On Friday 17 June, one hundred passengers travelled on the Coradia iLint in the first ever hydrogen train journey in North America.

The train travelled ninety kilometres from the Parc de la Chute-Montmorency in Quebec City to Baie-Saint-Paul,through the UNESCO-listed Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve along the St. Lawrence River.

The Coradia iLint generates its own energy using fuel cells, and is powered by green hydrogen.

The journey it made is a first in Canada and in the USA. This means that Quebec province is the first jurisdiction to run a train with zero direct emissions powered by green hydrogen.

The train’s hydrogen fuel cell emits only water vapour during operation, making it much quieter than other trains, which benefits both passengers and those living or working close to tracks.

The Coradia iLint has travelled more than 220,000 kilometres in eight European countries since entering commercial service in Germany in 2018.

It is now operating in commercial service on two networks in Germany. To date, Eurpean clients have ordered 41 trainsets.

On 15 September last year, the Coradia iLint travelled a record distance of 1,175 kilometres without refuelling. The loco has a top speed of 140 kmh (87 mph) and accelerates and brakes with a performance similar to a standard regional diesel train.

Crucially, it achieves these performance levels without the noise and emissions of other trains. It boasts several innovative features: clean energy conversion, flexible energy storage in batteries, smart traction and energy management. The loco was designed for non-electrified lines.

Several companies and authorities are involved in the project, including Alstom, the Government of Quebec, Chemin de fer Charlevoix, Train de Charlevoix, Harnois Énergies, HTEC and Accelera by Cummins.

Alstom will use the opportunity presented by this pioneer journey to assess what to do next in developing an ecosystem for hydrogen propulsion technology.

The Hydrogen Research Institute of the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières will help Alstom with its assessment.

The company also sees this as an opportunity to increase its market in Canada and the USA, centred around its new innovation centre located in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec.

Alstom describes the primary mission of this centre as developing platforms with hybrid, battery or green hydrogen propulsion specifically adapted to the North American market.

The centre benefits from the availability of more than seven hundred Alstom engineers currently working in the city to speed up the decarbonisation of rail.

Alstom employs 1,800 people in Quebec.

Claude Choquette, President of Groupe Le Massif and Chemin de fer de Charlevoix, “This project is made possible thanks to the collaboration of Chemin de fer de Charlevoix, which is owned by Groupe Le Massif. In addition to defining new foundations for sustainable tourism, the hydrogen train’s launch allows many visitors from around the world to discover Charlevoix while creating value for the entire region.”

“Harnois Énergies is a partner in this project, positioning itself not only as a hydrogen producer, but also as a distributor. The hydrogen used will be produced at our Quebec City station and will then be transported via high-pressure tanks to Baie St-Paul. Harnois Énergies is focused on the future and keeps an open mind. Energy diversification is at the heart of the company’s priorities,” explains Serge Harnois, President and CEO of Harnois Énergies.

Alison Trueblood, General Manager of Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies at Accelera, said,“As Accelera continues to innovate, we’re guiding customers through energy transition roadmaps by providing end-to-end hydrogen solutions,” “This includes advancing traditional transportation methods, like passenger trains, through the adoption of zero-emission technologies and enabling industry infrastructure with hydrogen-producing electrolyzers. Together with Alstom and many other partners, we are advancing hydrogen propulsion technology in the North American market.”

Michael Keroullé, President of Alstom Americas, said,”We are very proud to see our Coradia iLint hydrogen train onboard and carry its first North American passengers here in Quebec. Alstom is fully involved in the decarbonization of mobility in the world and particularly in America. Hydrogen technology offers an alternative to diesel and demonstrates our ability to provide more sustainable mobility solutions to our customers, agencies and operators, as well as passengers. It will also provide an extraordinary showcase for Quebec’s green hydrogen ecosystem, which is under development.”