The FCH2RAIL project has completed its final test phase, which was carried out on the Ourense-Santiago de Compostela conventional network. This is the end of the circulations of the demonstrator train, having travelled around 10,000 km in hydrogen mode.
Credit: ADIF (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Tests on the Adif network began in May 2023 on the section between Zaragoza and Canfranc and continued in November on the Torralba-Soria line and in December 2023 and January 2024 on the line between Zaragoza and Teruel. In March 2024, the prototype has been running on the Madrid-Extremadura corridor, where an autonomy of more than 800 km in hydrogen mode was achieved. In April 2024 the train has been demonstrated in Portugal and thereby achieved TRL7 authorisation in a second EU country – also making it the first H2 train in the Portuguese network.
One of the objectives of the tests with the demonstrator train was to check the autonomy and reliability of the entire hydrogen and battery system, as well as the energy management system. As in the previous phases, the tests between Ourense and Santiago de Compostela were running smoothly and the FCH2RAIL train was again demonstrating its potential as an alternative for a cleaner and more sustainable rail transport system.
The success in the different testing campaigns confirms and reinforces the commitment of the FCH2Rail consortium to the development of environmentally friendly mobility solutions. During the testing campaigns the consortium was supported by 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 and in Galicia, by 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 by IBERDROLA, for the supply of green hydrogen for the train tests.
