While Alstom successfully concludes the demonstration of the first hydrogen train in commercial service in North America, carrying 10,000 passengers for three months in Quebec, it is Stadler that is in the news. The Swiss group is to supply 4 hydrogen trains to California, with the possibility of delivering 25 more. Operations are due to start in 2024.

A partnership between Stadler and the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA), concluded in 2019, paved the way for the arrival of the very first hydrogen train in North America. The very first Flirt H2 has been ordered. On its website, the manufacturer writes that this hydrogen train has undergone extensive testing in Switzerland and the United States, confirming its exceptional performance and reliability. These tests led to an “unprecedented” decision by CalSTA and Caltrans to embark on this innovative project alongside Stadler.

This hydrogen train, which was presented at the Innotrans show in Berlin in 2022, will soon be running in California.

The Swiss group is also setting its sights on Europe. It has won two contracts in Italy: the first for the supply and maintenance of 10 hydrogen trains for the operator ARST (Azienda Regionale Sarda Trasporti) and the second for 15 similar trains for FdC (Ferrovie della Calabria). Stadler will thus become the first railway manufacturer in the world to offer narrow-gauge trains equipped with hydrogen propulsion.

Do you want to learn more about hydrogen trains and the State of California? Then our latest 2 articles on these subjects should interest you. You can read about the future of hydrogen trains in Europe here and about California there. 

You’re a LinkedIn user? Then our LinkedIn weekly newsletter may be of interest to you. You can subscribe to it here. 

Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King