The Korea Railroad Research Institute is working on a locomotive driven by liquid hydrogen.
When done, the train is expected to travel at a top speed of 150 km/h and cover more than 1,000 kilometers on a single charge.
Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) said in a statement that it expects the construction would result in the world’s first liquefied hydrogen-based locomotive.
In the second half of 2022, the project’s developers plan to create a liquefied hydrogen hybrid propulsion device, as well as a high-insulation cryogenic liquid hydrogen storage technology and quick charging technology, and mount it on a tram. After that, the tram will be put to the test.
“We will develop the world’s first liquefied hydrogen locomotive to replace the imports of old diesel locomotives and use the railway infrastructure as a long-distance train for intercontinental railroads and Eurasia.”
Kim Gil-dong, Director of the Smart Electricity Signaling Division, Director of Railroad Research
“We will do our best to make the technology of liquefied hydrogen trains a stepping-stone for converting railroad transportation into an eco-friendly hydrogen ecosystem and become a core technology for realizing carbon neutrality in 2050.”
Han Seok-yoon, Director of the Railroad Research Institute
