Between Augsburg and Weilheim/Peißenberg, a hydrogen train will make its debut starting in the middle of the next year. It will initially operate here in test operation starting in the middle of 2023, which means it won’t carry passengers, and then on a regular basis starting at the beginning of 2024. The Augsburg-Kaufering and Augsburg-Kaufbeuren-Füssen lines are additional regions where Bavaria’s first hydrogen train can be used.
The Pfaffenwinkelbahn route at Peißenberg, rather than the true last stop in Schongau, is where the railway, which travels along the Ammersee, comes to an end. According to the BEG, there is often double traction on the way to Schongau, but the hydrogen train only has one railcar. A comparable contract has been struck between the Bavarian Railway Company and the Bavarian Regiobahn.
Siemens’ hydrogen train is being tested by BRB in Bavaria, marking a significant step toward the future.
The hydrogen train may only be used for 2.5 years, or until the middle of 2026. The Siemens Mireo Plus H traction unit is used for driving. Christian Bernreiter (CSU), the transport minister for Bavaria, saw the train’s presentation at the recent Innotrans railroad expo in Berlin. He calls the test “on the route to climate-neutral propulsion technology” an essential milestone. A hydrogen train will be tested along the Ammersee, as has been known for a year. Kerstin Schreyer, Bernreiter’s predecessor at the time, made the “statement of purpose” public.
Siemens’ hydrogen train is being tested in Bavaria; other countries have advanced.
The branch line’s electrification was something that several railroad specialists had secretly longed for. You can put it to rest now that hydrogen trains are being considered the ultimate diesel engine replacement. The two-part Siemens train can go up to 800 kilometers on a full tank; however, given the twisting and mountainous track along Lake Ammer, it should be a bit less.
Although the location of the gas station is still unclear, Augsburg, where the BRB’s workshop is located, maybe a possibility. Siemens has delivered the first seven hydrogen trains to a private railway in Berlin-Brandenburg, where testing is still being conducted. Nevertheless, progress is being made elsewhere.
