THE regional government of the Dutch province of Groningen has cancelled plans to procure hydrogen trains in favour of acquiring battery-electric trains as it pursues its zero emissions strategy for regional operations by 2035.
Groningen has been a long-time advocate of hydrogen propulsion. It has supported plans for the construction of a plant to produce green hydrogen using electricity generated by wind turbines located on Groningen’s North Sea coast.
Tests of Alstom’s prototype iLint hydrogen train in Groningen were received positively. However, the province has found commercial viability impossible to achieve. A tender for four hydrogen trains did not receive any bids within budget.
Groningen will now follow the neighbouring province of Friesland, which recently opted for battery-powered regional trains. Discontinuous electrification of the mostly single-track non-electrified lines in Groningen is now seen as the only viable solution, with batteries recharged during station stops using short sections of overhead catenary.
Regional services are currently provided by Arriva, which operates a fleet of Stadler GTW DMUs. Groningen is looking to the Dutch national government and the European Union (EU) for funding assistance with its new fleet of battery trains.
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