Germany: Hydrogen Alstom Coradia iLINT tests in revenue service

Some may be familiar with DMUs called Alstom Coradia LINT - with LINT standing for Leichter Innovativer Nahverkehrstriebwagen, meaning light innovative local transport rail vehicle.

Many might conclude that this kind of rolling stock offers an attractive design with extra large windows, quick acceleration, low operating costs because of its light weight - many regional lines not having heavy passenger loads that otherwise might not see any rail service at all, can have an attractive, fast, frequent (f.e. hourly) service due to this rolling stock.

Some might think it is unfortunate, that DMUs like these could not operate without an exemption in the US due to antiquated federal "safety" standards, requiring passenger rail vehicles to be as heavy as tanks and making passenger rail service prohibitive in many places, or unnecessarily expensive, slow and infrequent in other places.

So at least a few people might think it is great news that Alstom developed a hydrogen version of the LINT, to be tested in revenue service in Northern Germany. These vehicles - emitting no local pollutant emissions, being more silent - could make rail become a better neighbor to its neighbors living or working close to the tracks and stations, while lowering operating costs even more for rail operators.


Hydrogen fuel cell train offers pollution-free rail trips
September 22, 2016
By Jon Fingas
https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/22/hydrogen-fuel-cell-train/




Picture of the iLINT, taken from the official Alstom website:

Source: http://www.alstom.com/press-centre/2016/9/alstom-unveils-its-zero-emission-train-coradia-ilint-at-innotrans/

I think the US should think about changing it's safety laws, which are a bit unnecessary, in my opinion. For how many collisions passenger trains have with other trains, especially with all the better signaling and dispatching, all it does is decrease rail efficiency, overall, it is nice knowing that your train can withstand a 100 MPH impact with another train, but there is a one in very many thousand chance of that happening.

norfolkwesternhenry said:

I think the US should think about changing it's safety laws, which are a bit unnecessary, in my opinion. For how many collisions passenger trains have with other trains, especially with all the better signaling and dispatching, all it does is decrease rail efficiency, overall, it is nice knowing that your train can withstand a 100 MPH impact with another train, but there is a one in very many thousand chance of that happening.

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Actually the safety regulations come in rather handy when a train collides with a cement mixer truck at a grade crossing. It would be foolhardy to suddenly fall back to UIC standards across the board without doing something about the grade crossings.