(Wegberg-Wildenrath) – Deutsche Bahn AG carried out a high-profile test drive with the Mireo Plus H hydrogen train developed by Siemens AG in the presence of political celebrities and managers. It was also demonstrated that the refueling works in the Siemens test center in Wegberg-Wildenrath (North Rhine-Westphalia). The energy source for the mobile hydrogen filling station is produced in Tübingen by DB Energie using green electricity from the overhead line. As part of its “H2goesRail” project, Deutsche Bahn wants to be climate neutral by 2040, emphasized CEO Richard Lutz at the event.
Mireo Plus H will go into trial operation in 2023
The Mireo Plus H will begin test drives in Baden-Württemberg in 2023. From 2024 it will be in regular passenger service between Tübingen, Horb and Pforzheim and will replace a diesel railcar that runs there. Around 120.000 kilometers of scheduled rail operations are planned.
Filling station for hydrogen trains. © Deutsche Bahn AG / Michael Neuhaus
A single train saves up to 30 tons of CO45.000 over its 2-year lifespan compared to car journeys, said Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens AG. Compared to diesel trains, there would be annual CO2 savings of around 330 tons. In general, depending on the route profile, the Mireo Plus H can save 520 tons per year (based on a mileage of 200.000 kilometers).
Range 800 kilometers
The two-part regional train has two drive systems, each consisting of a fuel cell and a lithium-ion battery. According to the information, the Mireo Plus H is as powerful as electric multiple units and has a range of up to 800 kilometers, “depending on the operating conditions such as the season or the route”. A three-part variant has a range of up to 1.000 kilometers. The maximum speed is 160 kilometers per hour and the drive power is 1,7 megawatts.
Mireo also for Bavaria and Brandenburg
The train now presented is identical to the hydrogen train for Bayerische Regiobahn GmbH, which will go into trial operation at the beginning of 2024 on the Augsburg-Füssen route, among others. The two Bavarian ministries of economics and transport finance its leasing.
The Niederbarnim Railway AG (NEB) has also ordered two-part Mireo Plus H trains from Siemens Mobility GmbH. A total of seven vehicles are scheduled to be on the Heidekrautbahn network (RB2024) from autumn 27. The entire train operation there should be carried out exclusively with renewable and regionally generated energy. The switch from diesel to hydrogen on the Heidekrautbahn saves 1,1 million liters of diesel annually.
Siemens and Deutsche Bahn had the project H2goesRail as reported, presented to the public in November 2020. The project is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport as part of the National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology with a total of 13,74 million euros.
Photos
Test drive with the Mireo H Plus. © Siemens Mobility
