On June 17, a significant milestone was achieved in sustainable transportation landscape with the debut of the continent’s first hydrogen-powered train in Quebec.
The Coradia iLint train, manufactured by Alstom, operates using a hydrogen fuel cell system that combines hydrogen stored in rooftop tanks with ambient air’s oxygen to produce electrical energy. The result is a train that emits only water vapor and condensed water, eliminating direct emissions, greenhouse gases, and harmful chemicals.
The Coradia iLint train showcases impressive energy efficiency features. Excess electrical energy generated onboard is stored in a battery for later use, while the kinetic energy produced during braking is also captured and stored in the battery. These innovations contribute to the train’s comparable acceleration and braking performance to that of a standard diesel train. However, the hydrogen-powered train operates at a significantly lower noise level, enhancing the experience for passengers and residents living near the tracks and stations.
The train’s inaugural journey, taking place from June 17 to September 30, shuttles passengers between Parc de la Chute-Montmorency and the picturesque town of Baie-St-Paul, providing a 90-minute scenic ride. Parc de la Chute-Montmorency, located just outside Quebec City, is home to a magnificent 300-foot waterfall, while Baie-Saint-Paul is renowned for its art galleries. To cater to sustainability-conscious travelers, Train de Charlevoix, the train operator, offers an eco-agro tourism tour that includes visits to local breweries and stores to learn about sustainable goods and brewing techniques.
The Coradia iLint train is the product of collaboration between Alstom, the Government of Québec, and Harnois Énergies, the supplier of green hydrogen for this demonstration project. By introducing passenger service, Alstom and its partners aim to gain valuable insights into the future prospects of hydrogen propulsion technology in other North American markets. This project is particularly significant as only one percent of North America’s train lines are electrified, making the Coradia iLint an environmentally friendly alternative to diesel trains on the remaining 99 percent of the region’s tracks.
Alstom’s Coradia iLint made its commercial debut in Germany in 2018, marking the world’s first deployment of a hydrogen-powered train. Since then, the Coradia iLint has traveled over 130,000 miles across eight European countries. In a remarkable achievement, on September 15, 2022, the train set a world record by covering a distance of 730 miles without refueling.
The momentum for hydrogen-powered trains is growing worldwide. In May 2023, the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation unveiled the world’s first hydrogen-powered urban train. This train combines hydrogen fuel cells with supercapacitors as an energy source and boasts a range of up to 373 miles on a single charge. Equipped with advanced autonomy capabilities, the train can automatically wake up, start, stop, and return to the depot, showcasing the potential for hydrogen propulsion technology in urban environments.
