The FCH2RAIL consortium has successfully completed testing in Portugal. Between 3 and 6 April, the H2 train travelled on the Minho Line between Valença and Nine stations, making it the first hydrogen train in Portugal. With these tests, the FCH2RAIL project achieved a great milestone, having obtained the authorization to run the train demonstrator in a second European country.
To carry out these tests, Infraestruturas de Portugal issued the Special Circulation Authorisation in December 2023, establishing the conditions for the train’s operation on the Portuguese rail network during the testing phase. The tests performed in Portugal are part of the extended testing campaign initiated in May 2023 on the Spanish railway network. Now, after the testing in Portugal, the train has already travelled more than 8500 km in hydrogen mode.
Credit: CAF (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
The success in the development of this project confirms and reinforces the commitment of the FCH2Rail consortium to the development of hydrogen trains as environmentally friendly mobility solution. In this stage of the tests the project was supported by other companies such as STELLANTIS, which has ceded the use of its facilities in Porriño (Pontevedra) to refuel the train during the testing stage in Portugal, VANGUARDLAND, which has supported CNH2 in refueling the train, MEDWAY, which has provided train drivers for the operation of the train during the tests in Portugal, and IBERDROLA, for the supply of green hydrogen for the train tests.
