I'm very skeptical whether it makes any sense to use hydrogen on a train.<p>We know since many decades how to run trains on electricity. It's an established technology. It seems hydrogen trains are a cheap excuse for places where infrastructure is lacking and train tracks haven't been electrified. Except it's not cheap, because physics dictates using hydrogen will always be much less efficient compared to direct electricity use, as it includes an additional conversion step.<p>I think developing hydrogen infrastructure is important for sectors where no other alternatives are available. For sectors were established technologies for electrifiation already exist - not so much.
How do they store the hydrogen? Just big pressurised tanks? Also be interesting to see how they refuel the train, because I imagine that small hydrogen molecules are difficult to confine, while the gas is so diffuse that it must take ages.<p>Edit: I found a better link which has more technical details:<p><a href="https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/hydroflex-hydrogen-train/" rel="nofollow">https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/hydroflex-hydrog...</a><p><i>A total of 20kg of hydrogen is stored in four high-pressure hydrogen fuel tanks whose pressure is regulated and maintained at 8.5 bar by the pressure drop regulator.</i><p><i>The fuel cell unit is powered by hydrogen from the tanks, while oxygen is sourced from ambient air. The fuel cell converts the mixture and generates pure water and electricity up to 100kW. Electricity generated by the fuel cell will be sent to the lithium-ion battery pack.</i>
Note that hydrogen-powered trains have been in regular passenger service in Germany for a couple of years now: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/17/germany-launches-worlds-first-hydrogen-powered-train" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/17/germany-...</a><p>A bunch of the questions I saw asked about hydrogen on the UK rail network was the comparatively large size of the hydrogen tanks needed, and whether packaging of tanks of sufficient size was going to practical.
Seemingly on the same day as:<p><a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/bus-electric-edinburgh-dundee-ember-b695120.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/bus-ele...</a><p>1st October was a good leap forward for transport in the UK!
Unlike battery you carry only 1/2 the weight of the fuel as you burn them whilst battery is dead weight even drained. Hence airline considered that more.<p>Just wonder why hydrogen car is so under the radar. All E except a few advertisements or waiting.
Battery-powered trains are also being developed and likely a more cost effective solution. <a href="https://www.railtech.com/rolling-stock/2020/07/09/over-400-battery-trains-could-be-introduced-in-uk/?gdpr=accept" rel="nofollow">https://www.railtech.com/rolling-stock/2020/07/09/over-400-b...</a>
I'm extremely skeptical of hydrogen trains. First, we all know that hydrogen cars are never going to take off because of the massive success of batteries. But as production of batteries ramps up, prices will fall and power densities will increase in a virtuous cycle. Adoption of battery cars (already widespread) drives the adoption of cargo vans, people movers and pickup trucks (a multitude of models shipping next year), but it doesn't stop there. BYD, Tesla, Daimler and others are working on battery-powered semis and buses, and once you're there, you're basically in train territory.<p>Think about a train - one expensive, custom, bespoke, finicky engine and 100 dumb cars. Why not make mass-produce 100 cars with batteries and motors built in, reusing the same cells or packs that you use in cars, van, picks, lorries, etc.<p>The fixed nature of train routes also means you can electrify parts of it strategically (ie, a few km around a station to help a train accelerate) and rely on a mix of battery and overhead lines.<p>At this point hydrogen still seems possibly usable for ships and long-distance planes - short-haul planes will be electrified in the coming decade due to the same mass production that will drive EV adoption.