Scottish hydrogen train project on track to meet climate targets.
A new hydrogen train project led by the University of St Andrews has successfully completed its next phase of testing and is on track to help the Scottish Government meet its ambitious Net Zero carbon targets .
The project is a partnership between the University of St Andrews, Transport Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Ballard Motive Solutions, Abbott Risk Consulting, ARUP, Aegis and Angel Trains.
The trial of the hydrogen-powered train took place at the Scottish Rail Preservation Society in Bo’ness last month, which included a series of workshops to determine the future strategy for rail decarbonisation in Scotland and provided train demonstrations to key stakeholders and project partners.
The project involves the conversion and reuse of a 40-year-old three-car Class 314 train to a hydrogen fuel cell electric powertrain. The ex-Class 314 train was re-tracted and reclassified as a Class 614 hydrogen-powered train. The track testing and engineering development required to implement the conversion is starting to grow into a critical skill base for hydrogen trains in Scotland.
Green hydrogen produced from an on-site electrolyser connected to a temporary refueler will play a key role during the project’s demonstration. Complementing the infrastructure and its location will be critical to future rail deployments. Funding support from Angel Trains for the electrolyser is crucial to delivering a train running on green hydrogen.
This new project drives a huge amount of learning from converting existing rail rolling stock and shows how it can create new supply chain opportunities and skills for emerging green economy, while reducing emissions from the Scottish rail sector. The Scottish Government has set a target date to decarbonise passenger rail transport by 2035.
Derek WatsonUniversity of St Andrews Quaestor and Factor said:
The University of St Andrews is leading the transition to green energy.
“The hydrogen train project is a demonstration of our commitment to our own ambitious Net Zero targets and a true demonstration of a collaborative approach and collaboration working for the good of society.”
The University of St Andrews has set an ambitious target to be net zero by 2035 and has placed sustainability at the heart of its Strategy.
Gerry AgnewDirector, Hydrogen Accelerator and Senior Research Fellow at the University of St Andrews, said:
This Hydrogen Accelerator project provides valuable intellectual collateral that will inform future phases for the decarbonisation of the rail network and will play a critical role in helping Scotland achieve its Net Zero targets.
“The test and demonstration of the train are the next steps to demonstrate that clean energy transfer is a reality. The project is on target to provide the critical understanding and knowledge to make the hydrogen-powered railway a reality in the not too distant future.
dr. Ben ToddCEO, Ballard Motive Solutions, said:
This project is a best practice example of government, academia and industry working together to take an ecosystem view of the benefits of carbon-neutral technology.
“We are delivering a renewable hydrogen-powered train in a live rail environment – including an advanced pre-production engineering design and green hydrogen infrastructure – while developing supply chain capabilities and new, green jobs.Hydrogen traction power offers a safe, reliable, and zero-carbon alternative for Scotland’s rail network.
“The hydrogen train project is an excellent opportunity for industry leaders in hydrogen, rail engineering and safety to collaborate with Scottish technology providers to develop a solution ready for deployment.”
Professor John Irvinethe Chair of the Hydrogen Accelerator from the School of Chemistry at St Andrews added:
Hydrogen plays a very important role in the quest to solve climate change.
“It is important to show that it can be implemented in real applications at scale. Our team’s achievements in delivering a smooth-running train are an excellent example of hydrogen technology and its capabilities, which are critical also announcing our progress in removing fossil fuel trains from our railroads.
The project shows that Scotland has the ability to convert its existing rolling stock to hydrogen-powered trains, which play a key role in the climate challenge. It also recognizes some of the very significant safety and operability challenges associated with the implementation of hydrogen propulsion in rolling stock designed to standards in place 40 years ago.
Hydrogen trains will enable large-scale green hydrogen production and distribution refueling infrastructure across Scotland, establishing a Scottish supply chain vital to a green future economy.
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Scottish hydrogen train project on track to deliver climate targets, September 26, 2022
