A bold plan to fast-track the hydrogen train industry in the UK has been unveiled today with a further £1m investment from British rolling stock company Eversholt Rail and Alstom.

Taking the Breeze hydrogen train plan to the next level, this major investment will create an entirely new class of train, the first-ever 600 series, and means the Breeze will be ready for early deployment in the UK.

Breeze trains will be built at Alstom’s Widnes Transport Technology Centre, which is fast becoming the UK’s premier centre for train modernisation. Widnes will also become Alstom’s worldwide centre of excellence for hydrogen conversion when this project is in series production.

When powered by green hydrogen, these trains offer true zero emission mobility, not just zero emission at point of use. The only emission from a hydrogen train is water; it produces no harmful particulate or gaseous emissions.

Hydrogen trains are ideally suited to regional rail services on routes that are not currently electrified.

Alstom has already proven that hydrogen trains are a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution with the success of the Coradia iLint in Germany.

This new investment will ensure that Breeze trains are ready for swift deployment in the UK wherever electrification with overhead wires might be impractical or visually intrusive.

It will underpin other initiatives in the hydrogen sector and will support any subsequent national hydrogen strategy.

“It’s time to jump-start the UK hydrogen revolution. With the government looking to invest in green technologies, Alstom and Eversholt Rail have deepened our already extensive commitment to this job-creating technology with a further million-pound investment,” said Nick Crossfield, Alstom’s Managing Director, UK & Ireland.

“This bold move to back the government’s ambitions on hydrogen means we are the only game in town if you want a shovel ready British hydrogen train.”

“The Breeze is good to go, wherever the government commits to upgrading Britain’s railway with hydrogen trains.”