Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn Betriebsgesellschaft (NEB) will operate the trains, which will be powered by locally produced hydrogen and fuel cells, with a reported operating range of up to 1,200km.
With a power capacity of 1.7MW and a top speed of 160km/h, the trains are set to replace diesel units on NEB’s network for a trial period lasting at least two and a half years.
‘Freistaat Bayern’ will replace diesel trains on Bayrische Regiobahn (BRB) from today (December 16), initially operating in the East Agllgäu-Lechfeld network before expanding to the Ammersee-Altmühltal network.
“We offer electric, battery and hydrogen trains based on the ultra-modern Mireo platform and have completed the development of our innovative and environmentally friendly Mireo Plus H hydrogen trains right on schedule,” explained Andre Rodenbeck, CEO of Rolling Stock at Siemens Mobility.
“The first of these trains will now be entering passenger service and we are delighted to be a driving force behind the phasing out of diesel trains.”
Hydrogen-powered rail operations have encountered setbacks over the past year, highlighted by rail operator RMVs announcement last month (November) to revert to diesel operations until the end of 2025.
The French train manufacturer Alstom recalled its iLint hydrogen units after two years of unreliable operations and will cover all the contract costs of the diesel train leases, which will run until the end of 2025.
