The German railway has begun using a suite of state-of-the-art trains that run on hydrogen power in a bid to make the service more sustainable.

Developer Siemens Mobility said its Mireo Plus H hydrogen trains will save an estimated 1.1 million litres of diesel fuel per year and reduce CO2 emissions by 3,000 tons.

The trains will be powered by locally produced hydrogen and water vapour will be the only emitted by-product while in service. In addition, recovered braking energy will be used to further increase the trains’ energy efficiency.

The trains are replacing the older, diesel-powered models, but will be rolled out in stages starting with selected runs in the East Allgäu-Lechfeld network. Operations will later be expanded and the train will then also run on the Ammersee-Altmühltal network. The use of diesel propulsion for trains is currently scheduled to be fully phased out in Bavaria’s regional rail system by 2040.

“We offer electric, battery and hydrogen trains based on the ultra-modern...