SACRAMENTO — California’s Department of Transportation, Caltrans, announced a $127 million agreement with Stadler Rail on Wednesday to purchase six more hydrogen-powered passenger trainsets, bringing to 10 the number of the trainsets on order for use in the San Joaquin Valley.
The funding comes $407 million for the California State Transportation agency to purchase or lease clean bus and rail equipment and infrastructure, part of the state’s larger $10 billion, multiyear zero-emission vehicle package. The trains will be used between Merced and Sacramento on the planned Valley Rail service, the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission’s program to expand the Altamont Corridor Express commuter operation and add frequencies to Amtrak’s San Joaquins. The first trainsets are expected to enter service in 2027. The new order exercises an option included in the original four-train order placed in October 2023.
“By expanding our fleet of hydrogen-powered passenger trainsets, we are showing we are serious about deploying innovative and sustainable transportation options for the people of this state,” state Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin said in a press release. Said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares, “These clean-energy trains are the future. California is building a climate-resilient transportation system that will help every community move around the state in a safe and sustainable way.”
The trains are based on Stadler’s Fast Light Intercity and Regional Train, or FLIRT, equipment. The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority will receive the first FLIRT H2 hydrogen trainset for use on its Arrow commuter service connecting San Bernardino and Redlands, Calif. [see “Stadler hydrogen trainset makes debut …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 12, 2023].
“We are very proud to be providing additional hydrogen trains to the California State Transportation Agency and Caltrans,” said Stadler US CEO Martin Ritter. “With our multiple units, we are jointly driving the decarbonization of rail transportation in the U.S. We thank CalSTA and Caltrans for their trust and look forward to deepening our partnership.”
Stadler said it has now sold more than 150 trains using alternative power systems, hydrogen or battery, in the U.S., Germany, Italy, Austria, and Lithuania. The company says the H2 train has been extensively tested in Switzerland and the U.S. and is “performing well in pre-revenue testing.”
“Stadler is committed to making travel in North America more environmentally friendly and offering innovative solutions to the region’s specific challenges,” Ansgar Brockmeyer, Stadler executive vice president of marketing and sales, said in a company press release. “Given the limited electrification of rail lines in the U.S., the FLIRT H2 proves to be particularly significant. Hydrogen technology enables sustainable mobility as it is an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional drives. Stadler is thus actively pursuing the goal of modernizing public transport in North America and making a contribution to environmental protection in the process.”
— Updated at 1 p.m. CT with additional information from Stadler.
Meanwhile the rest of the passenger railroad world has moved on from hydrogen in favor of batteries.
I would like to know more of how the operations and economics of H2 fuel will work for California, vs fossil diesel and renewable bio-diesel and bio-gas.