapio involves the use of a mobile hydrogen dispenser and a tank wagon with an operating pressure of up to 500 bar, the first such case in Italy. The project for FerrovieNord, developed by Sapio, was created to integrate high-pressure transport with an innovative system specifically designed for the sustainable mobility sector. It is, in fact, a mobile hydrogen refuelling system that, through the use of high-pressure tank wagons, enables the refuelling of hydrogen-powered vehicles using the “cascade” mechanism.
This approach eliminates the need for compression systems and fixed high-pressure storage. The system’s configuration was designed to optimise the necessary equipment, ensuring maximum simplicity in the refuelling operation and minimizing the space occupied by the system. The refuelling facility, selected by FerrovieNord to carry out the first operational tests of hydrogen trains on the Brescia–Iseo–Edolo line, allows for the overall refuelling of vehicles while meeting all safety parameters and operating standards currently in force. This is made possible by the efficiency and effectiveness criteria adopted during the design phase.
“This is a historic moment for our country as we inaugurate the first Italian hydrogen train representing a big step forward in sustainable mobility, but also an example of innovation and progress. At the same time, it is important to remember how this first hydrogen railway refueling facility is unique in Italy and one of the few in Europe,” Sapio Group President explained.
Train characteristics:
The Coradia Stream H trains use hydrogen to generate electricity, avoiding direct CO2 emissions and maintains the high standards of comfort already appreciated by passengers of its electric version. With a capacity of 240 seats, and a range of more than 600 km the trains introduce innovation in clean energy conversion, energy storage systems, and intelligent energy management. The train is equipped with the same fuel cell propulsion technology that was introduced to the Coradia iLint hydrogen train. Energy is generated in the intermediate carriage, the power car, where the stored hydrogen combines with oxygen from the outside air in the fuel cells to generate electric energy. High-performance lithium-ion batteries store energy, which is used during acceleration to support the fuel cells. On short, the train combines innovative components such as clean energy conversion, flexible energy storage in batteries, and smart management of traction power and available energy. Specifically designed for operation on non-electrified lines, it enables clean, sustainable train operation while ensuring high levels of performance.
The project is funded by the European Union through the Next Generation EU under the IPCEI Hydrogen 1 funding programme.
“We are proud to be among the protagonists in the creation of the first Italian Hydrogen Valley, thanks to our Coradia Stream H hydrogen trains that will replace the current diesel fleet on the non-electrified Brescia – Iseo – Edolo line,” said the CEO of Alstom Italia, adding that the arrival of the train “represents a fundamental milestone in equipping the local transport system with cutting-edge and comfortable vehicles and, above all, marks a decisive step towards the decarbonisation of the Italian railway sector.”
The H2iseO Hydrogen Valley project is implemented by FNM, FerrovieNord and Trenord, which aims to decarbonise public transport services and encourage the transition to a more sustainable transport system. The arrival of the new train is “key moment in the H2iseO project and the introduction of cutting-edge technologies not only in terms of new trains but also in infrastructure equipment makes this project particularly significant in terms of innovation and promotion of increasingly sustainable mobility in our territories. The contribution that the new convoys will give to the decarbonization of mobility in the valley is combined with the advantages that travelers will have in terms of comfort,” FNM President Andrea Gibelli said.
For Trenord, the H2IseO project is of great importance bringing “innovative value” to the company and will engage Trenord “along the entire industrial chain, from the start of activities in the Rovato depot, to the carrying out of test runs with the collaboration of our drivers and technicians, to the training of on-board personnel,” the CEO of Trenord said.
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