Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - For the time being, the state government is not relying on hydrogen trains for the planned climate-neutral conversion of regional transport in the south-west. Instead, so-called battery hybrid trains should be the method of choice on many sections of the route that are not yet equipped with overhead lines. This is the result of a study presented by Transport Minister Winfried Hermann (Greens) on Monday in Stuttgart.
"In order for the country to achieve its climate goals in the transport sector, diesel drives must also be a thing of the past on the rails as soon as possible," said Hermann. The electric drive using overhead lines is still the best method. However, the construction of new overhead lines takes a long time and is sometimes very expensive, so alternative drives are needed on some sections.
In the report, battery hybrid trains, the battery of which is charged on sections of the route with overhead lines, as well as hydrogen hybrid trains, for which appropriate filling stations are needed, were considered. The result: Hydrogen technology was not able to establish itself in any of the 16 route sections examined. The costs are high and the availability of green hydrogen is limited, Hermann said.
The experts recommended battery trains on most routes, primarily in the northeast around the Tauberbahn and its branch lines, around the Danube axis from Ulm to Tuttlingen, and on the route from Pforzheim to Horb. They only recommended upgrading the overhead lines on five sections of the route.
