(07/01/2025)   

The project, developed by a consortium made up of CAF, DLR, Toyota, Renfe, Adif, CNH2, IP and Stemmann-Technik over the last four years, had a budget of 14 million Euros, of which around 70% was financed by European funds.

‘FCH2RAIL’ began in January 2021 working on the development and manufacture of a zero-emission power generation system called ‘Fuel Cell Hybrid Power Pack’ for an existing commuter train, provided by Renfe. This system uses electrical energy from hydrogen fuel cells and LTO batteries, a vehicle concept that can run in electric mode on electrified infrastructure as well as in hybrid mode on catenary-free sections of the network. This is the first demonstrator train with hydrogen fuel cells on the Iberian Peninsula.

First phase

The first phase of the project, which also began that year, consisted of developing the new power generation solution and integrating it into the vehicle’s existing traction system. To this end, the ‘Fuel Cell Hybrid Power Pack’ was tested outside the vehicle to validate and optimize its performance. Once this stage was completed, the static tests of the unit began in 2022 at the CAF plant in Zaragoza, where the correct installation and integration of the new system was tested, all interfaces were checked and the hydrogen system was tested for leak-tightness with the first refuelling using fuel cell power.

This innovative zero-emission power generation system uses electrical energy from hydrogen fuel cells and LTO batteries to power the train on non-electrified lines, and the overhead line where available.

The static tests began in 2022 at the CAF plant in Zaragoza, and in mid-2022, the dynamic tests of the unit began, initially on closed tracks, which served to optimise the new system and equipment, to later begin these tests on external tracks.

One of the most important milestones of the project was the granting of authorisation for tests on the Spanish General Interest Railway Network (Red Ferroviaria de Interés General, RFIG) and the departure of the vehicle for the first test run on the Zaragoza-Canfranc route in the Aragonese Pyrenees. This marked Adif’s first authorisation for the test operation of a hydrogen train in the RFIG. The arrival of the train at Canfranc station demonstrated the reliability of the technology used on a route that is particularly demanding due to its high ramps.