Hydrogen-powered train breaks record after around 2800 km without stops

Sustainable mobility goes, for many, beyond battery-electric alternatives, with hydrogen being a path to be considered. For this Swiss train, this fuel was enough to break the record of 1741 miles (about 2802 km) of non-stop travel.

Signed by the Swiss company Stadler, a Swiss train called FLIRT H2 secured its place in the Guinness World Records, after traveling for around 2800 km without making stops.

The feat was achieved using a passenger carriage from a hydrogen-powered train on a dedicated test circuit in Colorado, in the United States of America.

The FLIRT H2 has two passenger carriages with a power plant in the middle, which stores hydrogen in fuel tanks and uses fuel cells to convert it into electricity.

Subsequently, the electricity is sent to a traction converter and stored in a battery, which supplies it to the electric motor to move the train. In this way, it is possible to recover energy from the train's braking system, increasing the system's efficiency.

Stadler constantly focuses on the future of rail transport with alternative propulsion systems, continually developing innovative technologies.

By using hydrogen as a clean energy source, we are actively contributing to environmental protection and shaping the sustainable, emission-free travel of tomorrow.

Said Martin Ritter, CEO of Stadler, in a press release.

The two-car configuration can accommodate 108 passengers and has a maximum speed of 130 km per hour. Furthermore, the train was designed to operate at high ambient temperatures, up to 49 degrees Celsius.

Record served to demonstrate the capacity of the hydrogen-powered train

Built for the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA), the FLIRT H2 hydrogen-powered train is being tested on a test circuit in Colorado ahead of its scheduled entry into service later this year. To make it official, Stadler decided to immortalize it with a record.

On the evening of March 20, Stadler engineers began driving the convoy in shifts throughout the night, continuing the following day. When the convoy stopped, at 5:23 pm on March 22, it had covered 2803 km in 46 hours. All the way on a single tank of fuel.

Despite being impressive, the train did not stop and start several times during the record attempt, nor did it travel at different inclines. In fact, the advertised range for the FLIRT H2 is around 460 km.

In any case, it demonstrated the capacity of hydrogen as a potential source of energy for trains.

As recalled by Interesting Engineering, in 2023, the California Transportation Authority ordered four FLIRT H2 trains with four carriages, with a view to increasing passenger capacity.