Transport Secretary Grant Shapps also announced plans to develop Tees Valley as a hydrogen transport hub. Credit: © University of Birmingham.

The UK has commenced mainline testing of the country’s first hydrogen-powered train as part of an ongoing effort to decarbonise the rail network.

The trials of the HydroFLEX hydrogen train follows nearly two years of development work.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

HydroFLEX is developed by the University of Birmingham and rolling stock leasing company Porterbrook with a £750,000 grant from the Department for Transport (DfT). Separately, the developers also invested more than £1m on the project.

The hydrogen-powered trains are emission-free and use hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, water and heat.

Expected to be available by 2023, the technology will be retrofitted on existing diesel trains to make rail journeys greener.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “As we continue on our road to a green recovery, we know that to really harness the power of transport to improve our country – and to set a global gold standard – we must truly embed change.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

“That’s why I’m delighted that, through our plans to build back better, we’re embracing the power of hydrogen and the more sustainable, greener forms of transport it will bring.”

Shapps also announced plans to develop Tees Valley as a hydrogen transport hub, which will help in bringing together representatives from academia, industry and government to expedite the transformation, creating hundreds of jobs in the process.

DfT has already commissioned a masterplan to evaluate the feasibility of the hub. It is expected to be published in January.

Porterbrook CEO Mary Grant said: “Porterbrook is committed to innovation and the delivery of a carbon-neutral and sustainable railway. Today’s mainline testing of HydroFLEX achieves another important milestone on this journey.

“I’m also delighted to be able to announce our intention to start producing HydroFLEX trains, creating the world’s first electric and hydrogen-powered bi-mode rolling stock, as well as generating significant opportunities for the UK supply chain.”

Notably, the world’s first hydrogen train entered service in 2018 in Germany.

Austria’s ÖBB recently launched a three-month-long passenger trial of a hydrogen train.

Read our feature on HydroFLEX train here.