Fuelling the green future of British railways

H2 Green, the hydrogen network operator, has entered into an agreement with leading railway rolling stock owner Eversholt Rail to develop hydrogen supply solutions for the UK railway.

H2 Green and Eversholt Rail will work together to determine the production and refuelling infrastructure required to support wide-scale deployment of hydrogen-powered rolling stock fleets. The focus is on providing low-cost and reliable green hydrogen, produced by electrolysis of water using renewable energy sources. Eversholt Rail recognises the benefits that hydrogen powered trains will deliver and has an established relationship with leading rolling stock manufacturer Alstom. Alstom developed and deployed the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell trains, the Coradia iLint, into passenger service in Lower Saxony, Germany, in 2018.

This Agreement will be a catalyst to enable the rapid deployment of hydrogen rolling stock for the UK railway.

H2 Green is working to deliver security of supply by developing a network of large-scale production hubs across the UK. With strategic land assets on the UK rail network and a focus on driving down costs through economies of scale in the design process, H2 Green is ideally positioned to provide train operators with a guaranteed supply of green hydrogen wherever they need it. The high-volume offtake that rail fleets require will set the cornerstone for hydrogen production hubs, capable of servicing road vehicles as well.

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Luke Johnson, Managing Director of H2 Green, said:
“Supplying regional rail lines with clean, green hydrogen to power their fuel cell electric trains is a logical step in the decarbonisation of transport. Rail holds an iconic historical position, in the last great industrial revolution and will be central to the next: moving to a green circular economy. Working with Eversholt Rail helps us accurately design our hydrogen production hubs to service the real-world needs of the railway, ensuring we can provide commercially-viable production facilities that offer customers the high level of reliability they expect from the rail system.”

Tim Burleigh, Head of External Relations for Eversholt Rail, said:
“Successful introduction of hydrogen-powered trains requires a whole-system approach. Train service sponsors and operators must be confident that the arrangements for hydrogen fuel provision are robust, cost-effective and sustainable. Our work with H2 Green will ensure our readiness for fleet deployments in the areas of the rail network where hydrogen trains are best suited to operate, whilst also creating wider transport decarbonisation opportunities.”